The role of the media in the United States and the media's influence on aggression, violence, crime and the individual (ePub)

Seminar paper from the year 2003 in the subject American Studies - Culture and Applied Geography, grade: 2+ (B), Ernst Moritz Arndt University of Greifswald (Institute for American Studies), course: HS Criminal Justice in the USA, language: English, abstract: Today the media is often seen as the "fourth estate" of the American system, which
already marks its special position in society. This term-paper will show both how that
position historically developed and which role the media plays currently. In order to
underline the specific conditions and political and social circumstances that existed in
the colonies and later in the United States, e.g. the British Kingdom's influence and its
predominance, the media's gradual development will be traced back carefully.
Furthermore, it shall be given an answer to the question if and in what respect the media
influenced and influences social and personal life. This will be analyzed with regard to
the media's functions and its reputation as being responsible for high violence and
crime rates in the USA. Moreover, an insight into common views and prejudices of the
media will be given and compared to reality.
To answer the question if the media is really responsible for crimes, violence and
aggression, its status in our lives must be examined. That means it will be considered of
what importance the media can be for the individual and which positive and negative
consequences might arise from the media's existence and significance. Moreover, it
shall be shown that media violence has certain potential effects on the individual and is
able to affect everybody.
On the one hand, this term-paper will point out that the media's impact on political,
social and personal life is underestimated, respectively often not even acknowledged.
On the other hand, it shall be presented that the media serves also as scapegoat and can
not be blamed for everything, in particular it can not be held responsible for crime,
violence and aggression all alone. To prove that, an individual's personal determinants
will be analyzed in order to underline the various aspects that must come together to
create violence and aggression.
Finally, actions of state and society with the purpose of reducing violence on TV are
portrayed and further suggestions are made on that topic.
Within the analysis, special attention is turned to television as the medium of the 21st
century. Due to its characteristics (stimulating the recipient audio-visually, having the
greatest potential of manipulation and fascination, being seen as the most important,
most credible and easiest accessible source of information and depicting violence and
aggression most effectively) it is the medium which the examination must base on.