Media Influence On Behavior

“Media”, to start with, is defined as the main means of mass communication, such as television, radio and newspapers regarded collectively. Shaping someone is to influence their development and to help him or her become who they are. “Who we are” is defined by our actions, beliefs, values, behavior, attitude and personality. A national survey conducted by the Kaiser Family Foundation found that Children and adolescents are spending an average of 7 hours and 38 minutes on media, which shows the prevalence of media in our lives today. I believe that media shapes who we are to a large extent, so much so that it affects majority of people. Media affects our behavior by introducing harmful influences such as violence. We

This affects how acceptable we believe violence is. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, children learn by observing, and imitating. At a very young age, we are exposed to media that sensationalizes violence. Before the age of 4, children are not able to separate fact from fiction and are likely to see violence as something normal. Studies have shown the close relation between violence and media. A study conducted in 2003 by Missouri Western State University on children aged 5 to 12 showed that children become more violent after being exposed to violent programs. Their behavior was recorded before they were shown the cartoon clip of “Tom and Jerry” and their behavior following the cartoon was also recorded. Each child in the study displayed more violent behavior in the final recordings. If a child is not the one behaving more violently, he or she can become too afraid of others, or desensitized to the seriousness of violence. Children start to think that violence is an acceptable way to deal with problems. These behaviors show how media affects a large majority of people, so much so that it starts to affect their behavior. Therefore, media shapes who we are to a large extent, so much so that it affects majority of

There are also other influences such as family that affects a child’s personality. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, the birth order of a child affects the way his or her personality develops. Dr. Kevin Leman, author of "The Birth Order Book" states that the oldest child is likely to be more responsible than his or her younger siblings, self-confident, determined and a natural leader. The youngest child usually tries very hard to gain the attention of his or her parent, and the middle child tends to be more introverted and impulsive. The environment that children grow up in also impacts the type of personality characteristics they develop. According to the AAP, if a couple fights in front of their child, he may display violent behavior, become introverted, cry regularly or have a personality that is conflict-driven, as they develop. Children growing up with other siblings learn to share with their family members, and a child who is part of a stable family environment feels belonged, which leads to a healthy self-esteem and individuality. According to The Family Pediatrics Report, the chances of having emotional, and behavioral problems are lower among children with two parents, while children of divorced parents are at higher risks. These risks include depression and a tendency to have relationship and social problems with one or both parents.