The impact of mass media

Firstly lets all look what Mass Media is ? Shall we ?

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Mass media means technology that is intended to reach a mass audience. It is the primary means of communication used to reach the vast majority of the general public. The most common platforms for mass media are newspapers, magazines, radio, television, and the Internet. The general public typically relies on the mass media to provide information regarding political issues, social issues, entertainment, and news in pop culture

⇛ Now lets look on the impacts of these mass media on social behavior of a child. 

     Mass media (such as newspapers, magazines, comic books, radio, video games, movies, and especially television) present a very different form of socialization than any other, because they offer no opportunity for interaction. Television has an influence on children from a very young age and affects their cognitive and social development.Television is the medium with the greatest socialization effect, surpassing all the other media by far in its influence on the young child. The very fact that television is not an interactive agent is greatly significant to the development of young children. While watching, children have the feeling that they're interacting, but they're not. Since the average child watches 3 to 4 hours of television a day, the time left for playing with others and learning social skills is drastically reduced. 

  

   Of course, parents can control the time their children spend watching television, but many don't. They can monitor the selection of programs, but some allow their children to watch whatever happens to be on. Some parents don‟t consider how they can use television to teach decision making. They don‟t make children aware that when one program ends they can either weigh the various merits of the next offerings or turn the set off. Some children, especially those with a remote control in hand, flick through the channels periodically, randomly stopping at whatever catches their interest at the moment.

      

   Children learn through watching television. Some of the things they learn are beneficial; others are not. They learn about the world and the ways of the society. They learn something about occupations, for example, getting an idea about what a nurse does, what a doctor does, and how the two relate to each other. They learn about the institutions of the society; what goes on in court, for example. They learn the language to go with these roles and settings and they also learn some things you would rather they didn't know! Children also learn about current themes and issues, both from newscasts and drama; issues such as kidnapping, the homeless, and the spread of AIDS. Most of these issues and themes are not happy ones, and many are very frightening, especially when children watch programs that are intended for adults.

      

 Social media participation also can offer adolescents deeper benefits that extend into their view of self, community, and the world, including  

⤁Social networking has also changed the way kids learn. It has introduced a more peer-based learning method, where students are motivated to learn from their peers. They are always interacting and giving feedback to one another, which refines their learning process. They are also more enthusiastic to learn from each other, than from adults. Learning can now come from newer sources and not just their parents or teachers.

⇻Not only is social media a tool to communicate, but it is also an important part of the lives of adolescents and young adults. It gives them an avenue to stay connected with their peers from sports teams, activity clubs, and classes, while also allowing them to network with others having similar interests.

⇻ Social media gives introverted kids the chance to open up over the internet, giving them a boost of confidence. Many youngsters find it easier to talk to people in person, after interacting with them over social media platforms. It also helps them interact with people around the world, understanding other cultures, food, music, and more.

Research studies have identified the following domains of influence in which media content has been shown to have negative effects on children: violence and aggressive behavior, sexual content, body image and self-esteem, and physical health and school performance.

Violence and aggressive behavior :- exposure to media violence increases the risk of aggressive behavior in certain children and adolescents. Other effects on children include desensitization to others' pain and suffering and the tendency to be fearful of the world around them, viewing it as a dangerous place. Research has also shown that news reports of violent crimes can traumatize young children.

Sexual content:-Increased attention has been given to the second domain, sexual content in the media. In Media, Children, and the Family, Jennings Bryant and Steven Rockwell reported the results of their studies that investigated the effects of exposure to sexual content on television. They found that such exposure affected adolescents' moral judgment. They qualified the results, however, by saying that parental discussion and clear expression of personal values mitigated the effects on adolescents.

Body image and self-esteem:- The third domain, body image and self-esteem, is widely affected by advertising in the media. Researchers have suggested that media may influence the development of self-esteem in adolescents through messages about body image. Television, movies, magazines, and advertisements present images that promote unrealistic expectations of beauty, body weight, and acceptable physical appearance

Physical health and school performance:- The fourth domain involves the amount of time that children spend engaged with media activities. An average  child or adolescent spends more than twenty hours per week viewing television. Additional time is often spent watching movies, listening to music, watching music videos, playing video or computer games, or spending computer time on the Internet. This increase in time spent by children using media for recreation has been shown to be a significant factor in childhood obesity due to associated physical inactivity.School achievement may also be affected as a result of decreased time spent on homework or school assignments. And parents often unintentionally contribute to this negative influence by using the television as a way to occupy their children's attention–as a babysitter of sorts. Educators have expressed concerns that the passive nature of media exposure undermines the ability of students to be active learners. 

Increasingly, tobacco, alcohol, and illicit drugs have been glamorized in the media. According to a study Tobacco manufacturers spend $6 billion per year and alcohol manufacturers $2 billion per year in advertising that appeals to children. Movies and television programs often show the lead character or likable characters using and enjoying tobacco and alcohol products. On the other hand, media also provide factual information and venues for discussion, typically through public service announcements or through public programming, informing children and warning them of the dangers of addictions to these substances.