Media Portrayals of Promiscuity and a Related Survey

The media is known for displaying a large quantity of violence and sex on television, possibly desensitizing situations that should not be taken lightly in real life. Two previous studies show sexual attitudes portraying entertainment television tend to correlate to attitudes, beliefs, and actions of people in real life. According to a study, television suggests that sexual encounters take place between young, attractive individuals, overemphasizing heterosexuality, and ignoring the fact that major risks are included in such impulsive actions. In "dialogue, characterizations, storylines and themes, television presents adolescents with numerous verbal and visual examples of how dating, intimacy, relationships and sex are handled" (Ward 237). Therefore, television is to blame for promiscuity, especially at a young age. In a second study, people watching television with a lot of sexual content also made incorrect assumptions on frequency of sexual behaviors in real life. Research was analyzed that showed "a correlation between sexual content on television and sexual activity...other researchers, however, find no such relationship" (Taylor 130). However, both studies have many grey areas, and the topic needs further investigation.

Reality shows and soap operas are key examples of television shows that exaggerate how much individuals partake in sex. For example, in a reality show it may seem as though every time a specific character is shown, they are engaging in some type of sexual activity, however, that is because the media chooses to only show those certain scenes. Too much sex shown leaves the audience with the impression that the character's life revolves around sex a great deal. One sitcom that came out on HBO in ...

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...ive in their agreement with premarital sex. A relationship, although very minor, was noted between those who were the most okay with pre-marital sex were the women who were more open and high viewers. We found a main effect for frequency alone, but not one for level of openness on its own. There was an interaction effect for the two independent variables because the lines are not parallel (as shown below). Heavy viewers who were also more open about their sexuality agreed with pre-marital sex more than just a factor alone.

Agree w/ Sex Disagree w/ Sex Marginal Means

High Viewers 1.53 3 2.27

Low Viewers 1.61 2.42 2.02

Marginal Means 1.57 2.71

Agree w/ Sex Disagree w/ Sex Marginal Means

Open w/ Sexuality 1.48 3 2.24

Less Openness 2 3 1.5

Marginal Means 1.74 3

High Viewers Low Viewers

Open w/ Sexuality 1.6 4

Less Openness 2 4