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Negative effects of mass media on an individual
Influence of media in society
Influence of media in society
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Recommended: Negative effects of mass media on an individual
Media is everywhere. I have come to realize that it encompasses everyday life and no one gives a second thought to the influence it may have on the public. I feel as though a large percentage of people – including myself before this class – do not realize the impact the media can have on one’s perspective. It is helpful to be able to critically analyze the way stories are presented by the media and this class has given me the necessary tools to do so. I was intrigued by the readings as they gave me information I was lacking into the reasoning behind the way the media presents issues as it does. Because of this, I feel that if people were aware of the stigma in the media their views may be less swayed by it. Before this class, songs were just songs and news was only news. Now I see how lyrics in a song and word choice in a news …show more content…
While the public’s opinion is being molded to fit what the media portrays, the mentally ill are also affected in that the stigma resulting from these portrayals decreases the number of people willing to seek help. Therefore, if the media represented the mentally ill in a balanced manner it would likely reduce the amount of stigma placed upon that particular set of individuals. There has always been an understanding that the rich and famous were an extremely large influence on people. However, I was surprised to learn that media in general could have the same effect on people who suffer from mental illness. This is a heartbreaking thought because the mental health community is suffering at the hands of the media. People label those with mental illness as weak because all most people know about the mentally ill is what is learned from the media. There was a Geico commercial about a drill sergeant as a therapist played in class that was meant to be amusing, and for most, I assume it was. Nevertheless, those who have knowledge about the mentally ill understand how harmful this can be. It presents
Though obviously people are aware of what they are listening to or watching, thoughts and assumptions can drift into their minds without even realizing it. These thoughts that drift in are extremely influential. The massive impact it can have on America's perceptions leads to generalizations, assumptions, and stigmas. Media influence is not always negative, however. In most cases, it has beneficial and positive aspects.
Mental health is an issue that has been bombarded with unanswered questions and cursed with a social stigma. Throughout history this has created a social divide between mental health issues and the mainstream media. This disparity doesn’t only create a social separation, but a lapse in ethics, making it tolerable to look down on people in the mental health community. Historically, patients have been placed or forced into mental institutions in order to “cure” them of their mental obscurity so that they can function normally in the society, yet for centuries this has proven to be an ongoing struggle for the mental health community. With all of the new advancements in medicine and our ability to cure more physical and mental ailments than
...ntial factor of negatively portraying mental illness stigmas is the media. Media is tied to all the previous paragraphs as it influences stereotypes, discrimination, prejudice, schools, society, employment, and cultural beliefs. The images depicted in video games, news, and TV spread isolation, discrimination and fears against the mentally ill in society. These negative labels can prevent individuals from finding treatment and lead them to thinking that there is no way of recovery. However more public education strategies are being implemented in the media today. "Real Men, Real Depression" is a public campaign and education strategy that has public service announcements, radio and TV. Successful anti-stigma awareness does not only erase negative labels of the mentally ill, but also shows that mental illness is misunderstood and the ill have their place in society.
There is an umbrella of different mental disabilities that are not shown on television. Common disorders are usually depression, anxiety, and less often, bipolar disorder (Bastién 12). Even more common, when disorders such as schizophrenia, dissociative identity disorder, and antisocial personality disorder are portrayed on television, they tend to give off a negative connotation on mental disorders. Not all people with mental disorders are “idiosyncratic serial killers” like Hannibal or “grotesquely destructive characters” like Elliot on Mr. Robot (Bastién 13). If society is not developing a stigma of those with mental
Media is a factor in our lives that goes way beyond the television. Through reading Media/Society: Industries, Images, and Audience, by David Croteau and William Hoynes I have come to better understand and see how the media really is a major factor in our day to day lives. Media comes in many forms, is complex and a world wide concept. Media plays a roles in our relationships, it a unique industry that is a very dog eat dog industry and we see how the media so has a negative impact on society with social inequality.
The portrayal of mental illness in today’s media is from a negative viewpoint. Research shows that those who suffer from mental illnesses fall under one of three misconceptions;
The media make mental illness a stereotype specifically making it seem like all people with a mental illness are violent or a criminal. 61% of Americans said they believe people with schizophrenia are violent individuals. These people believe this is because of the way the media reflects the view of the disorder by using violent characters who are involved in violent events. In real life, mentally ill people are more likely to be the victims of crimes rather than the one’s committing them. Jarune Uwujaren uses the example of The Dark Knight in her article “Mental Illness: How the Media Contributes to Its Stigma”.
People with schizophrenia are inaccurately portrayed in the offensive and stigmatizing film Me, Myself & Irene. The only way to prevent the stigma associated with these films is to get involved. Watch your own attitudes and behaviors and educate yourself and others as much as you can. Comedy and fantasy have their place in film but not at the expense of children and adults who struggle daily to overcome mental illness. A comedy that similarly made fun of cancer or AIDS would never be tolerated. The entertainment industry must learn that this exploitation of mental illness is unacceptable. Unfortunately, the entertainment industry continues to present people with mental illness in a negative light. They have wide ranging consequences for the lives of those with mental illness and for the ways people act towards others with psychiatric disorders.
The stigma is created by the lack of knowledge, narrow-minded attitudes, and the acts of judgment against people who have a mental illness. The stigma results in extensive consequences for the individuals being affected. The stigma ends up becoming worse than the mental illness itself because it prevents individuals from seeking help during the early stages of the mental illness. There is even a vast availability of mental-health treatments that are effective, yet the majority of people experiencing problems related to mental-health does not seek help. 28% of the adult population of the United States have a diagnosable mental condition and only 8% seek treatment. These statistics help prove that stigma is one of the main reasons for individuals not willing to seek help. The individual fears being stigmatized. They fear being rejected by their loved ones and the general public. They do not want to be devalued. The way that individuals with mental illnesses are called “the mentally ill” in the media just makes the stigma even worse. This makes the person feel defined solely by their disability, which is inhumane. The person begins to feel less of a human being. In the media, they are viewed as being dangerous and violent, which results with inhumanity towards the individual. This just increases the negative stereotypes towards individuals with a mental
Mental health can be a sensitive subject to most of society. “In two identical UK public opinion surveys… over 80% [of participants] endors[ed] the statement that ‘most people are embarrassed by mentally ill people’, and about 30% agreeing ‘I am embarrassed by mentally ill persons’” (Byrne 65). People with a mental illness are thought of as including but not limited to: child-like, weak, and even dangerous. This stigma on people with mental illness(es) can have a negative impact on their lives. This stigma can affect their jobs, relationships, treatment, and overall happiness among other things. The stigma surrounding mental illness has been negatively impacting mental health for decades. The public, the media, and people in the mental health
Various studies and research has shown that most people gain knowledge about mental illnesses from mass media. Through news reportings, television shows, movies, and other mediums, there is a strong misrepresentation of those with schizophrenia in the United States; they are often portrayed as extremely violent, incompetent, and dangerous. The false portrayals of schizophrenia in media leads to assumptions and ignorance. Thus, there should be more communication between professionals and the media to reduce the highly negative stigma surrounding schizophrenia.
As mental illnesses continue to be overlooked, the number of people who suffer from these illnesses continues to grow, creating a huge disparity between those who are mentally ill and those maintaining an optimal mental state within a general population. Currid and Horgan (2012) state that “by the year 2020, the World Health Organization projects that depression, [one type of mental illness], will be the second most common debilitating condition and that people will lose a substantial amount of years both in terms of premature mortality and life productivity” (p. 1). It is evident that there is not enough being done to limit the prevalence of mental illness, seeing as it is persistently thriving, and as the issue remains unsolved, many people miss the opportunity of being able to live their lives functioning in a stable, healthy state. Therefore, it is crucial for the public to acknowledge the issue in a serious manner to prevent massive loss of life, as well as develop a stronger focus on establishing public health initiatives geared towards treating mental illnesses. Moreover, along with the public needing to understand the severity and growing occurrence of mental illness, it is also important for the public to develop a better “attitude” in approaching mental illness. As mentioned before, there is an apparent stigma towards individuals suffering from mental illnesses, which affects the probability of mental illness patients receiving effective treatment and also disconnects these individuals from proper social integration and acceptance into society. Tulchinsky et al. (2012) note that “many [mentally ill persons, especially of the homeless population] end up, inappropriately, in the criminal legal system due to aberrant behaviors” (p. 5). Due to this underlying prejudice, it is difficult to provide treatment for victims of mental
Mass media “references to people with mental health problems found more than four in ten articles in the press used derogatory terms about mental health and nearly half of press coverage related mental illness to violence and crime” (Esseler, 244). This is causing for people to look down upon the mention of mental illnesses and many times ignore the importance of confronting this issue. Therefore the importance of removing this stigmatization is crucial. Education allows to make more informed decisions and then changing the perception of mental illness can lead towards policy changes toward the improvement of mental health (Sakellari,
Today we live in a society where mass media is considered to be the most important aspect of our daily life. However, as much as mass media plays an important role in our society, it also causes some serious problems within our society, it also seem to blind people from the truth and instead make people confuse and bring misunderstanding in the mind of people. Today mass media is everywhere; it is in form of Radio, television, magazines, the internet, advertisements, and newspapers and more recent we even see it in Facebook and Twitter which seems to take over the world now.
“Media affects our understanding of the world. This involves looking at more than just text, it also involves taking different approaches to description and analysis which helps make sense of how the media are part of our lifestyle, our beliefs and even our social relationships.” (Burton, 2002). This quote upholds what Silverstone states about media being involved in every aspect of our everyday