Very few of the findings surprised me; I’ve
heard about the dangers of music on the actions of youth before. These findings
really only point to the lack of attention this data ever received. Yes, there
are inherent implications associated with these statistics (namely that the
music youth listen to WILL affect their behaviors) but there do not seem to be
any measures taken in regards to them. All in all, this research has brought to
light the fact that more attention needs to be given to the possible effects of
music.
Tuesday, November 13, 2012
The Effect Of Auditory Versus Visual Violent Media Exposure On Aggressive Behaviour: The Role Of Song Lyrics, Video Clips And Musical Tone.
Visual media is more
emotionally arousing in regards to threat detection as read by fMRI machines.
Depending on the trigger, cognitions of violence and arousal will be brought to
every response. The visual media leads to increases in aggression-related
cognitions. As the viewer identifies with the character in a music video, when
the character is portrayed as violent, those behaviors then become cues for the
viewer.
This study compared
the effects of exposure to violent visual or auditory media on the aggression
of experimental groups. They used hot sauce as the rating system. The groups
with exposure were significantly more aggressive. The lyrics themselves were to
violent lyrics with or without the violent imagery. Another study (Anderson,
Carnagey, et al. 2003) said violence in lyrics elicited violence in thought. In
this experiment, after watching/ listening to the song, the participant would
give an amount of hot sauce to a hypothetical target. It was hypothized that
music-lyric combinations would arouse more aggression than music-alone or
lyric-alone aggression. Lyric participants allocated more sauce than
participants who did not listen to lyrics. There was no significant effect for
violent video exposure. The combination of the two did produce the highest
aggression but it was not significant. Not surprisingly, the participants
exposed to nothing gave significantly less sauce than all the others. Also not
surprisingly, males were markedly more aggressive but the change in aggression
was across the board.
Exposure to aggressive
lyrics, regardless of musical stimuli elicited greater aggression. The videos
themselves did not seem to change the aggression.
From Dr. Dre to Dismissed: Assessing Violence, Sex, and Substance Use on MTV
MTV is the world’s
most popular television network. The target audience is 12-34 year olds and USA Today has said that this network
molds the way that audience “looks, talks, acts and consumes.” Eighty percent of 9th to 12th
graders reported watching MTV at least two hours a day although parents regard
it as the second most discouragable program to watch.
Social science shows that
viewing media violence (as in through music videos) contributes directly to
aggressive behavior as it shows viewers that violence is acceptable and
un-punishable. It also brings up aggressive memories and the probability of
‘generalized aggression.’ Violence is prominent: it is in up to 61% of music
videos. This, of course, differs along genre lines. Rap videos were more likely
to feature physical aggression, which is more than in rock videos which is in
turn, more than rhythm and blues. One study found that “males exposed to
violent rap videos were more accepting of violent conflict resolution.” Another
found that almost any type of violence will heighten the probability of
aggression.
The Federal Trade Commission's Report On The Marketing Of Violent Entertainment To Youths: Developing Policy-Tuned Research
In 1999 President
Clinton requested that the Federal Trade Commission conduct a study to understand
the effects of violent entertainment media on youth in order to provide
information to leaders. This was assigned to the FTC regarding a shooting in
Littleton Colorado that was linked to the effects of violent entertainment on
youth. In 2000, studies showed that a typical American child spent an average
of more than 38 hours a week using entertainment media. The study tried to
attend to two different questions:
“Do the motion picture, music
recording, and electronic game industries promote products with parental
warnings or age restrictions in venues where children make up a substantial
percentage of the audience?
And
“Are these advertisements
intended to attract children and teenagers?”
All of the things
discussed in the study are, in fact, legal. Many studies found a high
correlation between exposure to media violence and violent behaviors. All of
the discussed mediums had rating and labeling systems, but the music industry
was the only one without strict marketing regulations; the distribution is left
to the digression of the retailer. There was a recommendation, but it does not
appear on the website. The marketing of these mediums was misguided legally. Almost
all of the targeted audiences were underage in regards to the designated
audience. The children were aware of their violation of the rating system.
Interestingly, though most (77%) of the parents were aware of the rating system
for recorded music, 66% of parents still purchased music for their children. The understanding of the system was not the
issue; it was the enforcement which is largely left to the retailers. Also,
when many more regulations for the rating system and enforcement were
suggested, they were shut down by the producers. Because of the First
Amendment, it is difficult to regulate the music and movies in methods other
than self-regulation.
In the conclusion, the
committee discussed the social and ethical boundaries between the targeting and
circumvention of marketing groups. How could marketers more finely focus their
advertising? Often times the targeted market is not the one that actually
purchases the product. Also, they suggested researching the concept of the
ratings themselves offering a ‘forbidden fruit’ characteristic to the music.
The government’s role will remain controversial in regards to this topic.
This link gives more
specific detail to the laws themselves:
Are Rap Videos More Violent? Style Difference And The Prevalence Of Sex And Violence In The Age Of MTV
This study of 203
music videos discusses the elements of sex and violence. In the 1980s, the music video emerged as a
new medium for musicians to express the themes of their videos. With the
introduction of MTV, these short ‘minifilms’ could be projected into the homes
of anyone with a cable box. While the introduction of MTV helped the visibility
of many different types of music, it also became a source of skepticism
creating a need for many different studies on its effects. The most stressed
area of concern are the elements of sex and violence transmitted through the
videos.
George Gerber’s theory
that is discussed in this study is that “mass media, particularly television,
forster a cultural mind-set consistent with the notion that social
relationships, power and violence in television drama help develop patterns of
unequal risk among social groups… Television viewers appear to be more
susceptible to this cultivation and [they] see reality differently on the basis
of increased media exposure.” If his
theory proves to be true, then this would mean that violence would need to be
regulated in its appearance in videos.
In the early 1990s,
Black leaders began to address the potential threat of violence through rap and
hip hop. Sex and violence were, in a study of the prevalence and appeal of
characteristics in music videos, were second and fourth (respectively) most
prominent themes in music videos. Also, interestingly African American rap
artists were more likely to engage in prosocial behavior than whites. The major
hypothesis of this study was that “the differences in music styles were based
on the occurrence of sex in their music videos.” Four ‘coders’ analyzed 203
music videos in the rap, hip-hop, rock, rhythm and blues genres for their
sexual and violence content. Rap music
hand the highest percentage of violent behavior, although heavy violence was
not prominent in any of the genres. The differences between the genres were
mostly marked by the occurrence of violence in their videos. Hip-hop had the
most prominence of sexual themes. The hypothesis was upheld.
The occurrence of
violence and violent language, according to the study, should remain a focus of
concern. The themes are overwhelmingly violent. The study says that the videos
can create “negative social effects resulting from exposure to the music
videos.” When the videos were played in a mental hospital, people reflected the
characteristics of the videos. There were also correlations between teenager’s
negative behavior and their liking of violent music.
Thursday, November 8, 2012
Introduction
In
Communications 111 at the University of Michigan, students are assigned a topic
to research, summarize and about which, create an informational blog. This
blog, as a part of that class, will be addressing the specific topic of
violence in today's music and its effects on teenagers and youth in America. Through the analysis of a variety of sources,
this particular blog will answer a posed research question: how exactly are violent
lyrics and themes affecting the youth that listen to them? It will discuss
different scientific findings and studies conducted regarding this topic and
attempt to synthesize all of them seamlessly into a coherent and comprehensive
set of information.
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