The media (books, film, music,tv etc) tend to create rather than reflect the values of a society.I think this issue has two diametrically opposite faces.The first one supports the view that media helps to create rather than reflect the values of a society. The second one clearly opposses it.Here the aforementioned media types such as books, films, music and television differ significantly from each other in terms of its presentation, content and the correseponding impact on our society.
Today TV and cinema have comparatively deeper impact or an ability to influence our minds than print media. Because of its inherent vivid and real life like nature, visual media has more potential to create rather than reflect the values of a society.But such is not the potential of books and magazines to bring about a change in the value system followed in a society.
Lets illustrate these two points with few examples.You will realize how powerful TV and cinema are when it comes to influencing the root of our existence, our value system. Hollywood is an excellent illustration.
A lot has been written and debated about the impact of violence shown in hollywood movies on children not only in USA but worldwide.Movies like Terminator, Lethal Weapon, Face Off that portray blood and gory in all its glory where the hero goes on a frenzy of gunfiring after his family is killed or for any other numerous reasons. Then there are movies about psychopathic serial killings( Silence of the Lambs, Kiss the Girls, American Psycho) that delve into the mind of a psychopath only after showing in detail the execution of 3 or 4 brutal murders. Although serial killers are more prevalent in USA, the movies are watched through out the world. And who knows somebody (may not be a psychopath) may think it is justifiable to kill people and subject them to inhuman torture. As exaggerated as it may sound, there have been cases of using similar violence arousing techniques being used by youth in developing countries. Surveys conducted throughout United States indicate that at such an impressionable age so much violence may have detrimental effects on their mental health and may result in distorted value system. A recent survey done in UK on arrested criminals suggests that crime investigation tactics shown on TV serials like CSI Miami, Law and Order are increasingly being used by law breakers to outwit the police.Same is the case with drug culture. Your 10 year old daughter watches her favorite rock star in a concert on TV performing under a haeavy dose of cocaine, how do you think she is going to view all this? The celebrities are worshipped by not just adolescents but also by adults. They become their idols and whatever they do whether it is in congruence with our value system or it is right or wrong, children have a tendency to follow their lifestyles and everything. The point is as far as TV and film media is concerned it tends to create rather than reflect the values of our society to some extent, not completely.
The way human relations are handled and depicted on screens also calls for a stimulating debate. More later.