Effects of Objectionable Content on Behavior

As long as there has been objectionable content, there has been blame casting and finger pointing centered on the media's purported role in inspiring or accelerating objectionable behavior. For instance, following nationwide outcry spurred by the April 20, 1999 Columbine High School shooting, public attention seized on reports that the two teenaged perpetrators had been fans of controversial rock star Marilyn Manson and the rated-M-for-mature video game Doom (Greenspan, 1999). The question of whether or not "the media made them do it" did not begin with the Columbine incident, nor did it end there-prolific debate over objectionable content in media and its influence on children and adults has much deeper roots and continues today. Public figures such as best-selling novelist Stephen King (1999) and recording artist Marshall Mathers (2000), among many others, have spoken out in response to public allegations that their work has influenced teenagers to engage in incidents of school-associated violence. However, no indisputable evidence exists to prove that violent media breeds violent people; rather, research and commentary indicate that violent people seek out violent media because it resonates with what they are feeling anyway.

Prominent among the publicly indicted in the case of the Columbine shootings, Mathers (who released a number of rap records under the alias Eminem) struck back at a public that blamed music for violence in teenagers by taking parents to task through his controversial lyrics. Mathers delivered lyrics in which he mockingly assumed responsibility for the violence: "I take each individual degenerate's head and reach into it/Just to see if he's influenced by me if he listens to music" (Mathers, 2000). Also in the wake of the Columbine massacre, King (1999) addressed ongoing school shootings that occur regardless of the media of choice, drawing connections back to an earlier school-shooting incident for which his novel, Rage, was blamed. King indicated the sticklers for blaming media "have less interest in reducing the atmosphere of violence in schools than they may have in forgetting how badly some people-they themselves, in some cases-may have behaved while there" ( 18).

Following publicity fueled by the Columbine tragedy, ongoing research efforts continue to seek the separation of exposure to violence and participation in violence. As "an outsider to American culture" ( 2), European child and juvenile psychologist Allan Guggenbühl offered an objective viewpoint in regard to the purported connection between American media influences and school violence (Murray, 2003). Guggenbühl stated, "The TV shows and video games are certainly not to blame... To put the blame on the media is the easy way out; the media serves as a scapegoat" ( 3). Instead, Guggenbühl noted, violent media more often serves to humanize violence and causes children to react with greater sensitivity. Contrary to beliefs that a media culture founded in objectionable content corrupts children's morals, Guggenbühl stated that very few children are moved to mirror depictions.

More recently, Mrug, Loosier, and Windle (2008) studied the effects of violence within home, school and community environments and its correlation with youths' propensities toward committing violent acts. The authors found that exposure to violence can result in a breakdown of psychological health in youth. According to the authors, this deterioration can be a factor in the development of psychopathological disorders, such as depression, which can potentially influence violent behavior among children or adults. The question remains whether exposure to depicted violence in film, lyrics, or video gaming environments carries the same detrimental effects as exposure to real-life violence in the home or elsewhere in a child's physical surroundings.

The question extends to other objectionable content, including depictions of promiscuity or drug use. As Vivian (2009) notes, indecent content has long been a source of debate in federal and legal regulations, as epitomized by a case involving late comedian George Carlin's adult-theme subject matter, which acted as a catalyst for a decision regarding acceptable air times for potentially objectionable television material. More recently, creators of video game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas took fire from the Federal Trade Commission after reports of a glitch that allowed players to view explicit content and participate in a virtual, sexual role-playing scenario (Federal Trade Commission, 2006). However, such precedents fail to present proof of any direct connection between objectionable content and objectionable behavior. Amid ongoing protests and arguments over gaming content, according to Vivian, "federal judges have found a lack of compelling evidence from opponents who claim that games like Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas cause harm" (p. 361).

Indeed, research surrounding violence and drug use has sought to shift the focus of concern away from media influences and toward family influences. Not long after the Columbine massacre, the National Center of Addiction and Substance Abuse reported that the parents of seven in 10 children in America do not set rules for their children's behavior (Walter, 2001). Research indicates children who grow up in home environments in which no discipline is enforced are four times more likely to engage in substance abuse than children who grow up with rules. Unlike research surrounding media effects on children, research into family environments clearly indicates that lack of attention to discipline is also likely to reflect lack of attention to other aspects of social health. For instance, as Orpinas and Horne (2006) note, a direct connection exists between bullying and the likelihood of retaliatory violence among victims. Like many negative influences, Orpinas and Horne note, "Bullying can be preventable, if the adults in the lives of children opt to make it so" ( 1). As King (1999) entreated his audience to understand, the thoughts and actions of people do not reflect the media-the media reflects the thoughts and actions of people. King's affinity for the wounds of youth infuses his work: "That I feel pity for these bogeyboys should surprise no one; I have been drawn again and again to stories of the powerless and disenfranchised young" ( 6).

Despite persistent claims that objectionable content is damaging to moral character, no stalwart proof exists to solidify connections between media influences and undesirable behaviors. That Mathers' music or King's literature or Grand Theft Auto's gaming platform should be present in the possession of perpetrators should not serve as circumstantial evidence of media's guilt in the perpetrators' crimes. These items are also present in the possession of millions of consumers who do not engage in dangerous, degenerate behavior. The causes of violence and other damaging behaviors might well be reflected in media, but the causes exist independently of their depictions. Adult themes of violence, promiscuity, and substance abuse impact many children and grownups on a level much more personal than the computer or television screen; many are subject to these influences via firsthand experience and exposure. Without the objectionable content of real life to draw upon, there would exist no inspiration for objectionable content in media.

References

Federal Trade Commission. (2006). Makers of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas settle FTC charges. Retrieved March 7, 2010, from http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2006/06/grandtheftauto.shtm
Greenspan, S. (1999). Movie madness: how the silver screen affects your teen. iParenting. Retrieved March 7, 2010, from http://www.preteenagerstoday.com/resources/articles/movies.htm
King, S. (1999). The bogeyboys. Stephen King's Keynote Address: Vermont Library Conference. Retrieved March 7, 2010, from http://www.horrorking.com/interview7.html
Mathers, M. (2000). I'm Back. On The Marshall Mathers LP [CD]. New York City: Universal Music & Video Distribution, Inc.
Mrug, S., Loosier, P., & Windle, M. (2008). Violence exposure across multiple contexts: Individual and joint effects on adjustment. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 78(1), 70.
Orpinas, P., & Horne, A. (2006). Preventing violence: research and evidence-based intervention strategies. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association
Caldwell, I., & Thomason, D. (2004). The rule of four. New York: Dial Press.
Stein, M. (2003). An interview with Allan Guggenbühl on adolescent violence. The Jung Page. Retrieved March 7, 2010, from http://www.cgjungpage.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=151&Itemid=40
Vivian, J. (2009). The Media of Mass Communication (9th ed.). Boston: Allyn & Bacon.
Walter, S. (2001, June). Delinquents in suburbia. The American Enterprise, 12.