I previously discussed the literature's perspective on media in previous postings. In this essay, I will discuss my thoughts on violence in the media (VIM).

To better understand the scenario, I created a model. In a brief, it's a VVO. VVO stands for Visual, Violence, and Overcoming in this theory. The term "visuals" in this context refers to the videos we watch on media platforms.  This is the stage where we continue watching videos of the genres that interest us. These include films, Vlogs, news, and so on.

 The next one is "violence." I'll categorize violence into three forms. It is a combination of verbal violence, minor violence, and intolerance-based violence. We experience verbal violence mostly in movies and Television series (Slocum, 2014). It's often depicted in films as a character hurling insults at another. It appears frequently in Hollywood Movies. In those films, it's fairly common for people to make derogatory remarks about a loved one, spouse, or close friend. When it comes to minor violence, unwelcome slaps are the most common form of it.  That smacking comes with background music effects, especially in several Bollywood movies. Arguments between on-screen partners or spouses are also classified as minor violence. In the majority of movies and series, the victim is a female character. If her husband or boyfriend discovers her extramarital romance with another man, in similar situations, the man always begins to be violent and hostile towards women. 

Screenshot from the British film Provoked, in which the lead actress is abused by her husband.

I classify intolerance of VIM as represented by movie fights and gang confrontations. Certain media platform sites are constantly displaying gang violence that has been captured on film by some paparazzi. This video grew so popular that media channels began to make the culprit a hero. The same thing occurs with movies. In action movies, we are usually told that whatever the superhero does will be correct.

In research by Anderson and Bushman (2018) VIM is often shown in action-packed scenes that make people feel physically excited (e.g., their heart rate or blood pressure). First, high levels of arousal may be experienced as aversive (e.g., Mendelson, Thurston, & Kubzansky, 2008),  Second, arousal narrows our span of attention (Easterbrook, 1959).  Anderson and Bushman  (2018) also stated that If a situation contains a high number of aggressive cues, people will pay the most attention to the aggressive cues, which will help them be more aggressive. Third, high arousal generated by exposure to violent media can make any dominant response tendency more likely to be carried out in the short run. Thus, an individual with aggressive tendencies is even more (Anderson and Bushman 2018). 

 This is where I use the "overcome" part of my model.  Assume we viewed a video from a war-torn area in which a child is left alone with no one to care for him or her. Once we've seen this video, the social media network will continue to suggest similar content. This results in anxiety and other psychiatric symptoms.  If you begin to encounter these kinds of events, do not conceal them. Share it With a family member, a friend, or someone you care about. 

Finally, we may attempt to avoid watching violent content in the presence of youngsters. Show them that the characters we see in cartoons are made-up and educate them about it. Schools, governments, and other groups might hold awareness sessions or start counseling people who are hurting because of the violence in the media.

 In conclusion, what I want to emphasize is that all forms of violence have a profound effect on us all. In today's world, technology is something on which we all rely. However, once you've talked about it, don't forget to put your words into action. Tell your parents and anyone else who might be interested in this. Using these theories, you can help students better understand the subject.

                                                         Reference 

Anderson, C. A., & Bushman, B. J. (2018). Media Violence and the General Aggression Model. Journal of Social Issues, 74(2), 386–413. https://doi.org/10.1111/josi.12275

Easterbrook, J. A. (1959). The effect of emotion on the utilization and the organization of behavior. Psychological Review, 66, 183–201

Mendelson, T., Thurston, R. C., & Kubzansky, L. D. (2008). Arousal and stress: Affective and cardiovascular effects of experimentally-induced social status. Health Psychology, 27(4), 482–489.

Slocum, D. J. (2014). Violence and American Cinema. Routledge.