The Impact of Mass Media on Ethics and Morality of Societies (Essay Sample)

The Impact of mass media on ethics and morality of societies
Cleon James
Online University
Author Note
Onlineuni.ed/associate peer reviewers at Uon
Abstract
This is a research paper addressing how mass media, has changed our modern day society. Investigative research conducted to determine how it has influenced the fundamental fabrics of the society. The essay delves into its influence on ethics and morals that have been upheld highly in the past.
Keywords: Media, morals, ethics
The Impact of mass media on ethics and morality of societies
Since the advent of mass media, like any other technology, it has come with its pros and cons. The conservatives obviously agitated by its enormous negative influence on societal morals and ethics and the pop lovers openly in its favor. In cultivation theory, mass media is one of the standard agencies of socialization, rivaling the role of parents and the family, peer groups, teachers and religious authorities, and social norms operating within the local community and national culture, (Gerbner, 1994 et al..)
The cultivation theory further suggests that frequency of exposure to the mass media, especially television viewing, leads to internalization of its messages. This is indeed a dangerous situation for the modern society, which depends entirely on media for information. In fact, people no longer read books for information. This shows how media is capable of influencing and eroding high moral and ethical standards that the society has always upheld. Regular exposure to messages leads to assimilation of the viewers who adopt the so "westernized cultures”. In many cases, they emulate something they have no idea about and even its contextual usage and origin.
In the modern society, there are some unconventional behaviors, which emerge. These behaviors were unheard of or rather intermittent before the emergence of mass media. There are several reasons why sexual socialization, in particular, might be influenced by mass communications, affecting everything learned about sexuality from biology of reproduction and the risks of sexual behavior to attitudes towards love, romantic relationships and marriage. First, sexuality is pervasive through the Western media, (Strasburger & Do...