Drama’s Violent Scenes and Their Social Impact on Egyptian Youth

Abstract

This study aims to provide quantitative monitoring of violent scenes in movies and series, and to what extent they are used for commercial purposes, as well as their social effects. The study relies on Robin and Kim's model of uses and effects, which is that utilitarian motives for the use of media content and activity patterns that support communicative effects will be positively related to the effects of this content, while ritual motives and patterns of activity obstructing communicative effects will be negatively related to the effects of this content. The survey method was used. The questionnaire was applied to 400 respondents. The field study found that the percentage of watching movies and series on satellite channels has increased on a permanent and regular basis, and the percentage of females who watch movies and series on a permanent basis has increased more than males. The percentage of watching scenes of violence and crime in movies and series has also increased on a permanent and regular basis, and it is worth noting that all subjects of the sample watch those scenes, even if they differ in the extent of viewing. The motive related to the fact that scenes of violence and crime in movies and series are more realistic, provided the motives that expose the respondents to scenes of violence and crime, then the audacity to address them, then the respondents' passion and love to follow crime events as presented by films and series. The results of the field study showed that the most societal effects of witnessing scenes of violence and crime were represented in “individuals behaving as if they are in a forest without respect for social controls and laws,” and then “restoring the right and supporting the oppressed does not take place by law, but I must take my right myself and by force away. About the government”, then “crime of all kinds is on the rise in Egyptian society”, then “marital infidelity and illegal relations are prevalent in Egyptian society and are justified, and that theft is the most appropriate and fastest solution to solve my economic problems.” Keywords: Egyptian Drama; Violence and Crime; Uses and Effects.