Understanding the Relationship Between Contemporary Culture, Media Effects and Youth Violence

Abstract

Sociologically, a sub-culture of violence thesis may be used to explain much of the violence generated by a culture based value system geared to a ready response of physical assault on ritually acknowledged cues. When the repertoire of response is limited to relatively inarticulate capacity, when physical punishment of children is common practice, when the rational civility of middle class values of respect for person and property are undeveloped or missing, when parental affection for and caring supervision of children are absent, the major modal categories of violent behavior are more likely to emerge in expressions that violate both codified law and dominant communal norms. Media often prefaces its programmes by saying ‘To be watched under parental supervision’. There are categories in cinema of U, U/A and A, but with open skies these have little significance. Interestingly, while revolting against over censorship, a large section of influential intellectuals have last track of children and young person's highly sensitive and influence prone character. A well negotiated regularly debated policy of media projection is still a distant dream. Further, the impact of media on youth is complex and exhibits contrary results according to the analytical framework, for example, there are evidences that watching violence excites violent tendencies, but also that sometimes violence on screen is watched by those who already have violent tendencies and behaviors. This paper tries to confront the root cause of youth violence by making a serious attempt to understand contemporary culture and why it is meaningful to the youth who consume it. This paper looks at cultural artifacts as complex bundles of contradictory meanings that can yield an enormous range of responses from people who consume them.