Due to modern technology and social media, people are more exposed to media violence
now more so than ever before. The evolution of media has resulted in the ‘New Media’ and
this is a big reason why there has been a change in the way people behave. Audiences react
in different ways, they can either be passive (those who just observe) or active (those who
challenge what they see).
Individuals that are passive have their beliefs and opinions shaped for them by the media
because they are vulnerable and easily manipulated. This explains the Hypodermic Syringe
Model. As Item B suggests, ‘more people are exposed to violent media imagery’ meaning
that more individuals have access to the media. Violence is now part of the ‘popular culture’
because there is a lot of it in computer games, TV programmes and movies etc. The model is
important because it can be used to show how individuals are directly impacted by
violence. Sociologist Bandura conducted an investigation and found out that individuals are
highly likely to be impacted by a violent movie and are therefore likely to perform anti-
social behaviour in society. Young people are extremely vulnerable especially because they
are still in the early stages of socialisation. Therefore, exposure to media violence will
make them behave in more violent way. Looking at copycat violence, the model clearly
shows how young people are influenced and manipulated by media violence. Some argue
that ‘desensitisation’ is the cause of real-life violence because young people have easy
access to violent content. Feminists believe that the media is very male-orientated, so
violence against females is very likely to increase.
The Hypodermic Syringe Model shows are direct correlation between violence in the media
and real-life violence. However, the method is widely disputed by Sociologists because they
question the reliability. It is hard to measure the impact that violent media content has on
individuals and therefore this effects the credibility of the model. Some Sociologists believe
that children are not as vulnerable to violent media content as the model suggests. They
believe that children are ‘clever’ enough to distinguish between cartoon violence and real-
life violence. For example, 1 in 10 children do not question what they see online. This shows
that violent media content does not influence how children behave in society. The model
also singles out ‘media violence’ as the cause of real-life violence whereas there is less
focus on other factors such as bad parenting and childhood traumas. In order to prove the
reliability of the conclusion, Sociologist Anderson researched 3,500 studies into the effects
of media violence and concluded that there is no evidence to show that violence in the
media changes people’s behaviour.
now more so than ever before. The evolution of media has resulted in the ‘New Media’ and
this is a big reason why there has been a change in the way people behave. Audiences react
in different ways, they can either be passive (those who just observe) or active (those who
challenge what they see).
Individuals that are passive have their beliefs and opinions shaped for them by the media
because they are vulnerable and easily manipulated. This explains the Hypodermic Syringe
Model. As Item B suggests, ‘more people are exposed to violent media imagery’ meaning
that more individuals have access to the media. Violence is now part of the ‘popular culture’
because there is a lot of it in computer games, TV programmes and movies etc. The model is
important because it can be used to show how individuals are directly impacted by
violence. Sociologist Bandura conducted an investigation and found out that individuals are
highly likely to be impacted by a violent movie and are therefore likely to perform anti-
social behaviour in society. Young people are extremely vulnerable especially because they
are still in the early stages of socialisation. Therefore, exposure to media violence will
make them behave in more violent way. Looking at copycat violence, the model clearly
shows how young people are influenced and manipulated by media violence. Some argue
that ‘desensitisation’ is the cause of real-life violence because young people have easy
access to violent content. Feminists believe that the media is very male-orientated, so
violence against females is very likely to increase.
The Hypodermic Syringe Model shows are direct correlation between violence in the media
and real-life violence. However, the method is widely disputed by Sociologists because they
question the reliability. It is hard to measure the impact that violent media content has on
individuals and therefore this effects the credibility of the model. Some Sociologists believe
that children are not as vulnerable to violent media content as the model suggests. They
believe that children are ‘clever’ enough to distinguish between cartoon violence and real-
life violence. For example, 1 in 10 children do not question what they see online. This shows
that violent media content does not influence how children behave in society. The model
also singles out ‘media violence’ as the cause of real-life violence whereas there is less
focus on other factors such as bad parenting and childhood traumas. In order to prove the
reliability of the conclusion, Sociologist Anderson researched 3,500 studies into the effects
of media violence and concluded that there is no evidence to show that violence in the
media changes people’s behaviour.
