The deference of blame onto the media is an ongoing problem, as leaders of different communities (in this case, yet another angry church leader) cite the media as responsible for violence apparent in children and teenagers. The book Ill Effects: The Media/Violence Debate by Martin Barker, which can be found in ebook form on BooksOnBoard.com , actually explores the effects of the media on modern culture. Can film, television, and video really be blamed for society's problems? Ill Effects is a radical re-examination of the whole media effects debate, questioning not only whether the media is capable of directly influencing people's views and actions, but also if the idea of "effects" is the most useful way of conceptualizing the relationship between the media and audiences. Ill Effects looks at why the media are routinely blamed for horrific events such as the teenage suicide allegedly caused by the influence of rock music as well as for perceived trends such as the alleged "death of the family". The authors discuss the development and current state of play of research into media effects, the remarkable power of "common-sense" notions of media effects and the way in which the effects issue has become embroiled in debates about freedom of expression and censorship.
Slashdot Mirror
The deference of blame onto the media is an ongoing problem, as leaders of different communities (in this case, yet another angry church leader) cite the media as responsible for violence apparent in children and teenagers. The book Ill Effects: The Media/Violence Debate by Martin Barker, which can be found in ebook form on BooksOnBoard.com , actually explores the effects of the media on modern culture. Can film, television, and video really be blamed for society's problems? Ill Effects is a radical re-examination of the whole media effects debate, questioning not only whether the media is capable of directly influencing people's views and actions, but also if the idea of "effects" is the most useful way of conceptualizing the relationship between the media and audiences. Ill Effects looks at why the media are routinely blamed for horrific events such as the teenage suicide allegedly caused by the influence of rock music as well as for perceived trends such as the alleged "death of the family". The authors discuss the development and current state of play of research into media effects, the remarkable power of "common-sense" notions of media effects and the way in which the effects issue has become embroiled in debates about freedom of expression and censorship.