Running head: H HAS THE STATE OF MEDIA AND TECHNOLOGY BECOME
DANGEROUS?
Has the state of media and technology become dangerous?
An Inquiry
Strickland Dale
Virginia Commonwealth University
Author Note:
This paper was prepared for Focused Inquiry 112, Section MWF 1-1:50, taught by
Professor Abelson on October 22, 2014.
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HAS THE STATE OF MEDIA AND TECHNOLOGY BECOME DANGEROUS?
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Abstract
The 21st century is known for its heavily influential technology
advancements and worldwide mass connectivity. These changes are viewed as
ground breaking and widely beneficial by much of the population. However, when
we begin to approach a society that reduces solitude, promotes violence, and places
peoples’ lives at risk, it becomes excessive. This inquiry based research paper
examines the dangers of the current state of technology and media as they pertain
to human lives. It explains why there is a problem by outlining its negative
capabilities and displaying the impact on the people.
HAS THE STATE OF MEDIA AND TECHNOLOGY BECOME DANGEROUS?
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Has the state of media and technology become dangerous?
An Inquiry
Since the beginning of time, mankind has miraculously unearthed one by one
the secrets to making life easier. These methods and tools fall under the category of
what we know today as technology. We currently exist in the 21st century. In the
first decade alone, we have witnessed not only one of the most rapid advancements
of technology in history, but also some of the most phenomenal and influential
discoveries and breakthroughs. Our level of resources and equipment have grown
exponentially and built a worldwide network of media. Media covers everything
from news and social networks to music and television. Anything posted on the
world-wide-web, or the Internet, is virtually instantly visible anywhere in the world
(with Internet connection of course), and is in most cases published for eternity.
A multitude of beneficial aspects have resulted from our evolution in terms of
communication and socialization. For example, hundreds of years ago, if one
needed to send an urgent message to a family member, friend, colleague,
government official, etc., it would take days or even weeks by foot or horseback.
Now, we have the ability to contact someone in a different continent with the click of
a button. Additionally, people have the ability to promote their businesses,
organizations, events, and causes on a much larger scale and more effectively than
ever before through social networking sites such as Twitter, Facebook, and
Instagram. Communities are more firmly connected and informed, entertainment
businesses are thriving, and families can stay in touch with great ease.
HAS THE STATE OF MEDIA AND TECHNOLOGY BECOME DANGEROUS?
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That being said, any active mind will eventually wonder, at what point do we
begin to analyze this massive expansion? Can we or have we come to a point that is
necessarily bad for society? While the Internet, television, cell phones, and email
have provided us with endless possibilities through numerous avenues, there lies
the question of whether or not the state of media and technology has become
dangerous. It becomes dangerous when an individual’s privacy is diminished or
even eliminated, when violence and aggressive behavior is promoted, and when
personal identities and even lives are put at risk.
Identity theft is a prevalent problem on the Internet today. Modern
technologies make it practically effortless to steal personal information, money, and
even someone’s identity. According to R. Clay Mathews (2013), anyone who has
ever made any transaction over the Internet, filed their taxes online, or input any
personal information on any website could potentially have their identities stolen
(p. 312). Considering all of the different accounts and profiles that one may have to
construct over the course of their lifetime for certain things, this is an issue. There
are devices that make this utterly too simple, and creates a sense of worry and
concern while using a computer, and quite frankly it has become unsafe.
Next, social networks and sites such as YouTube and World Star Hip Hop are
becoming infamously known for video clips of street fights and aggressive, violent
behavior. Contemporary television movies and shows constantly portray gore, gang
and street violence, vulgar language and brutal fight scenes. Aside from the obvious,
daily feeds and streams of these fight clips and varieties of exposure through
television and other forms of media, there exists scientific evidence that these
HAS THE STATE OF MEDIA AND TECHNOLOGY BECOME DANGEROUS?
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factors encourage such behavior. In a study performed by Strenziok, Krueger,
Deshpande, Lenroot, van der Meer, and Grafman (2011), it was concluded that:
Adolescents spend a significant part of their leisure time watching TV
programs and movies that portray violence. It is unknown, however, how the
extent of violent media use and the severity of aggression displayed affect
adolescents_ brain function. We investigated skin conductance responses,
brain activation and functional brain connectivity to media violence in
healthy adolescents. In an event-related functional magnetic resonance
imaging experiment, subjects repeatedly viewed normed videos that
displayed different degrees of aggressive behavior. We found a downward
linear adaptation in skin conductance responses with increasing aggression
and desensitization towards more aggressive videos. Our results further
revealed adaptation in a fronto-parietal network including the left lateral
orbitofrontal cortex (lOFC), right precuneus and bilateral inferior parietal
lobules, again showing downward linear adaptations and desensitization
towards more aggressive videos. Granger causality mapping analyses
revealed attenuation in the left lOFC, indicating that activation during
viewing aggressive media is driven by input from parietal regions that
decreased over time, for more aggressive videos. We conclude that
aggressive media activates an emotion–attention network that has the
capability to blunt emotional responses through reduced attention with
repeated viewing of aggressive media contents, which may restrict the
linking of the consequences of aggression with an emotional response,
and therefore potentially promotes aggressive attitudes and behavior. (p.
537)
With kids as young as elementary ages now logging on to Twitter and Facebook,
there lies a serious problem with the frequent and vast violent materials that are
readily accessible, as well as being heavily promoted and published every day.
HAS THE STATE OF MEDIA AND TECHNOLOGY BECOME DANGEROUS?
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Finally, we take a look at Moreno v Hanford Sentinel, Inc. In an article by
Trabsky, Thomas, and Richardson (2013), they introduce this case stating that a
student visited her hometown of Coalinga, and created a post on her MySpace that
began “the older I get, the more I realize how much I despise Coalinga”. Her
headmaster then printed this along with her full name in the local paper, and the
student also received threats. All of this occurred after the student had attempted to
take down the post (p. 14). Any type of site like MySpace is meant for sharing
exciting moments, pictures, and stories. Everyone makes mistakes, and when
someone attempts to remove something from the Internet and is still indefinitely
threatened and humiliated by it, it solidifies this looming issue.
No advancement of human kind should jeopardize the lives of its citizens.
While there are countless advantages to our technological revolution, certain factors
stand out as red flags and should be considered as we plunge into the future of
technology. When our privacy is contested, our lives and identities are put at risk,
and we are constantly exposed to violent and vulgar acts, one must stop and
contemplate avoiding the growth of these negative aspects, and direct our evolution
towards a more positive light.
HAS THE STATE OF MEDIA AND TECHNOLOGY BECOME DANGEROUS?
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References
Mathews, R. (2013). INTERNATIONAL IDENTITY THEFT: HOW THE INTERNET
REVOLUTIONIZED IDENTITY THEFT AND THE APPROACHES THE WORLD'S
NATIONS ARE TAKING TO COMBAT IT. Florida Journal Of International
Law,25(2), 311-329.
Discussed here is how easy it has become to have ones identity stolen
through the Internet. Aspects such as this and similar to this are
becoming exponentially worse as technology expands. Cybercrime is
easier than ever, and is occurring at alarming rates. This is a prevalent
danger associated with modern technologies.
Strenziok, M., Krueger, F., Deshpande, G., Lenroot, R. K., van der Meer, E., & Grafman,
J. (2011). Fronto-parietal regulation of media violence exposure in
adolescents: a multi-method study. Social Cognitive & Affective
Neuroscience,6(5), 537-547.
This article specifically maps out how violent and aggressive pieces on
the Internet affect ones brain. Experts provide me with detailed factual
information on brain processes that I can utilize in supporting that
media does indeed promote violence.
Trabsky, M., Thomas, J., & Richardson, M. (2013). The Faulty Door of Cyberspace and
Implications for Privacy Law. Law In Context, 29(1), 13-25.
Described in this article is a lawsuit that involved a person being
negatively effected by slander in a local newspaper as someone takes a
post they made out of context. I will show how in situations such as
this, people can be defaced by things they did not even say just because
of how people today can make things appear in the media.