Friday, October 12, 2007
"Dangerous World..."
So I was reading our Bryant and Thompson book when I came across a section, the Cognitive Effects section, that referred to the "dangerous world theory/ thought-process," which is discussed in Psychology. Although the Bryant and Thompson media effects book did not specifically refer to the concept as that, it made me think of three examples, that more or less prove the validity of the concept...at least to me:
The first being during a Mass Media and Society class, my sophomore year, we were discussing violence and its relationship with media and its impact on an audience; my professor used his daughter as an example of the "dangerous world" theory. He said that his daughter is scared to be alone outside, in a hallway, stairwell, or something of that nature...especially at night. At first, I didn't really think anything of...or I thought it sort of silly, but now..
Which brings me to my second example, I wouldn't say I'm scared, maybe more on edge, but whenever I have to walk across campus or walk to the parking garage, or unlock the door to my house at night, I'm significantly easier to spook. I'm not quite sure if this anxiety is completely due to the types of television show I watch (see previous blog for reference, if needed) or due to the fact that my old roommate told my that Dallas has one of the highest crime rates, especially homicide in the nation, or possibly due to the unsafe apartment I lived in last year. Needless to say, I'm sure the world isn't as dangerous as it seems at night...but the blanket of darkness always seems to get me.
This brings me to my third and final example of the "dangerous-world theory." I grew-up in a suburb of a large city, which never made the evening news...that is until recently when all of a sudden, shootings at high-school football games, families being robbed and massacred, and high-speed chases made it on to Block A of the evening news! So when I went and stayed, to celebrate New Years with some friends in a rural town in Virgina; I had a hard time not locking the doors of the house that I was staying in...alone. The friends that I stayed with told me that they never lock their doors, even at night!! Of course, all I'm thinking about is a sequence of scenes from "In Cold Blood" repeatedly playing in my head.
So maybe my professor's daughter wasn't so silly after all...or maybe the media really does have an enormous impact on how we see the world, which leaves an indelible mark... ¶ posted by CiCi at 4:16 PM •
The first being during a Mass Media and Society class, my sophomore year, we were discussing violence and its relationship with media and its impact on an audience; my professor used his daughter as an example of the "dangerous world" theory. He said that his daughter is scared to be alone outside, in a hallway, stairwell, or something of that nature...especially at night. At first, I didn't really think anything of...or I thought it sort of silly, but now..
Which brings me to my second example, I wouldn't say I'm scared, maybe more on edge, but whenever I have to walk across campus or walk to the parking garage, or unlock the door to my house at night, I'm significantly easier to spook. I'm not quite sure if this anxiety is completely due to the types of television show I watch (see previous blog for reference, if needed) or due to the fact that my old roommate told my that Dallas has one of the highest crime rates, especially homicide in the nation, or possibly due to the unsafe apartment I lived in last year. Needless to say, I'm sure the world isn't as dangerous as it seems at night...but the blanket of darkness always seems to get me.
This brings me to my third and final example of the "dangerous-world theory." I grew-up in a suburb of a large city, which never made the evening news...that is until recently when all of a sudden, shootings at high-school football games, families being robbed and massacred, and high-speed chases made it on to Block A of the evening news! So when I went and stayed, to celebrate New Years with some friends in a rural town in Virgina; I had a hard time not locking the doors of the house that I was staying in...alone. The friends that I stayed with told me that they never lock their doors, even at night!! Of course, all I'm thinking about is a sequence of scenes from "In Cold Blood" repeatedly playing in my head.
So maybe my professor's daughter wasn't so silly after all...or maybe the media really does have an enormous impact on how we see the world, which leaves an indelible mark... ¶ posted by CiCi at 4:16 PM •