Is mass media a cause of moral decline Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Is mass media a cause of moral decline - Essay Example Mass media have enjoyed the limelight for the benefits that it has brought to the society to a point that its failures have been overlooked. The failures range from poor coverage of content and negative exposure to moral decadence in the society; where moral decadence is crucial. As a result, it is essential to evaluate mass media in order to ascertain whether it is a cause of moral decline in our society. Mass media have contributed largely to the decadence of morality in the society due to its role in lowering religious tolerance. As such, mass media have continuously portrayed the differences found within different religious groups and drawn criticisms towards them. This has led to increased hostility amongst different religious groups and religions since mass media draw a line between them. This creates the illusion that none of the religions can coexist peacefully without getting into each other’s business and without pointing out their differences. ... A large portion of the population spends a large amount of time watching television or interaction with other forms of mass media. This is the same mass media that is indiscriminate in its programming, where it portrays popular culture, in which sexual promiscuity and people are idolized. It is this idolization that is killing the sense of guilt and morality in people especially children as there is not much they understand (Wilson, 2008). They are more into taking that which they are exposed to as the gospel truth, as opposed to choosing that which is right and leaving out the rest. In addition, mass media over the internet provides easy access to inappropriate content in the form of pornography, which affects the behavior of people and their perception of the world and others (Wilson, 2008). This is in the case where one becomes hyper sensitive to sexual content that he or she thinks and perceives real life events on a sexual perspective. As a result, there is increased possibility of sexual crimes since pornography is glorified in mass media leading to rapes and abortions in pregnant women; proving that mass media has considerable influence towards moral decadence. Moreover, mass media present strong content relating to violence and aggressive behavior, which affects the development and control of emotions in people (Wilson, 2008). In this case, mass media, especially television and video games show increased instances of violence, which may be helpful for the individuals watching them. However, the intended benefits do not entirely manifest themselves in the people but instead manifest a negative consequence of moral decadence. This is because instead of creating an avenue for the release of negative