How Is Entertainment Bad For Society
Media is an integral part of our society. It shapes how we perceive ourselves as individuals and defines cultural norms. With all this influence, media has both positive and negative effects on us as humans.
It can be difficult to separate the effect that entertainment has from more important things in life like relationships or career success. This is why it’s crucial to understand the effects that media has and what changes need to happen.
This article will talk about some examples of how popular media influences people and if these instances are good or bad. We will also discuss ways to reduce the negative effects of media on you.
I hope you enjoy reading my essay! I want to make sure you leave feeling refreshed and informed.
Movie ratings influence what you see at the movie theater
As we know, media can have huge impacts on our daily lives. A lot of this effect comes from how they influence others around us. For example, people will either watch sports or stay in to watch TV shows that are not necessarily educational but rather entertainment oriented.
People influenced by such media may then go out and act on those influences. What I mean is instead of going outside to exercise, do it because there’s an episode of your favorite show about someone who didn’t workout and now they see the results!
Or maybe while watching all these fun scenes, people don’t leave enough time to prepare food which helps contribute to weight gain. Or perhaps some people choose to order dessert even though there's no meal available because something funny happened on a recent episode.
All of these small choices add up and make next week more likely to involve similar behaviors.
Movie ratings influence what you buy
As we know, movie studios use different levels or “gauges” to evaluate how "good" or "bad" their movies are. These include things like graphics, story, acting, etc.
The higher the gauge, the better the film is usually thought of by most people. Therefore, films with lower gauges get worse reviews and less praise, which may make them more appealing to watch.
By using these grades as a reference, movie theaters can determine whether a movie should be restricted or not. The organization that creates this rating system also makes an annual list of Films That Are Too Violent For Viewers Under 18. This includes lists such as:
“Beetlejuice” - Bloodied face
“Blank City”- Gunshot wound
“Death Race 2000”- Bloody fist
“Final Destination 5”- Many deaths including fire, drownings, broken bones, and stabbing
These are just some examples, but it clearly shows that the movie industry has an effect on society. People spend money to see these movies, and they advertise the movies to create a hype before the release.
This advertising helps boost sales, and thus, the movie company gets more income.
Movie ratings influence what you watch at home
As discussed earlier, movie content can have significant impacts on your mental state. This is particularly true when it comes to violent movies as children may be influenced by these films to act out violently in real life.
The rating system helps regulate this type of content by defining appropriate levels of violence for kids. In fact, most countries use both age restrictions and film content ratings to help determine what kind of movies are permissible to view.
Movie ratings exist not just for adults but also for children which is why we need to discuss their importance.
We must emphasize how crucial it is that parents monitor the types of media their children are exposed to. It has been shown time and time again that too much exposure to certain types of material can lead to lasting effects such as increased aggression or depression.
Movie ratings influence who gets famous
We as humans develop our relationships, values, and place importance on things that other people have already accepted or validated. This is what makes society work!
People with similar beliefs and standards feel more connected than those who don’t agree with each other at all. In fact, we form groups of like-minded individuals not only to share experiences but also to fulfill needs in terms of socialization, wellness (health benefits from interacting with others), and self-esteem.
We learn about ourselves by looking into the eyes of others. As I mentioned before, one of the main ways that media shapes societal norms is through the use of movie rating systems.
The way that movies are rated contributes heavily to how adults perceive children and adolescents. Most parents choose to keep their kids away from films with “mature content” - which usually means anything that contains strong violence, sexual themes, or both.
However, there’s a huge difference between watching a movie where very little skin is shown and someone committing murder next door. It’s impossible to tell whether something will inspire violent actions unless it actually includes those elements, but movie studios still worry about the first part.
Movie ratings influence what you read
As we know, movie studios use different ratings systems to classify movies as “children’s films,” “action movies,” or anything in between. These rating systems are typically made up of three numbers preceded by a word like ‘G’ (for example, ‘PG-13’).
However, some groups have taken it upon themselves to add their own rating system that goes beyond these categories. A new ‘adult content’ classification exists where movies can be rated R for strong language and sex, or V for violence.
This new adult content category is very controversial. Some people believe that this representation encourages harmful behavior and attitudes towards women. Others feel that it should be allowed because it gives adults the opportunity to watch material of such quality.
Regardless, media has an enormous impact on society.
Movie ratings influence advertising
Recently, there have been some debates about what kind of content is appropriate to show to which audiences. Some argue that movies with strong language or graphic violence are harmful and should be banned so people cannot access them. Others believe that it is our right as adults to make our own decisions and choose our entertainment we want to see.
The media companies that produce these films use their ratings to help advertise the movie. The higher the rating, the more likely people will watch the film!
By giving this type of film a lower age limit, they can promote the film by saying how adult the content is and how much parents must know about it before letting their children view it. This helps create a sense of security in parents who let their kids go to the cinema to watch a movie they wanted to see.
It also gives the advertisers behind the movie free exposure since people under 17 years old usually don’t read advertisements.
Movie ratings influence politics
Recent events have shown that how much you enjoy a movie can play an important role in who you vote for. Some people may feel that your choice of film is more significant than whether or not you like the next president!
Many politicians appeal to certain audience members by incorporating their favourite films into their speeches, strategies that work for them are usually known and understood.
For example, Barack Obama often uses The Empire Strikes Back as a way to motivate his supporters, highlighting similarities between him and “Luke Skywalker” (his nickname).
This works because most Star Wars fans recognize that Luke eventually chooses to side with rebel against the imperial forces. Thus, they associate his choice at the end of the film with his decision to oppose the oppression done by the empire.
Similarly, Hillary Clinton frequently quotes from The Matrix where she contrasts humans living in a virtual reality world controlled by computers versus those who live in the real world. This makes sense since many see her as a computer program designed to create conflict so that others will choose to support her instead of someone else.
These types of comparisons are clearly influenced by what genre of movies individuals prefer, making it an easy way for some to draw parallels about whom to vote for.
Movie ratings influence online reviews
As we know, movie reviewers are very influential individuals as they shape how many people will or won’t watch a film. Their comments can either make you want to see the film or avoid it, depending on whether you agree with their opinion.
Some even go so far as to say that movies with strong messages are not worth watching because such films may hurt your self-esteem.
Many people base their views of a film on its rating which is why most people believe Gory Action Movies like The Fast And The Furious are bad. But what about All About My Life? Or The Invitation?
These two thoughtful dramas don’t feature much violence but still received poor ratings from critics. So why should we pay attention to their ratings?
We should look beyond just the label to gain some insights into the movie. After all, a good movie should leave you feeling something - positive or negative.