The 11 Myths of Media Violence

by W. James Potter

• ISBN13: 9780761927358
• ISBN10: 0761927352
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2002-10-23
• Publisher: SAGE Publications, Inc

Summary

The 11 Myths of Media Violence clearly explains why media violence has not only been allowed but encouraged to escalate. Esteemed author W. James Potter challenges many of our assumptions about the relationship between media and violence. He argues that these assumptions are the primary barriers preventing us from confronting the issue of violence in films, TV, and video games.Students and scholars of Mass Media, Communications, Film, and Sociology will find The 11 Myths of Media Violence inspires passionate discussion and innovative research. Consumer activists, teachers, and families will find it an essential resource and invaluable step toward finding solutions to this critical social issue.

Author Biography

W. James Potter earned a Ph.D. in media theory and another Ph.D. in instructional technology and has tested his media literacy ideas in his teaching at Stanford University, UCLA, Indiana University, Florida State University, and especially at the University of California at Santa Barbara, where he is currently a professor in the Department of Communication.

Table of Contents

Current Content

Myth 1: Violence in the media does not affect me, but others are at high risk.

Myth 2: The media are not responsible for the negative effects of their violent messages.

Myth 3: Children are especially vulnerable to risks of effects from exposure to media violence.

Myth 4: There is too much violence in the media.

Myth 5: Violence in the media reflects violence in society.

Myth 6: The media are only responding to market desires.

Myth 7: Vioence is an essential element in all fiction.

Myth 8: Reducing the amount of violence in the media will solve the problem.

Myth 9: The First Amendment protects the media from restrictions on violence.

Myth 10: Rating systems and V-chip will help solve the problem.

Myth 11: There is nothing I can do to make an effect on reducing the problem.

Prognosis for Improvement

References

Index