I Feel That Exposure To Media Should Be Excluded As Part

In the context of the current mediatised society, the media have become the platform where the encounter with the other increasingly takes place, and in particular, where the public becomes aware of circumstances of human suffering that are happening far away from their immediate locale (Thompson, 1995). Even though the media have expanded the field of view of the spectator, the mediated encounter with the distant sufferer is structured over an ‘abysmal gap’ (Bauman, 1993) between the scene of suffering and the safe reality of the spectator sheltered behind the screen. This paradox has raised a number of moral and ethical considerations. The question at the heart of the debate is to what extent the ‘new visibility’ of the other can in fact

Perhaps attesting to the enhanced understanding of PTSD and alarm at the troubling suicide rates of veterans, the media seems to be raising the public’s attention about the condition, for example, through the use of documentaries. In 2005, during the second push of the Iraqi and Afghanistan war PBS FRONTLINE released a documentary entitled, “The Soldier’s Heart,” This documentary gives an overview of the history of PTSD, but focuses specifically on the psychological toll of the Iraq war. It illuminates the fact that despite advances in our understanding of PTSD, there continues to be a stigma against psychological problems in the

The beginning of any thought provoking essay will hook its audience using a form of pathos. “Two of his sons returned home from the battlefield whole and healthy. The third, however, came home suffering multiple seizures a day”-(Rorabacher). The quote generates sympathy within us making us yearn to see a welcoming outcome and leaving the audience hooked. Eli Hager’s article follows a similar route informing us that “The state of Missouri sent Harris to the penitentiary in Boonvilee, 250 miles from his home and baby daughter”-(Hager). Again we sympathize with the loss of a family, but not all of the articles used grievance to hook us. In the “Quiet Alarm” the audience is informed of a vaudeville performer who performed deadly stunts involving hatchets, pins, and guns on himself to generate shockwaves in the audience. From these examples we identify how our emotions lure us into these texts.

Since people are mostly only able to participate in catastrophes such as this mass shooting at a distance, news media is the primary source of information, which therefore creates the audiences’ reality of the events that occur.(Wheeler 80) With this, the mass media has the control of what people are exposed to, and the choice to amplify awareness to what they choose as important. In an interview conducted with Sarah, an undergraduate student at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, she recalled her exposure to the news of the shooting: “The only reports I had access to, was what I saw in the news”. When asked how she thinks the media had an effect on her perception of the shooting, she stated: ”Well I believe that since the only information I was able to get was from news sources, what I saw in the news is what I believed. So I really do think the media had a strong effect since I was exposed to mainly what they chose to present to me.” With this, media messages, such as the reporting on the Las Vegas shooting, exert a strong influence on audiences and the cultivation of people’s perception. The frequent exposure to these stories of mass shootings and the use of descriptors based on race are fed to the audience and become a common knowledge. Ultimately, the promotion of racial stereotypes through the disproportionate representation of perpetrators of mass shootings influences public opinion and perception.(Lankford) With the strong effect that media has on the people, it is

PTSD is listed among a group called Trauma-and-stressor-Related Disorders. For a person to be diagnosed with PTSD, they must have been exposed to, witness, or experience the details of a traumatic experience (e.g., a first responder), one that involves “actual or threatened death, serious injury, or sexual violence” (APA, 2013, p. 271). (PRU, 2016, p. 66). The aforementioned definition of PTSD relates to soldiers; the manifestations and causes experienced with traditional PTSD can look somewhat different. Obvious causes of PTSD in soldiers stem from exposure to stressful circumstances within combat, exposure to the suffering and death of others, destruction, personal danger, and injury. A study on Vietnam soldiers provides insight on less obvious causes of PTSD. The study suggests

In these cases of the Capital Hill shooting and the Atlantic rescue; I will criticize the news media industry who decided that it was appropriate to show videos of which these kid’s traumas will forever in history because they chose to reward the “heroes” with fame. These heroes will live on in fame, the kids trauma will never be left unspoken. With my own experiences in my mind, I criticize these “heroes”. True

Individuals everywhere grimace at war. Images of the strike of the gun, the burst of the bombs, and the clash of the soldiers all elicit a wince and a shiver. Moviegoers close their eyes during gory battle scenes and open them again only once the whine of the bullets stops rattling in their ears. War is hell, as the common aphorism goes, and the pain of war is equally hellish. Most individuals naturally accept this conclusion despite never experiencing war themselves. Without enduring the actual pain of war injuries, individuals still argue the importance war and its miseries. Individuals rely on media and entertainment for education about the suffering and evils of war. Writers provide an acute sense of a soldier’s physical and mental

Viewers across the nation are affected by the social media causing stress on the subject by bombarding the public with media stories, rumors and “a sense of mass panic”. Victims have to relive that horrible moment because the media wants to

While tragedies like this have continued to occur, indifference makes others look away from situations and act indifferent instead of trying to resist and fight against the inhumane horrors.

Another social aspect surrounding mass shootings in America is the over-sensationalism of these large-scale murders. Within minutes of the gunshots, news outlets are pumping out articles and notifications on people’s laptops and cellular devices. Within hours, articles with victims and suspects names are published worldwide. However, researchers are beginning to see a trend. As the media pumps out more and more coverage of mass shooting events, unfortunately, we’ve begun to see viewers become desensitized to the information. This is a form of adaptation. Humans will naturally adapt to their certain aspects of their environment once it becomes regular, cyclical, or over-produced. Humans have a threshold of how much new information they can retain. As viewers watch the new headlines of mass shootings erupt more frequently and more regularly, instead of being continuously shocked and horrified, we become desensitized and the information gets stored into our brains automatically and often without much grief or sorrow for the new massacre perpetrated that

In reference to the media’s role, they have been highlighted for playing a part in maintaining these views by portraying victims in a certain way according to the newsworthiness of each story

This type of attack has elevated to the point of a serious population of health. We must identify areas that need additional study, and come to one accord that will help with the analysis where these disasters might invade, such as the 911 attack (Galae, Nandi, & Vlahov, 2005). In 2004 during the catastrophic tsunami in Sri Lanka, PTSD had increased significantly among survivors. In addition the Hurricane Katrina survivors had encountered PTSD. The hurricane demolished New Orleans in the summer of August 2005. Psychologist noticed extensive panic attacks, depression, anxiety, and PTSD among the population of Israel and Palestinian This violent attack took place at al-Aqsa Intifada in 2000. Children who resided on the Gaza Strip, encountered behavioral disorders, waking up to nightmares, and extensive bedwetting. In 2011 before the tsunami earthquake that caused heavy flooding up to 6 miles inland, Japanese college students had Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans taken, and three months later had another MRI done again three months later, those students had experienced disturbing memories, which displayed symptoms of PTSD. Disasters effects both physiological and psychological are strictly observed by health psychologists. The Boston marathon in 2013 brought about this scrutiny, which the explosion killed three people and injured over 170 people, both experts of mental health and health psychologists teamed together and anticipated that after that torture a few witnesses may have experienced a flashback for a while, to which some people may encounter PTSD longer than others (Straub,

The news outlets across America report on violence both in and outside of the country. Recently in Nigeria, a bomb went off and “more than 30 people were killed by a suicide bomber in the north-eastern Yola city” (Kano Blast).To add, France was hit with a terrorist attack that the “official death toll is at least 129 people, with 352 others injured” (Paris Terror Attack). The French attack has been on the news throughout the week, giving Americans the glimpse of how tragic and violent the world and its individuals can be. We even praise films that portray suffering in our world. Both The Giver and The Tree Wooden Clog, which depict great sacrifices taken and involves the suffering of others. Yet, what contributes most to American’s not hiding the truth of pain and suffering is the internet. On the internet everything is open to be viewed and analyzed. People that say the US citizens are blind to suffer say that without experiencing these sufferings, they can’t truly understand how the other people suffer. The majority of American people know about suffering, they struggle to survive and eat, and fear attacks from foreign invaders. These fears drive Americans to take action and aide those countries that

War, violent mass murdering used to accomplish political and government goals, hate crimes, acts of violence or harm to individuals with personal differences, and suicide, the ending of ones own life. All of these unfortunately happen on a daily basis and is considered a norm in today’s news broadcasts, but why are these tragic events simply glazedover and accepted as a common part of the news most people listen to while eating dinner? M. J Hardman, a board member of the American Humanist Association, proposes through her work, “Language and War,” that it is the violent language and war glorifying metaphors used in daily life that has made people accustomed and

The vividness of presentation is one way to raise the level of salience of an issue. A story that is presented with graphic detail can cause the public perception of the issue involved to greatly increase. If a story is sensationalized by the media, the audience will unconsciously attach themselves to that particular topic. A story that shows graphic details and pictures of the events of that story cause people to feel as if they were a part of that event. For example, pictures of the crash of Flight 800 stick in the audience’s mind. This leads the audience to believe that the crash of Flight 800 is an essential story that we must learn more about. The problem with this is that the audience sometimes focuses too heavily on the story to see the issue at hand. This can negatively affect the media’s agenda setting power because the story is too detailed for the audience to see the issue behind the story (Baran 302).