Mass Media And Its Impact On Society

In the journal, Media Influence on Citizen Attitudes Toward Police Effectiveness, Kenneth Dowler researched the effects media has on community attitudes towards how effective police are. Research shows that race, gender, age, education, geographical location, political views, and socioeconomic status plays a role in attitudes towards police (Dowler, 2002). There allegedly is a discrepancy whether police are portrayed positively or negatively by the media (Dowler, 2002). Dowler measured using three different types of questions, seven total. The first three questions were about confidence in police protect, solve, and prevent crime (Dowler, 2002). Dowler’s next three questions were about related to police promptness, fairness, and friendliness.

These articles attempt to find out what the public’s views are on the police; mainly their views on how prevalent police misconduct and police brutality is. The studies that are reviewed and carried out in these sources are important to the criminal justice system because they portray the effects that the media has on the public’s perception of the job

For decades, civilian deaths caused by police have been a reason for concern in the United States. However, the police are not entirely to blame for their image after these events. Media plays a crucial role in how the public view law enforcement. More often than not, people form their views and opinions of police based off of what they hear and see from others; mainly the media. Stories told by press make up a small percentage of actual events. For example, an African American being shot is more likely to become a big story, even though Caucasians have actually been shot more. The media should release all information they received in as unbiased a manner as possible, to allow the public to form their own opinions. Although white privilege

The media portrayal of policing is filled with both positive and negative representations of police work. As a result, a complex relationship exists between media consumption and public attitudes towards the police. The purpose of this study is to test the impact that media consumption has on attitudes toward police misconduct. The research design proposed for use in this study would be the experimental design, a two-group, posttest-only, randomized experiment.

In one study, during and after a five year period after a social media post went viral indicating that a particular police department used excessive force, the number of police reports and citizen complaints decreased about 10%. This research implies that police officers does in fact reacts to social media posting and are likely to decrease excessive force used on the job due to being watch all the time. As expected, this research make officers and citizens more aware of the huge impact social media has on the use of excessive force by police. In addition, this research proposal should or may encourage officers to avoid police brutality while on the job in unnecessary situations. Why? Because their actions will be posted to social media and millions of people will be able to form their opinions and perceptions. What this also mean is citizens cannot be too sensitive to police interaction with the public (if the situation is cause to use excessive force) because anything can go viral and can create a broader situation of hostility and distrust between our protectors (police officers) and

When the majority of a community complies with the police it not only enables the police to focus on those breaking the law, but it also establishes a relationship with the community and gains their help in aspects such as identifying wanted suspects. It is when a community believes the police are being effective in their work that they are more likely to be willing comply. In a study conducts to gain insights on how people view the police’s legitimacy, they are asked numerous questions to find out why they feel they should comply with the law and if they agree or disagree with statements such as “I respect the police”. The way people feel about the policed is often largely shaped based off their previous interactions they have had with police. When someone comes into contact with police and they act in a professional manner the experience is more likely to be positive and leave a positive impression of the police on the community member.

The study shows, “This shift in discourse has been motivated by two factors—first, the recognition by public officials that increases in the professionalism of the police and dramatic declines in the rate of crime have not led to increases in police legitimacy, and second, greater awareness of the limits of the dominant coercive model of policing and of the benefits of an alternative and more consensual model based on public trust and confidence in the police and legal system.” Tyler, Tom R., et al. "The Impact of Psychological Science on Policing in the United States." Psychological Science in the Public Interest, vol. 16, no. 3, Dec. 2015, pp. 75-109. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1177/1529100615617791. There are also statements of how a police officer’s behavior has effects on the community and how the perceive the

In years past, those in power have often swayed society's common opinions. The development of social media, however, now provides a powerful voice for the common citizen. Within seconds of a news-worthy incident, people around the country can see an individual’s opinion by simply looking on a smartphone or computer. Along with this steady increase in connectedness has come an increase in criticism and negativity spread on social media. In recent months, many criticize the actions and treatment of individuals by law enforcement officers. Although law enforcement personnel occasionally abuse their power, social media and reports from news networks increasingly influence citizens' attitude and perception towards police who make a living trying

“Research indicates that the majority of public knowledge about crime and justice is derived from the media (Roberts and Doob, 1990; Surette, 1998). Therefore, it is imperative to examine the effects that the mass media have on attitudes toward crime and justice. The purpose of this research is to examine how the media influences audience perceptions of police effectiveness and to examine whether media consumption is related to fear of crime and punitive justice attitudes.’’ – with that being said, if the news media is portraying the police badly – the public will see the police badly. In reality, I question myself how often I see the news media air an article about the excellency of the police, it is often slim to none. While we also have those crimes aired that are serious which increase the fear of crimes in some individuals listed in a study shown in one of my sources listed “In terms of audience effects, fear of victimization will depend on who is viewing the crime stories. Research indicates that residents in high crime urban areas who watch a large amount of television are more likely to be afraid of crime (Doob and MacDonald, 1979; Gerbner et al,

In this age of social media, all our issues as a society finds its way onto the pages of Twitter, Instagram, Facebook etc.. However, none more poignant than the eroding relationship of everyday American citizens and police commissioned to protect and serve them. Social media has put into the spotlight the behavior of the police as well as the people they serve. Before social media, the events that have flooded the media in recent months, may not have gotten a second glance. However, now every person with a cellphone is a potential witness, willing to share the footage with the world; at the push of a few buttons. Presented with these images, we have to ask ourselves a few obvious questions: Has social

This essay will seek to redress the balance by arguing that, while clear guidelines for the use of the police deadly force must be present, the remodeling of the role of the police as a public servant first and foremost is seen to be the key to ethical law enforcement (Pollock, 2012). In addition, the critical importance of accurate media representation will be considered, as this is the factor that, in essence, shapes public opinion.

“The media 's the most powerful entity on Earth. They have the power to make the innocent guilty and to make the guilty innocent, and that 's power. Because they control the minds of the [people]” (Malcolm X). The message of this Malcolm X quote is that society can control the mind of the individual. This is true. For many years, society has influenced everyone worldwide both negatively and positively. That is because society has the ability to control the individual’s decisions. They can control the individual in making their decisions that could affect people’s lives worldwide; it also has the ability to control their decisions that could affect the individual’s life. You might be thinking “But why should we care about this topic? This doesn’t seem really important to us” well it’s important because we all can relate to this as everyone has been influenced by society at least once in their lifetime. Just ask yourself this. Have you ever simulated a role model that you had by just copying the actions that they do just because you wanted to be just like them? Have you picked up habits from society that is around you like family or peers that has affected you in your life? Have you ever maybe tried something you found from your family members or from the Internet to get your personal needs? If you answered yes to any of these questions, you are involved in this conversation. But there’s a problem. There’s an argument going on about this topic. The controversy of this topic

Public concern can be stimulated by the police’s use of force. The use of force, especially if deadly, has also established tension and mistrust between the police and the communities they serve. Oliver (2016) insists that trust the public has for police officers has been “rocked” by a continuity of “controversial police shootings from Alton Sterling to Philando Castile to Tamir Rice to so many others.”

In the past six months, there has been a noticeable change in how Americans view the police forces. Though many believe the police must act with responsibility and care, they see the officers as doing what they feel is needed to protect the most people possible. Others appreciate the officers, but have low confidence in their decisions and believe they are abusing their authority. The public has responded in several ways to the recent killings of both civilians and police. However, life without police would be complete anarchy leading to more violence. It is because of these officers, that we, as Americans, are able to go out into our daily lives without total fear of our surroundings. Although many have responded to the escalation of

Since the media plays an important role in people lives, the police department should be very carefully in the way they collaborate with the media. I think most people views can be persuade by the media. Most people depend on what the media puts out for their information without getting all the information they only want the highlighter parts of the story.