The Media as a Social Problem Essay

Since 2012, Chicago has gain an increase in youth violence. Chicago neighborhoods in the low incomes and unsafe areas has been the steep in gang culture. Both authors, Desmond Patton and Benjamin Roth, showcases how teenagers can become easily affiliated with neighborhood gang’s for varies reasons. Youths participate in gangs for their benefits which includes protections, memberships, and status.

The purpose of this paper is to understand, acknowledge and challenge communities to recognize gang behavior and gang affiliation. This paper will also describe the culture and what it means to be in a gang; key findings of the research; recommendations the community can employ to remedy the need; and discussions and implications for further study.

Gangs can be classified as a group of adolescents who are perceived to be a threat to society, are mostly recognized by their name and territorial power, and have been involved in numerous acts that violate criminal law procedures in North America. (Esbensen, Winfree, He and Taylor, 2001). The first theme that was present in the pieces of literature collected was the lack of opportunities. As previously stated before, becoming involved in a gang starts at a young age. An article titled “Youth Gangs and Definitional Issues: ‘When is a Gang a Gang, and Why Does It Matter?’” explicates what exactly constitutes a gang, starting with young adolescents. Using a survey conducted in the United States, Finn-Aage Esbensen, L. Thomas Winfree, Jr., Ni

Over the years, youth gangs have been a continuing issue in certain neighbourhoods across the world, specifically in inner cities. The scholarly definition of a gang is a group that remains together for a phase of time and has a territory that they claim to be their possession. Primarily, the group participates in illicit and illegal activities that break the law (Curry & Decker, 1998). Communities and the government try to find preventative measures to decrease the number of youth gangs in the area. In order to do this, they need to recognize what causes the youth gangs to be so popular in these areas. Many different factors contribute to the high volume of youth gangs in inner city neighbourhoods. However, there is one factor that is the

Gang brutality is a dangerous and has affected the community socially and economically. “About 95% of hardcore gang members are high school dropouts” (Think Twice 2011). Gangs influence people of all different ages and backgrounds. It is a group of youngster convicts, who are often to themselves unless around their social group, who comes together to be on their worst behavior. Gang involvement in the world has caused a big problem in society today because of their widespread influence.

     Youth gangs have been getting a tremendous amount of press and media attention as the problem grows worse and worse, and because of this attention and exposure the rate of adolescents joining these gangs is constantly increasing. As of right now, gang life is in a lime light all to its own. There has been documentaries, movies, books and so on that have demoralized it as well as glamorized it, and to trouble youths who think that they have no place else to turn, gang life seems as though it can be a very acceptable and possibly through their point of view, a positive change in their some what hitched lives. Social experts chalk up the sudden increase of youth gang activity to two distinct reasons; “ (1) the diffusion of gang culture through popular media, and (2) economic

Future gang members tend to become involved in delinquency--including violence--and alcohol or marijuana use at an early age. During childhood and early adolescence, friendships with aggressive peers, conduct problems, and involvement in delinquency are stepping stones to gang membership. Future gang members are likely to have other gang members in their school classrooms, they perform poorly in elementary school, and they have a low degree of commitment to school. They often are identified as learning disabled. They show higher levels of stability in the family, peer group, and school settings, and they spend lots of unsupervised time with friends. Many youth gang members have none of these characteristics. These are good kids, from good families, and they are good students; however, these youths do not remain in gangs long. Adolescents ' allegiances to friends, gangs, and other peer groups tend to be brief.

Most gangs are created to form a sense of power and control. All types of problems are presented to the youths of today growing up in major cities. Before being so eager to jump to conclusions, we must try to understand these problems, or we will never find a solution to them.

Gangs have existed in America since the early eighteenth century, they first rose a outsider institutions that provided membership and sense of self to individuals who were not seen as part of the community. Traditionally, gang membership correlates to familial membership; parental and family membership in a gang elevates the possibility of youth also joining a gang. Though these outsider institutions have developed overtime, they pose some of the most violent threats to public safety, but also to those they say they will protect. It is this violence and lifestyle dominated by power associated with gang memberships that create an appeal to black youth and change the course of their lives. Gangs are a creation of an ongoing cycle, in which society has failed to improve conditions for teens who are looking for new ways to belong in the community.

Gangs are a serious and persistent problem within society. According to the National Youth Gang Survey, “from 2002 to 2010, the estimated number of youth gangs increased by nearly 35 percent (from 21,800 to 29,400)” (Egley and Howell, 2012). In addition, “one-third of cities, towns and rural counties reported gang problems in 2010” (Egley and Howell, 2012).

Gangs are becoming prevalent in today’s society and within our schools. More and more young people are turning to gangs in an attempt to escape their everyday lives and the future, which they perceive as dismal and bleak. They are initially attracted to the prestige and cash flow, which is glamorized by the street gang. Many gangs are actively involved in criminal misconduct, such as drug and gun trafficking, burglaries and homicides. However, street gangs are not just a criminal justice issue, but a social problem, which is triggered by poverty, peer pressure, boredom, despair and lacking a sense of belonging.

In order to come to a solution, an understanding of different aspects of the problem is required. Gangs are not a recent trend. “While they have existed in some verifiable form in the United States since the 19th century, the 1950’s showed the worst juvenile delinquency statistics the world had seen (Siegel and Welsh, 2011).” Major cities such as New York enacted curfews to help curb this issue, however at the time not many studies had been performed to realize the widespread activity and cause of such delinquency rates.

The influence of media on society in the 21st century is undeniable. Of all the types of media, music and books stand out as two of the main strands that influences people the most. They are both invaluable resources of knowledge and entertainment that can be accessed by all age groups. However, the most important aspect of music and books that has made them so prominent to the 21st century audience is that it offers a wide range of genres and styles. Consequently, Music and books have become the principal method of entertainment in the lives of many, as it bestows upon people the opportunity to free themselves from reality, and exist in their own fantasy worlds. By comparing and contrasting the impact of music and books, a superior

    Gang violence is a huge problem in America today. More and more children are joining gangs every day. It has become evident that these gangs made up of young people are causing numerous problems. Gang violence and gang activities impact all of those around the gang members. The kids in these gangs are hurting themselves, each other, their families, and the communities around them. Those who are associated with the gangs through family ties or just those who are associated with the gangs through geographical location. Before we can understand how gangs effect the people and communities around them we must first understand what gangs actually are. We must try and understand how the gang members think,

The Role of Media in the Society Media has always played a huge role in our society. For a long time media was one of the methods of controlling people and leisure. In ancient times when there was no newspapers and television, people used literature as source of information, some books like "the Iliad", and different stories about great kings, shows those people the information about them. Nowadays media is one of the main part of our lives and our society, because we use word media, to combine all sources of information. Average man is spending 4 hours a day on watching TV and reading newspapers.