Role of the media

• Lyons et al (2011, 2013) :


  Alcohol use seen in 86% of popular UK films & 40% TV programmes. Behaviours shown in overly positive way & negative consequences not always apparent. Media portrays addictive behaviours in this way which can cause addiction.
• Bockris (2003) :


  Andy Warhol said 'movies have been running things in America ever since they were invented. They show you what to do etc '.
• Glantz et al (2002) :


  Compared smoking in films from 1950-2002. Found that although there was a decrease in the smoking incidents shown between 1950 & 1982, this then increased again up to 2002 to similar levels seen in 1950.
• Gunasekera et al (2005) :


  Analysed 87 of top 200 movies of last 20 years using content analysis method. Tobacco & alcohol use were common & researchers also noted incidences of cannabis & other drug use. Addictions tended to be portrayed positively & without any negative consequences-providing vicarious reinforcement.
• Wellman et al (2006) :


  Reviewed number of studies looking at how exposure to tobacco advertising & use of cigs in films influenced kids' attitudes to smoking & their smoking habits. Found across variety of studies that exposure to marketing & media promoting smoking increased positive attitudes & even doubled chances of starting to smoke.
• Who acts as the role model in the media?

  Celebrities/character
• Hanewinkel et al (2014) :


  Studied 2346 teenagers (12-14) from range of European cultures who reported they'd never drunk alcohol & didn't intend to do so. At follow-up 12 months later, 40% of sample had tried alcohol & 9% had engaged in binge drinking. Even after controlling for a range of variables such as personality characteristics & school performance, it was shown that exposure to alcohol occurrences in films was associated with an increased risk of drinking alcohol.
• Derevensky et al (2010) :


  Found teenagers already gambling were more likely to be influenced by ads & that ads were seen as promoting gambling as glamorous & social activity where winning's easy. As increase in gambling ads is relatively recent development, may be some time before effects are fully seen.
• What is the 'smokefree movies project'?

  Encourages filmmakers to reduce amount of smoking shown in films as project is concerned about impact these representations in media have on young people. Wants films with smoking given 'R' certificate. Anti-smoking ads before smoking films ensure producers don't receive money from tobacco companies for showing smoking or brands. 2015, Disney banned smoking from youth films.
• Sargent et al (2012) :


  Suggests 'smokefree movies project' could decrease number of teen smokers by 18%.
• Majority of research into media & addiction is correlational & therefore cause & effect can't be established. May not be media causing addiction-may be another factor. E.g, friends & family may influence what films & TV shows are seen, so they could be causal factors.
• Pechmann & Shih (1999) :


  Used experimental method to assess effect of smoking portrayal on attitudes to smoking. Used 2 versions of same film. 1 version contained smoking & other had this edited out (without affecting the plot). Those that saw smoking version reported more positive attitudes to smoking & increased personal intentions to smoke. Shows causal relationship.
• How can the media have positive effects too?

  E.g, in Pechmann study, any effects of showing smoking in the film were cancelled out by showing an anti-smoking advert beforehand. Many aspects of media report on negative consequences (e.g, death of Amy Winehouse) & many films show negative effects- may act as vicarious punishment.
• Research may lack population validity as much of it's conducted with adolescents. Largely as they're more susceptible to social influences & therefore effects are more easily detected-different effects may be seen in adults. Studies on adults limited- Jamieson & Romer (2015) suggest similar results seen. They looked at trends in tobacco use on TV & compared this to smoking rates in US population. Even controlling for other factors such as cig price changes, they suggest clear correlation between use on TV & adult cig consumption. May trigger relapse by providing cue to restart smoking.
• Amanda Atkinson et al (2011) :


  Acknowledged drinking alcohol was often seen in media & sometimes portrayed as glamorous. However, adolescents interviewed in their research were aware that images of celebrities' drinking may be exaggerated for effect. They were keen to point out that although this might be entertaining in some contexts, they didn't feel as if it was a major influence on their behaviour. Said peers & parents played more of a role. However, may be that adolescents are unaware of effect media has on their behaviour.
• Seems unfair to portray adolescents as simply passive respondents to world around them who have no choice in their decision to engage in addictive behaviour.