Has porn led to our inceldom by raising expectations of women?
When the influences of media on society are brought up, there is often a pushback. The argument is typically as such: ‘I know how to separate fantasy from reality, thus it is ridiculous to claim that media makes people do things’. On the surface, the argument is true. In most cases, adults can distinguish fiction from real life and it is also true that one cannot hold media accountable for the actions that they commit. However, within this there is an often overlooked fact that media doesn’t outright control so much as it surreptitiously influences and, furthermore, individuals who believe that they are immune to this are often most at risk. It is often claimed that video games, movies etc don’t contribute to violence. However, when one does even the most cursory research, we find that the complete opposite is true. There is in fact an almost unanimous agreement among experts that what we consume affects our beliefs and actions. If this were not the case, a multi-billion dollar advertising industry would not exist and propaganda would not be the dangerous weapon it is. In an article by Craig Anderson et al we learn that:
“Research on violent television and films, video games, and music reveals unequivocal evidence that media violence increases the likelihood of aggressive and violent behaviour in both immediate and long-term contexts
This isn’t limited to violence. Another study by Todd Heatherton et al found that:
Compared to adolescents with low exposure to smoking in movies, those with high exposure are about three times as likely to try smoking or become smokers.
Yet many laymen still believe that media doesn’t influence people. To explain this phenomenon in the face of an unquestionable scientific consensus, Brad Bushman et al posits that
One reason is people think the media have a much stronger effect on others than on themselves—called the third person effect (Davison, 1983)
In other words, everyone thinks that they are the exception. More than just media having an impact on society, there is evidence that pornography itself has permeated society. According to Maree Crabbe, among “13–16 year olds in Australian schools, 93 per cent of males and 62 per cent of females had seen pornography online”. For many of these young children, porn will serve as one of the only sources of sex-ed, which is a frightening thought. Maree writes, “porn has become a central mediator of young people’s sexual understandings and experiences. Young people are exposed to porn at unprecedented rates. Many young people discover porn before they’ve encountered sex. They are seeing it more frequently, through more media, and what they are seeing is harder and more aggressive. Young people are living in an era of new sexual expectations, acceptance and practices […] There is evidence that many young people are enacting porn scripts.”
Would society be better off if all porn was eradicated? Or do you want it as a cope?
When the influences of media on society are brought up, there is often a pushback. The argument is typically as such: ‘I know how to separate fantasy from reality, thus it is ridiculous to claim that media makes people do things’. On the surface, the argument is true. In most cases, adults can distinguish fiction from real life and it is also true that one cannot hold media accountable for the actions that they commit. However, within this there is an often overlooked fact that media doesn’t outright control so much as it surreptitiously influences and, furthermore, individuals who believe that they are immune to this are often most at risk. It is often claimed that video games, movies etc don’t contribute to violence. However, when one does even the most cursory research, we find that the complete opposite is true. There is in fact an almost unanimous agreement among experts that what we consume affects our beliefs and actions. If this were not the case, a multi-billion dollar advertising industry would not exist and propaganda would not be the dangerous weapon it is. In an article by Craig Anderson et al we learn that:
“Research on violent television and films, video games, and music reveals unequivocal evidence that media violence increases the likelihood of aggressive and violent behaviour in both immediate and long-term contexts
This isn’t limited to violence. Another study by Todd Heatherton et al found that:
Compared to adolescents with low exposure to smoking in movies, those with high exposure are about three times as likely to try smoking or become smokers.
Yet many laymen still believe that media doesn’t influence people. To explain this phenomenon in the face of an unquestionable scientific consensus, Brad Bushman et al posits that
One reason is people think the media have a much stronger effect on others than on themselves—called the third person effect (Davison, 1983)
In other words, everyone thinks that they are the exception. More than just media having an impact on society, there is evidence that pornography itself has permeated society. According to Maree Crabbe, among “13–16 year olds in Australian schools, 93 per cent of males and 62 per cent of females had seen pornography online”. For many of these young children, porn will serve as one of the only sources of sex-ed, which is a frightening thought. Maree writes, “porn has become a central mediator of young people’s sexual understandings and experiences. Young people are exposed to porn at unprecedented rates. Many young people discover porn before they’ve encountered sex. They are seeing it more frequently, through more media, and what they are seeing is harder and more aggressive. Young people are living in an era of new sexual expectations, acceptance and practices […] There is evidence that many young people are enacting porn scripts.”
Would society be better off if all porn was eradicated? Or do you want it as a cope?
Anderson, Craig A., et al. “The influence of media violence on youth.” Psychological science in the public interest 4.3 (2003): 81-110. https://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/handle/2027.42/83429/2003.Anderson_etal.InfluenceofMediaViolenceonYouth.PsychologicalScienceinthePublicInterest.pdf?sequence=1
Heatherton, Todd F., and James D. Sargent. “Does watching smoking in movies promote teenage smoking?” Current Directions in Psychological Science 18.2 (2009): 63-67. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2770193/
Heatherton, Todd F., and James D. Sargent. “Does watching smoking in movies promote teenage smoking?” Current Directions in Psychological Science 18.2 (2009): 63-67. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2770193/
