The Under sizing of Youth Violence in the Media
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The Under Sizing of Youth Violence in the Media
Violence is one of those issues that human beings grapple within their homes, workplaces and social environments. With the rise of the information environment, more and more young people are exposed to vices. That factor coupled with the failing family unit makes their virtual life so entangled with their actual lives that they act on violent impulses. Then, its entrenching effects could be so deep that it could be generational. In this essay, the topic of how the media chooses to present this issue in comparison to the seriousness of its reality is tackled. Additionally, facts will be tabled on how the media is a potential vector to the propagation of this vice, especially on the youth. Scholarly and peer-reviewed articles will be used as a point of reference to this contentious matter. Government and Non-Governmental organizations have public records about the rise of translated aggression acts despite the heavy awareness campaigns present. Unfortunately, media romanticizes violence to the vulnerable youth making them more susceptible to it while making the society more tolerant.
An increasingly globalized world has made the virtual space more accessible to youths today than it was decades ago. With the central role it plays in our lives, it is shocking that homicide is the second killer of young people worldwide. Few efforts, if any are made by federal governmental agencies to address this relation with online activities propagating our spaces with no legal referees. According to Irwin-Rogers and Pinkney, the no-holds environment proffered by such networks inspire the sharing of material that would otherwise be condemned in a public space (Irwin-Rogers & Pinkney, 2017). They give examples of how revolting and violent images are rapidly shared through multiple platforms. While it can be argued that such forums address such issues and spread awareness, they also lead to one thing: a society normalized to sadism. It is worthwhile to note that not every person exposed to such images would be drawn to them, but the culture of sensationalism, when exposed to it, becomes prevalent. For instance, circulating the gory images of a domestic violence attack sensationalizes an audience. At first, people may be shocked at the photos then may begin a fervent discussion of it. In no time, it becomes “normal” with the public acting as judge and executioner (Irwin-Rogers & Pinkney, 2017). The vulgarity of the action is forgotten as people seek for the next thrilling misadventure. Regrettably, a pathological consumption of such material increases the likelihood of them acting on it.
Furthermore, many media outlets are in print, television and in social outlets to guarantee a wider following. Also, the prevalence of lone-ranger information outlets is increasingly the norm with personal websites creating a rapport with their viewers. As previously said, the mushrooming of unregulated platforms act as precursors to “youthful” crime. In his article, Peters attributes this form of social globalization to a combination of fascism and futurism. According to him, the rise in outlets where people give an objective or subjective view on matters, especially sensitive one is an expression of their fascist and futurist nature. He quotes Marinetti’s (1909) Manifesto of Futurism which exalts aggressive nature (Peters, 2019). Teenagers and young adults have a more impressionable view of the world and whatever promotes a feverish revolt is acceptable. During a person’s formative years, they tend to accept what does not conform to the norm with excitement prevailing over common sense. His analogy agrees with that of (Irwin-Rogers & Pinkney, 2017) who agree on the blinding effects of sensation. Hence, the result of constant subjection to savage acts leads to a rejection of traditional values (futurism). Furthermore, it has a blind dictatorship of the vulnerable youth’s ideology (fascism) and their relationship with others. Accepting a resurgence of violence in our media platforms becomes not only a social issue but also political. The result is a growing population with a lack of adequate guidance from appropriate moral authorities other than their online friends.
Miller et al. give the shocking statistics of 26% of women and 15% of men in the USA and Europe experiencing some form of violence before they were 18 years (Miller et al., 2020). The scope of their study may have been limited to gender-based violence in students but it provides a lot of information. If a person has experienced such form of violence before they reach adulthood, it is appalling. More so, several interviews were carried out on male students to ask of gender stereotypes that increase the perpetration of violence. Gender-based violence many not necessitate a male-female conflict but also other non-binary individuals or homophobic attacks. Rigid hegemonic standards influencing such attacks are prevalent in their lives and the media. In the study, physical fighting, threats or action made with a weapon qualified as matters of discussion. For some months, the social media usage of these teens was monitored with their mirror actions noted. The results proved that the higher the tendency to bully a friend or a stranger on a platform translated to physical abuse. An overwhelming 67.8% of the youth participants perpetrated violence with 32.6% of it being with intimate partners (Miller et al., 2020). Interpersonal violence seemed to be the norm other than the exception with a majority of them accepting their prevalent need to exert authority on others by force. Most of the participants started by bullying or trolling others on the channels they share before progressing to actual threats or force on them.
The glamorization of songs, channels and personalities who make disparaging content and get away with it are common. Spreading information loosely categorized as propaganda is outlawed in many arms of municipal and provincial governments but no so in the media arena. At the end of the day, the news only sells if it appeals to its viewers, also called “giving the people what they want.” A well-known person will be rebuked for having a violent attribute towards others and they get off with a public apology at best. When this event occurs, it gives rise to “The Copycat Effect” where there are numerous impressionable people who will mimic their aggressive actions. In an interview, Criminologist Ray Surette found a 25% chance of a juvenile offender committing a copycat crime (Phillips, 2017). The young offenders were more ready to credit media as a source of their inspiration more than other factors. Weapons like guns provide an avenue of such copycat behaviour with more young people coming into its possession. Acquiring a weapon and using it on a revenge mission is unfortunately on the rise. Mass killings have spiked in the recent past with the attackers turning to the media for their last propaganda message. Some criminologists’ express scepticism over a direct relation to watching violent acts and committing them but there is a consensus on media propagation, personal trauma and aggression (Phillips, 2017). Simply, some media junkies have a hard time differentiating the activities of the virtual one they watch or listen to the actual environment they have.
A continuance on the mass killing issue relating to media has sociologists giving an influence on why to commit a crime other than how. For most crimes committed by youthful radicals, most of them show an exhibition of repeated viewing of their idol’s message. As stated before, the convergence of trauma, exposure and opportunity for a person increases their criminal future. One such theory called the Selection Hypothesis said that physically aggressive children between the ages of 14-17 years were inclined to choose violent media content. Early adolescents are more impressionable and could easily be turned given the right circumstances. Suicidal ideations and mental health problems are linked to many adolescents or young shooters with most of them fixating on the case of a previous offender who had massive media coverage. An article by Walden University shows an increase in premeditated crime 12.5 days after a heavily covered crime (Mckay, 2020). There is also a marked increase in downloads of any content the attacker made more so their videos and manifestos. Free and repeated press coverage for criminals gives them a god-like complex whether or not they live to be “famous.” Freedom of speech is legally protected in many states, but not when it is misconstrued to produce a contagion effect. After the occurrence of such events, more of the attention is focused on the person rather than the circumstances leading to the deprivation. The media-coined Columbine effect had more coverage on the killers, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold than the issue of them being bullied. Therefore, such content provides fodder to the young person so violently bullied or with a history of mental illness with violent tendencies.
In Canada, youth violence is a ticking time bomb with authorities coming together to try and mitigate this factor. Raw statistics place adolescents and youth aged between 12 to 24 years to over a third of all police-reported incidents in 2014. Serious offences like sexual assault, robbery and aggravated assault placed them had more than 50% of this age group held accused. Also, over 29% of gang-related homicides had a young person within this age gap accused in comparison to 14% in adults (Dunbar, 2017). It is more probable that the youth in Canada have a predisposition to a gang when committing this crime than if alone. News like these rarely gets the headlines in many media outlets as they simply do not sell. More emphasis would rather be placed on the attackers or the victims’ details than the risk factor many of them faced. With the young age group, more effort needs to be directed at programs desensitizing the youth on such. However, more effort is placed on sensationalizing the news details to feed a violence-hungry audience on the latest news.
Research on youth violence in Canada leaves out the presence of the Aboriginals gangs and the attraction they offer to the vulnerable and lonely youth. The discrimination of such groups to “wannabe gangs” downplays the seriousness they pose to the nation’s young. Pre-adolescent children from as young as eight years are known to have been radicalized. The reason such gangs do not fit the criteria for most violent crimes is due to the tender age of the members involved. Cultural, social and political injustices done on this marginalized group increases the chances of their youth getting attracted to a violent lifestyle. As with other cases, mental health issues and early substance abuse seems to be the common factor in similar cyclical patterns (Dunbar, 2017). When reporting on crime, most outlets leave out the accumulation of economic, social and even racial matters that may force a child as young as eight years to act out on repressed urges. Another group largely “ignored” by many policing forces are young women. According to prevalent gender stereotypes of their involvement in crime, such groups have gained dominance as officers are less likely to arrest them (Doucette & Hoffman, 2016). In areas like British Columbia, they are said to form 12% of all violent gang activities but the figures could be higher. Therefore, the complex solution to reducing youth-based violence in Canada and other regions needs to be diverse.
How Canada responds to rising rates in youth violence may be a bit unique to other nations. In 2001, it had a higher incarceration rate of young people below the age of 21 years than the USA (Doucette & Hoffman, 2016). Recently, legal reforms have lifted the punishing rather than the prevention and rehabilitation programs for at-risk youth. However, in direct comparison to other countries with an approximate economic standing, the incarceration rates are still very high. There have been successful programs and criminal related activities have supposedly gone down. Cities like Ottawa have experienced a reduction in crime with the successful tenure of programs like John Howard Society among others. Ironically, violent extremism by older criminal youth is on the rise with many of them linked to terrorism. Ultimately, the sensitive topic of youth violence in and out of Canada needs a multi-faceted approach which needs not be politicized. The media needs to play an active role in directing eyes towards rehabilitation efforts, not sensationalized reports.
References
Doucette, R., & Hoffman, E. (2016). Everyone is Part of the Solution: A Study of Youth Violence in Ottawa West.
Dunbar, L. K. (2017). Youth gangs in Canada: A review of current topics and issues. Public Safety Canada= Sécurité publique Canada.
Irwin-Rogers, K., & Pinkney, C. (2017). Social media as a catalyst and trigger for youth violence. Catch-22.
McKay, S. (2020). Mass Murderers: A Case Study Analysis of Social Media Influence and Copycat Suicide (Doctoral dissertation, Walden University).
Miller, E., Culyba, A. J., Paglisotti, T., Massof, M., Gao, Q., Ports, K. A., … & Jones, K. A. (2020). Male adolescents’ gender attitudes and violence: Implications for youth violence prevention. American journal of preventive medicine, 58(3), 396-406.
Peters, M. A. (2019). The return of fascism: Youth, violence and nationalism.
Phillips, N. (2017). Violence, media effects, and criminology. In Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Criminology and Criminal Justice.