These are the general areas I am considering for a possible topic choice.
1) Effect of media on Health choices: I would like to know how much the media contribute to health choices that people make. Depending on the availability of information, I could look at for example, if people do pick up habit like smoking from the media, and if the anti smoking campaigns on the media like the “truth” commercials have been successful. Or I may look at the possible effects of the media on a Conditions such as Anorexia Nervosa(an eating disorder primarily affecting adolescent girls and young women )to know what is really known about people engaging in extreme dieting to look like media models. A German magazine recently resolved not to have any models on their pages so I think there will be some information linking the two out there.
2) Effect of news on desensitization: In a previous research I came across where someone was arguing that the media violence that really has an effect on behavior are the real ones such as those in sports or those carried in the news. And a friend of mine told me she isn’t moved anymore at news of someone being shot in DC because it comes all the time. I guess that is desensitization, but I think people also what to know if someone is shot in their neighborhood. I would want to know the kind of news reporting being proposed by those who think news is desensitizing, and how far their proposal is from censorship.
3) Twenty-four hour news stations and news quality: There seem not to be enough news to hold a round the clock broadcast. So issue that are not news worthy starts making it to the news, the news gets repeated, amplified, and discussed with opinions sometimes stated as facts just to hold up 24hr coverage. I think news reporting should just be about presenting the news to the public and not process it for them. Depending on the information available, I could slice this down to how news anchors in the different cable news channels like (FOX and MSNBC) polarize the society by clinging to the extreme sides of issues.
I hope to narrow these areas down to a topic, and any suggestions will be appreciated.
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I think your first choice of the media affecting health choices is a great topic. You could go in so many different directions with it. It could be phycological health effects, as well as physical effect like the spread of STD's or tobacco related illnesses.
ReplyDeleteI have to agree with John, your first topic sounds very interesting. I mean the way you propose it is the negative effects of how people are represented in the media affects people's health. I know that in my country in order to prevent suicides, when someone commits suicide, it cannot appear in the news in hopes that others won't get inspired. Another aspect could be if campaigns that promote prostate screening or breast examinations have had positive outcomes.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Josephina and John. The first topic is something that is a very big deal and in my opinion should be a much bigger concern than what many people make it out to be. Kids are impressionable and don't always know what is right or wrong, and I think some things on the television take advantage of that (ie. McDonalds, Smoking Ads, etc). Also, I would wonder if more effort was made to provide better health awareness on the news, that people would pay more attention.
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