Violence - Overview

Violence

Questions about media violence have populated the headlines for almost as long as mass media has existed. Every few years, there’s a new line up of suspects: music, social media platforms, video games, television shows and movies. 

Scholars, policymakers and the public alike often debate the potential impacts these forms of media might have on areas such as behaviour, mental health and cognitive development, particularly in young people. Criticism of media violence is often mixed with concerns of race, gender, age and class. Print and digital media news outlets, talk shows and evening news programs often feature stories in which children who play violent video games are on a slippery slope toward real-world violence.[1]   

Given the widely differing views about the effects of media violence held by both researchers and cultural commentators, it’s important to identify those effects that are well established by reliable research and to cast a critical eye on the things we think we know. Media violence is a very complicated subject and a question like “Does it cause violence?” ignores the complexity of the relationships, beliefs and economic imperatives that surround violent media content. From a media literacy perspective, what’s most important is asking key questions about media violence, like:

  • How is violence used in mass media?
  • How common is it?
  • Is it as common as we may think?
  • What effects does it have on our behaviour, our attitudes and how we see the world?
  • How important is the context in which it appears?
  • How might different people be affected differently?
  • How can we critically engage with it?
  • How can I teach my children or students to critically engage with it?

While there may be a more complex and subtle relationship between media violence and violent behaviour, the debate is dominated by one question—whether or not media violence actually causes real-life violence. This may be because the debate is at least partly political, with some people wanting to censor violent content to protect children, while argue that regulation can lead to censorship and distracts from the root causes of violence in society.

As technology has advanced and media have become more immersive – from the Lumiere Brothers’ Arrival of a Train to today’s virtual reality (VR) video games – there are concerns that viewers and players will lose the distance between themselves and the media and be driven to acts of violence. Recently, there’s been a focus on the possibility that media violence (especially video games) contributes to mass violence, such as the shootings at Columbine High School (1999)[2] and the Christchurch attack in New Zealand (2019).[3] However, no clear relationship has ever been established between media violence (including video games) and real-world violence. A recent review of academic studies found that “none of the studies critical of [violent video games] claim that they directly cause real world violence, though commentators sometimes make or imply such claims.”[4]

The realities of digital media complicate these issues in new ways. Unlike traditional media like books, films and TV, new media forms are everywhere and interactive. With consumers able to access any content they want at any time, the prospect of censoring or even limiting access to violent media is becoming less realistic. Therefore, “it is crucial that scientists conduct work with openness and rigour if we are to build a real understanding of the positive and negative dynamics and impacts of technology in people’s lives.”[5]

 

[1] Asma-Sadeque, S. (2024, March 18). 9-Year-Old Accused of Murdering Dad with Hatchet, Police Say Attack Resembled “Violent” Video Game Boy Played. Yahoo! News. https://ca.news.yahoo.com/9-old-accused-murdering-dad-212031608.html

[2] Radford, T. (2000, April 24). Computer games linked to violence. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2000/apr/24/timradford

[3] Macklin, G. (2019). The Christchurch Attacks: Livestream Terror in the Viral Video Age. CTC Sentinel, 12(6), 18–29. https://ctc.westpoint.edu/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/CTC-SENTINEL-062019.pdf

[4] Andersson, A., & Milam, P. (2023). Violent video games: content, attitudes, and norms. Ethics and Information Technology, 25(4). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10676-023-09726-6

[5] Warren, M (2019). These violent delights don’t have violent ends. The British Psychological Society. Retrieved from https://digest.bps.org.uk/2019/03/06/these-violent-delights-dont-have-violent-ends-study-finds-no-link-between-violent-video-games-and-teen-aggression/