A DIscussion on the Negative Effects of Popular Culture on Society

The main problem with the 21" century is that our society is a mirror image of what is seen and heard through the media. TV shows and fashion icons all play huge roles in our everyday lives. They all influence us in undesirable ways. It is common for people to imitate what they are exposed to, since what they are being exposed to is idolized. This has led to a drastic decrease in morals and a drastic increase in violence and unhealthy lifestyles. Pop culture has a negative etfect on people of all ages and is becoming more of a problem each day. Watching television has become the most popular leisure activity among us. However, many TV shows portray unrealistic, scripted lifestyles. These are the types of lifestyles that people want. They are blind to the fact that these lifestyles are most likely unattainable; unless your mom is Kris Jenner or your dad is Bill Gates.

TV shows like "Keeping up with the Kardashian's," brainwash our society by displaying impracticable scenarios. Although the Kardashian's lifestyle may seem ideal to the common person, it is not reality. In an essay written for the occasion of TV Turnoff Week, Corbett Trubey stated, "Unfortunately, our old friends greed and sloth entered the picture and transformed it into a 24-hour ad-plastered, brainwashing, individuality bleaching, stereotyping, couch-potato-making tool of society." (Source F) This statement gives several different descriptions as to how TV affects us. A major problem arising is that kids, as well as adults, are trying to transform into celebrities they see on television. This is causing them to discontinue trying to obtain originality, resulting in the "individuality bleaching" Trubey talks about. Many females are focused on attaining certain body images. These body images include those of Victoria's Secret models. Women are convinced that in order to be considered attractive, they need to look like these malnourished models. Women are given this notion through the media, which characterizes these models as being "perfect." In order for majority of the models to have these underweight bodies, they live unhealthy lifestyles. Many girls of all ages are copying these unhealthy eating habits, which require eating only specific foods and a certain number of calories each day. This is detrimental to one's health because it causes you to not eat certain proteins and vitamins that you need.

Even though girls are aware of the harmful effects of eating this way, they continue doing so. This is due to their desire to look identical to the "perfect" women they see and hear about through the media. What may start off as an hour watching one episode of a show, can turn into an entire day staring blankly at the TV in front of you. People become so intertwined with their televisions that they sometimes do not realize the amount of time they waste watching it. In Anthony DiVivo's poster created for TV Turnoff Week, there is a man shutting off his television, and going outside with his son. (Source H) In his poster he writes, "You will observe an amazing interactive environment full of real experiences. Don't be afraid to experience a real three dimensional environment." DiVivo established a sarcastic tone when writing this. His reason for doing so was to get people to realize that their addiction to TV causes them to spend more time sitting in their house, rather than getting out and being productive. It is highly common that someone would choose to sit inside and watch television on a sunny day instead of going on a walk. Our society is zombie-like when watching TV. While they direct all of their attention to a show, they do not always think about what they are watching. In comparison to zombies, people are unaware of what is actually going on.

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In the present day, shows are becoming much more violent and graphic than they once were. Gangs, murders, drug deals and other crimes are frequently shown on almost any channel. These channels can be accessed by a person of any age. For instance, AMC's "The Walking Dead," is a show in which the world is living througha zombie apocalypse, One of the show's main characters, Carl, is a boy who is no older than 13. Carl carries a gun, kills and fights, like a grown man would do. Everyone commends him for his actions, which may cause other kids to believe it is okay to act this way. In addition, the language involved in shows, movies, and songs, is a huge problem. Kids are being exposed to words and phrases that they should not be aware of until much further in life. This is due to more lenient rules when it comes to what can be said through the media. Several relatively new reality shows have been created about teenagers. This includes the disturbing show, "Teen Mom." (Source 1)

"Teen Mom" is a show about 4 teenage girls who had children at the age of 16. The media focuses a lot of attention on them, and is responsible for making them famous. "Teen Mom" does not give an accurate outlook on what it is like to have a child. The show does not display all of the girls' responsibilities and struggles. Young girls are getting the impression that having a child at a young age is easy and acceptable, due to what selected information is shown on this show. It is much more common for a teenage girl to willingly have a child now than it used to be. The media is at fault for this, because of its creation of this alarming show and its acceptance of under-age pregnancy. Popular culture has created chaos amongst our society. Every dayTV shows, reality shows, and well-known fashion models have all played a role in causing people to obtain unhealthy ifestyles. Between the violence, the cursing, and the admiration over things such as under-weight bodies and under-age pregnancy, the media has exposed us to many negative aspects. The desire to become mirror images of the "perfect" images seen on TV created a negative effect on the society in which we live.

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