Screen media violence and the socialisation of young viewers

In South Africa and in international markets, the media entertainment industry is heavily reliant on the popularity of screen violence: television series featuring crime and violence are regularly among the best-rated programmes; blockbuster movies showcasing violent action produce the highest box office revenue; and by 2008 the digital game industry revenue outstripped both the film and music industries, with global sales dominated by titles such as World of Warcraft (Gentile, et al. 2009; Piot, 2006; The Age, 2007). This is disturbing in light of findings by leading quantitative media effects researchers claiming that ‘the correlation between media violence and aggression is only slightly smaller than that between smoking and lung cancer’ (Bushman & Huesmann, 2001, p. 234–235). This alarming assertion about the dangers of screen violence is one perspective on how screen media affects young viewers. Other researchers argue that audiences understand the distinction between media texts and reality and that life is not like a game of ‘Simon Says’, in which we mimic what we see and do as we are told (Tulloch, 2000). It is widely acknowledged by experts in both qualitative and quantitative media research that ‘violent media are not necessary precursors to violence’ and ‘violent media are not sufficient to cause violent behaviour’; serious aggressive behaviour requires ‘the confluence of many causal factors’ such as community or domestic violence, parental neglect, poverty, mental health issues and low education (Anderson & Bushman, 2002, p. 448–449). As qualitative ethnographic studies and the uses and gratifications model of audience response show, the media are not all-powerful: viewers can choose what to watch and how to respond and many viewers value the creative freedom of media producers. Qualitative and quantitative research methodologies are often in tension, but they are understood in this chapter to be complementary means of acquiring knowledge.