Received: by alpheratz.cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk id NAA15198 (8.6.9/5.3[ref pg@gmsl.co.uk] for cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk from fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk); Mon, 15 Apr 2002 13:29:10 +0100 Message-ID: <570E2BEE7BC5A34684EE5914FCFC368C10FC1F@fillan.stir.ac.uk> From: Vincent Campbell <v.p.campbell@stir.ac.uk> To: "'memetics@mmu.ac.uk'" <memetics@mmu.ac.uk> Subject: RE: media violence report in Science Date: Mon, 15 Apr 2002 13:20:37 +0100 X-Mailer: Internet Mail Service (5.5.2653.19) Content-Type: text/plain; charset="ISO-8859-1" X-Filter-Info: UoS MailScan 0.1 [D 1] X-MailScanner: Found to be clean Sender: fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk Precedence: bulk Reply-To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk
Red rag to a bull, Ray...
<"the data point
> overwhelmingly to a causal connection between media violence and
> aggressive behavior in some children". In a report on page 2468 of this
> issue, Johnson and colleagues present important evidence showing that
> extensive TV viewing among adolescents and young adults is associated
> with subsequent aggressive acts.>
>
Flawed research methodologies repeated time and time again are still
flawed. The basic premises are flawed as I've argued time and again on this
list (read the work by David Gauntlett as to what those flaws are as I won't
go over them again. Besides even the data people like these use are not
consistent which should beg problems for such people (but they ignore such
"minor' problems).
<Despite the consensus among the experts, lay people do not seem
> to be getting the message from the popular press that media violence
> contributes to a more violent society.>
>
This is a blatant lie. Surveys, not to mention the news media,
routinely indicate that the default perception of media violence is indeed
that it causes violence in society. Also there is no consensus amongst the
'experts', as what hasn't successfully got out into the public domain, is
the counter argument despite the efforts of committed researchers who offer
very cogent reasons why media violence arguments are specious at best.
<We recently demonstrated that
> even as the scientific evidence linking media violence to aggression has
> accumulated, news reports about the effects of media violence have
> shifted to weaker statements, implying that there is little evidence for
> such effects. This inaccurate reporting in the popular press may account
>
> for continuing controversy long aster the debate should have been over,
> much as the cigarette smoking/cancer controversy persisted long after the
>
> scientific community know that smoking causes cancer.>
>
I find this claim extraordinary. Vilification of media violence is
continual and persistent in news media in many parts of the world, including
the US. Claiming that the debate should have been long over is true, but
the conclusion reached should have been the opposite one to these authors'
views. If there was a simple relationship between violence and the media,
there would be straightforward evidence of a relationship between the extent
of media access and levels of violence globally. There isn't. _At all_.
Indeed the only country where there occurs both high rates of violence in
society, and violence in the media is the USA. And even here, whilst levels
of media violence are supposedly still high (or even increasing if you
believe the doomsayers), some of the traditionally most violent places in
the US, like New York City, for example, are experiencing 20 year lows for
violent crime.
Memetics and media effect research are clearly related, in terms of
a mean through which memes may be disseminated, but not in such a simplistic
way as people like this view effects.
Vincent
-- The University of Stirling is a university established in Scotland by charter at Stirling, FK9 4LA. Privileged/Confidential Information may be contained in this message. If you are not the addressee indicated in this message (or responsible for delivery of the message to such person), you may not disclose, copy or deliver this message to anyone and any action taken or omitted to be taken in reliance on it, is prohibited and may be unlawful. In such case, you should destroy this message and kindly notify the sender by reply email. Please advise immediately if you or your employer do not consent to Internet email for messages of this kind. Opinions, conclusions and other information in this message that do not relate to the official business of the University of Stirling shall be understood as neither given nor endorsed by it.=============================================================== This was distributed via the memetics list associated with the Journal of Memetics - Evolutionary Models of Information Transmission For information about the journal and the list (e.g. unsubscribing) see: http://www.cpm.mmu.ac.uk/jom-emit
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Mon Apr 15 2002 - 13:40:17 BST