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Culture and the Mass Media

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Culture and the Mass Media
Impact of Mass Media on Enculturation

The mass media and culture go hand and hand in today 's society. The American culture thrives on the Mass media and this has become American culture today. “Mass media is any medium used to transmit mass communication. Until recently mass media was clearly defined and was comprised of the eight mass media industries; books, newspapers, magazines, recordings, radio, movies, television and the Internet (Lane, 2007).” The mas media is no longer simple to define the. The constant creating of new digital communication technology is so abundant that it may expand the current definition beyond the eight mass media industries. In this paper the writer will examine the relationships among popular culture and the mass media. The mass media has a tremendous impact on enculturation. According to Random House Unabridged Dictionary (1997), enculturation is a process where individuals learn their groups culture by experience, observation, and instruction. Mass media does impact enculturation, this may not necessarily be a good thing. Yes, as a society people are advancing into new technology and this may seem very exciting and futuristic, but with our new mass communication devices people are sending the wrong message to our culture and especially our children. The big thing in today 's media is sex. Sex is no longer a delicate issue on television. According to CommonSenseMedia.com, Sexual messages flood our society. Images are seen on billboards and in magazines and are graphically acted out on the screen. Many of these messages make dressing sexy, discussing sex, or casual sexual encounters seem like the norm. In fact, girls with a heavy sexual media diet are more likely to have a sexual dating experience. Society can find sex in everyday commercials for beverages, foods, clothing, and perfumes. Two-thirds of all programing broadcast in prime time contain sexual content. Sex can sell almost anything in today 's society. What kind of



References: Lane, B. (2007, July). Suite101.com. What is the mass media? Retrieved September 2008 from the http://medialiteracy.suite101.com/article.cfm/what_is_mass_media1s_ database. Random House Unabridged Dictionary, (1997). Enculturation. Fact Monster. Retrieved September 1, 2008 from the http://dictionary.factmonster.com/enculturation database. CommonSenseMedia. Sex and Dating. Retrieved September 1, 2008 from http://www.commonsensemedia.org/resources/sex_and_dating.php database. U.S. Teen Pregnancy Statistics (2006). Retrieved September 1, 2008 from the http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/2006/09/12/USTPstats.pdf database. The Laminate Flooring site. Retrieved September 1, 2008 from http://www.thelaminateflooringsite.com database. Fountain, H (2006, July 2). The lonely American just got a bit lonelier. New York Times. Retrieved August 31, 2008 from http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/02/weekinreview/02fountain.html?n=Top%2FReferenc e%2FTimes%20Topics%2FPeople%2FF%2FFountain%2C%20Henry database. McQuillen, J (2003). The influence of technology on the initiation of interpersonal relationships1. Education. 123(3), 616-623. Retrieved August 31, 2008, from Research Library database. (Document ID: 340595951).

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