Page 9 - The Staunch Test

THE STAUNCH TEST

The impact of violence against women in the media

The idea that showing violence of any kind on television might have an impact
on audiences has been around for over 50 years. Numerous studies have made
clear connections between what both children and adults view and whether it
affects their perceptions or behaviour. Research into the impact on young

people of viewing violent films, TV shows and video games has revealed that,
among other outcomes, exposure to on-screen violence can lead to short and
long-term desensitisation, aggressive thoughts, anger, mental and physical
arousal and lack of empathy.

In the 1960s, Professor of Communications George Gerbner advanced

Cultivation Theory as a means of testing the impact of television on viewers —
and especially how exposure to violence through television affects them. The
theory’s key proposition is that the more time people spend ‘living’ in the
television world, the more likely they are to believe social reality aligns with
the reality they see on TV, and the more their views will reflect this.

It is important to remember that television is a mediated medium. Others
decide what is available for audiences to view, and individuals personally
curate what they want to see by selecting from what is available, either free or

by paid subscription. Choice means that not all people will see the same
material, but those that prefer a particular kind of programme — ones
containing violence, for example, may be over-exposed to such content.

Cultivation Theory these days also embraces viewers’ wider exposure to the
internet, including streaming services offering entertainment, documentaries,

that strange hybrid docutainment (such as true crime shows), sport, etc, and
news output controlled by the media owners. The sexualised depiction of
women and violent treatment of them in freely available pornography also
carries negative influences, including the idea that women want and enjoy
violence in all its forms and that ‘no’ leads to a grateful ‘yes’. Even more
disturbing material can be found on the dark web, where extreme examples of
real-life violence against women is also on offer, and widely sought.