Mass Media and Social Cognitive Theory
Social learning theory; a theory hypothesized by Albert Bandura (1977) pursues the procedure of wisdom and social demeanor, inflicting that refined behavior can be amassed by compliance with the environment and imitating other individuals. It formulates that learning is a mental operation pursuing in a sociable context, transpiring apparently through obedience and explicit pedagogy even in the delinquency of underpinning and reinforcement. The notion emphasizes the prestige of observing, modeling, and impersonating the disposition and behaviors of society to learn and enhance wisdom. The theory considers the impact of both environmental and mental facets on human intention and aptitude. Similarly, the sphere of social learning expands to the influence of mass media on the psychology of individuals. (Boring-Bray, 2020) This mass media leverage incorporates miscellaneous characteristics of media such as media violence, entailing different brain processes in distinctive ways. These diverse aspects of media spur the brain tremendously, and each of these stimuli expresses itself as either predictable or unexpected aftermath. The commerce of psychological science to social learning and human interaction with media and technology is well illustrated and significant in this modern era of the 21st century.
The concussion of social learning theory and mass media on the perception and judgment of humans has played a vital and supreme role, incriminating the role of traditional learning theories in which behavior is administered by reinforcement, by evaluation of substantial roles of various external factors in learning. The domain of influence of mass media on cultural and technological climate can be assessed from the fact that 88% of respondents between the ages of 18 and 29 were engaged in platforms of mass media, while 64% of respondents between the generation of 50 and 64 were users of mass media. The pervasiveness of mass media across all eternities exhibits the changes in the ability of comprehension in individuals. While considering the positive and negative aspects of media, there are numerous viewpoints. Let us first discuss the positive impact of media.
Mass media, above all, keeps us connected and unified. Before the revolution of mass media, the people weren’t even aware of pivotal cultures in their territory. However, mass media has bestowed the spirit of consensus and harmony among people, spreading the fragrance of wisdom and connectivity in the entire world. Mass media has also been beneficial when it’s regarded as a stream of continuous information. Television, a facet of mass media has played a supreme role in unraveling the news in the entire universe. Mass media had been triumphant in reaching every confluence and convergence of the planet, even in those areas, where the requisites of life are unattainable. This upheaval of mass media had also consented to the oppressed souls giving them a mouthpiece and an opportunity to raise their voice for their rights. (Walton, 2017). Not only this, but mass media has demonstrated itself to be a tongue to question against the prejudices and predispositions being implemented against people based on their color, ethnicity, race, religion, and culture.
One of the most indispensable functions of mass media is its facilitation of enterprise. It has been enormously significant in spurring business by enhanced marketing and advertisement. This bolstered business communication enables the fast accessibility of business to potential consumers and global markets.
Mass media has collaborated with the different cultures by cementing them with a strong tie of exchange. The exchange of art and culture between the states through the service of mass media exhibits a broader panorama of the world enabling them to join the expedition for the exploration of the world and seeing the world from the perspective of specialists. (Flower, 2018)
Mass media has also been a significant bridge of alliance between rural and urban life despite the discrepancy of the language difference. The mass media has now branches destined to attract the inhabitants by cherishing their local culture and traditions and adopting local languages as a source of communication. This indeed had been crucial to, alleviate illiteracy rates. Furthermore, Mass media also fiddles the role of entertainment in our lives. Different movies, game shows, sports, and documentaries have amused the dreary souls of humans for several past decades.
Now, comes the grimy side of media, which always accompanies the bright side somehow. The mass media had dominantly skepticisms in human lineage regarding body image encompassing skin color, body shape, facial features, and body figure, concealing the contemporary composure and conviction of the young generation under the shrouds of complexes and depression. Hence, media amplifies the anxieties of people by not only the exhibition of beauty in performers but by rumors, it creeps into the narrow minds of viewers. Mass media has also ravaged the moral power of youth by unfettered permit to pornography, making their vision lustrous objectifying every living organism around them.
Mass media is an addiction and the one who’s once plummeted as a victim of this drug is never able to normalize his/her life. This addiction leads to constant inactivity causing obesity and cardiovascular diseases.
Mass media has also triggered the heightened and boosted violence, standardizing it and making its implementation a common practice. This is called media violence. Exposure to media violence has provoked severe cognitive and physical health problems among juveniles and youngsters. These dilemmas accommodate contentious and vicious behavior, bullying, racism, colorism, desensitization to the commotion, nightmares, agonies, and sleep disturbances in the media have led to the normalization of teen smoking and illicit alcohol consumption. (Huesman, 2009) Assorted psychological and physiological aspects highlight the effect of media violence on the social, economic, and political beliefs, behavior as well as emotions of individuals. It has been dominant in prowling social camaraderie. Media violence has been proved to be more effective among more vulnerable children to social learning theory, adopting everything they observe. (communication, 2015)
Summing up, mass media is a prerequisite in today’s world where the circle of vitality revolves around the sphere of knowledge and information. Hence mass media is a productive gadget in the modern world where the criteria for intuition and aptitude rely on smartness. Though mass media inbounds some flaws, the beneficiaries it holds make it acceptable in today’s realm. It has the superiority to revolutionize, express, and suppress everything. It can endow or diminish any factor. Even the trivial things once lifted by media become significant for the entire world giving media a distinctive responsibility. Hence mass media is the most influential and momentous javelin if used righteously.
