Does Entertainment Media Have a Positive Effect on Society - Essay Example

To what extent do you agree that entertainment media has a positive effect on the society Name: Course: Institution: Date: To what extent do you agree that entertainment media has a positive effect on the society Introduction Debate continues between health professional and psychologist on the effects of entertainment media on the society. Numerous studies have been done on the negative effects of entertainment media. These include depression, addiction, and aggression with regard to violent entertainment (Weber et al 2006, p. 55). While there are some studies that have argued that engaging in entertainment media is intellectually lazy, there are studies, which have suggested that there are positive health and psychological effects of engaging in entertainment media such as video games. The main objective of this essay is to assess the extent to which entertainment media is a positive contributor to the wellbeing of the society. Positive effects of entertainment media on the society Critical thinking Engaging in entertainment media such as videos games plays an essential role in boosting the cognitive ability of members of the society. These include the ability of the players to develop in terms of their level of reason, spatial navigation, insight, and memory capacity (Rauterberg 2004, p. 54). According to recent studies, playing shooter video was essential in brain development because it boosts the capacity of a player to think about objects in three dimensions. This is synonymous to the role that academic courses play in socializing an individual with skills and essential knowledge (Granic et al 2011). The process of engaging in entertainment media such as video games, puzzles, and role-playing also provides the players with the ability to develop essential problem solving skills. This is an indication that when presented with an unusual problem, those who engage in entertainment media have the ability of developing several solutions to a problem. Entertainment media also contributes to critical thinking since according to recent studies those who engage in these entertainment platforms pay attention to a sequence of events in the media and are more likely to apply these skills in real-life. Entertainment media such as television is also important in improving the cognitive ability among children. This is because by watching television children learn on how to relate different aspects about the society and about themselves. Through critical through children develop the ability of picking moral messages from programs that feature violence and conflict (Granic et al 2011). Social development There are studies that have blamed entertainment media for the development of poo social skills in children. This has however been challenged by the findings that entertainment media, with regard to online platforms allow players from different parts of the world to cooperate in solving different problems and the completion of tasks from a virtual platform. Video games have been essential in the social development of children suffering from autism (Rauterberg 2004, p. 56). This is because such an entrainment platform teaches children with an autism spectrum disorder the ways of responding to verbal and visual cues. For children with autism, virtual agamas provide successful learning opportunities, which are essential in the improvement of skills such as self-monitoring and planning. Through such entertainment media, desired behavior is reinforced without direct human intervention (Rauterberg 2004, p. 57). Multiplayer entertainment media reduces the possibility that the development of socially isolated gamers. This is because more than 70% of those who engage in entertainment media such as video games are active participant in massive virtual worlds using video games such as World of Warcraft (Granic et al 2011). The Multiplayer entertainment platforms have therefore provided an avenue of creating virtual social communities where quick and reliable decisions must be made about how to lead a group, who to trust and who to reject. Through such virtual associations, people who engage in entertainment media have the ability to develop social skills, which are essential in societal interaction, conflict resolution and in the creation and development of relationships. An essential social skill provided by entertainment media such as video games is in the development of essential strengths and social skills. People who engage in these games learn the essence of resilience in the face of failure. This is especially when they learn how to cope with the ongoing failure in the games. Frequent payers therefore have the ability of building emotional resilience, which is essential in building their everyday lives. Educational effects There is an existing assumption that entitlement media is mindless and can only be used as a leisure tool. However, according to recent studies, there has been an increase in the use of educational games as motivational tools in classrooms. This is based on the realization that through these games children have the ability of mastering basic essentials such as grammar and the complexities in mathematics without using traditional flashcards (Rauterberg 2004, p. 52). The functionality of these games in relation to improving eductaion standards emanates from the understanding that most of these games require children to anticipate the next action and in other games such as the three dimensional video games, children are required to endanger in the manipulation of objects using a three dimensional approach hence improving on their spatial -relationship capabilities. The use and popularity of video games in the eductaion sector explains why the stakeholders are in the process of redesigning classroom experiences through the integration of video games as part of the curriculum. This will enhance the education experience within this sector because it will introduce a shift in the way teachers and students approach learning (Rauterberg 2004, p. 56). Hand and eye coordination There are different conventional platforms that have been used in enhancing hand-eye coordination among children. These include engaging in physical sports. Nevertheless, the introduction of entertainment media provides an alternative to improving hand-eye coordination. Active engagement in these games allows children to develop better sensory-motors skills than children who do not play. These because such a platform provides children with the ability to intellectually understand the concept of kicking, catching, or throwing a ball before they are physically involved in any games (Granic et al 2011). Emotional outlet Individuals whose interests and passion are in different activities populate the society. There are those interested in physical sports such as football. However, for people who do not share similar interests, video games may act as alternative for entertainment purposes and for release of their frustrations and any other form of aggressive feeling (Rauterberg 2004, p. 55). This approach to social life is essential because it provides a stress reduction platform. Introverts often have a tendency of social exclusion. This in some way affects their ability to develop within the society (Rauterberg 2004, p. 51). However, through entertainment media such people have a plat that can be used in exerting a dominant behavior or attempting to demonstrate a new personality that they do not use in everyday life (Rauterberg 2004, p. 55). The role of entertainment media is therefore critical in ensuring that members of the society find alternative platforms of expressing their anger and frustrations reducing the effect of stress related diseases. An additional role of this form of media is that it provides some form of relaxation and an almost mediating effect on children (Sherry, J. 2001, p. 416). Conclusion Despite the perceived negative effects of entertainment media on the society, this platform plays an essential role in improving the nature and the wellbeing of different members of the society. The assignments and processes involved in this platform allow for the development of cognitive skills, which is essential in the eductaion process and in solving societal problems. Entertainment media also provides an alternative leisure and stress relieving mechanism for introverts and other members of the society. References Granic, Isabella., Lobel, Adam & Engles, Rutger. 2011. TheBenefist of Playing Video Games. The American Psychologist, Vol. 69, No.1 Rauterberg, Matthias. 2004. Positive Effects of Entertainment technology on Human Behaviour. IFIP, Kluwer Academic Press, 2004, pp. 51-58 Sherry, J. 2001. The effects of violent video games on aggression: a meta-analysis. Human Communication Research 27 (3), 409-431 Weber,R., Ritterfeld,U., Mathiak, K. 2006. Does playing violent video games induce aggression? Empirical evidence of a functional magnetic resonance imaging study. Media Psychology 8, 39-60 Read More