Media Influences

Question 1

Negative influences

Answer 1

Films such as train spotting introduced drugs to the mainstream
Soap operas often display addictive beh as part of everyday life

Sulkenen - 140 scenes from 47 films - alcohol, sex, drugs etc all represented - many showed drugs as enjoyable
Gonasekera et al - 87 of the most popular films from the last 20 years - only 1/4 free from negative health beh

Sargent and Hanewinkel - adolescents who watch films containing smoking beh more likely to smoke

Question 2

Positive influences

Answer 2

National youth anti drug campaign - US congress invested nearly I billion dollars, preventing initiation and occasional use

Stop smoking government campaign - posters showing cigarettes dripping fat found to be more effective than doctors advice - campaigns prompted 32%, GPs accounted for 21%

Psst… The really useful guide to alcohol - viewers comp to control showed increased knowledge but no diff in attitude to beh or actual consumption

Drinking less? Do it yourself! - designed to help problem drinking, intervention more successful than control, maintained 9 months later

Question 3

Media influences AO2

Answer 3

Correlation not causation

Boyd - films do not portray drugs in a positive way - often depicted by physical and mental deterioration - US film makers often finical incentive if they portray drugs negatively

Lashley & Watson - campaigns good at informing public of facts but not at actually changing beh

Hornrik - US anti drug campaign failed as messages are obvious and it suggested drug use was common

Johnson - youths who saw the ads took from them that their peers were using and became more likely to try it