Media's Role in Sexuality
Rose Spraker
Week Nine
PSY265
Stacie Flynn
March 9, 2013
The media has a significant effect on our society’s sexuality. For adolescents there is pressure to look and act in certain ways. It’s portrayed to be cool or normal to look tan and have your hair and makeup perfect at all times. With social media adolescents are able to share pictures and videos, keep in touch 24/7. It is all competitive and they all want to be accepted and part of the crowd. This also has quite an effect on the relationships they have. Boyfriends and girlfriends share everything about their relationships on Facebook. This could lead to compromising situations. A teenager might feel pressured to live up to other’s expectations. They all want to have their partner’s say good things about them for others to read. They may make decisions with these things in mind, where as if the social media wasn’t an influence; they may make completely different decisions. There are many shows on MTV for example that show young adults partying and just having the time of their lives. They portray it as the best possible time anyone could have. They portray sex as something that is casual. It is dangerous to have several different sexual partners and you may regret some decisions when you get older or married. The media has not affected my sexuality. Actually my opinions about sexuality in the media are formed by what I already believe; not vice versa. If I was to through puberty with all of the social media there is now, I might think differently. In another perspective it has affected the way I think of my children and what they see. I worry that it is all just reflected as it just casual. I think sex is natural of course, but it should also be considered a major decision; not something to be taken lightly. The media portrays sexuality in a way that it isn’t just something private or special between two consenting adults. Instead it is just something that we do, like take showers or eat. It is
Week Nine
PSY265
Stacie Flynn
March 9, 2013
The media has a significant effect on our society’s sexuality. For adolescents there is pressure to look and act in certain ways. It’s portrayed to be cool or normal to look tan and have your hair and makeup perfect at all times. With social media adolescents are able to share pictures and videos, keep in touch 24/7. It is all competitive and they all want to be accepted and part of the crowd. This also has quite an effect on the relationships they have. Boyfriends and girlfriends share everything about their relationships on Facebook. This could lead to compromising situations. A teenager might feel pressured to live up to other’s expectations. They all want to have their partner’s say good things about them for others to read. They may make decisions with these things in mind, where as if the social media wasn’t an influence; they may make completely different decisions. There are many shows on MTV for example that show young adults partying and just having the time of their lives. They portray it as the best possible time anyone could have. They portray sex as something that is casual. It is dangerous to have several different sexual partners and you may regret some decisions when you get older or married. The media has not affected my sexuality. Actually my opinions about sexuality in the media are formed by what I already believe; not vice versa. If I was to through puberty with all of the social media there is now, I might think differently. In another perspective it has affected the way I think of my children and what they see. I worry that it is all just reflected as it just casual. I think sex is natural of course, but it should also be considered a major decision; not something to be taken lightly. The media portrays sexuality in a way that it isn’t just something private or special between two consenting adults. Instead it is just something that we do, like take showers or eat. It is