ICT IN EDUCATION,5.4

INFLUENCE OF MASS MEDIA AMONG STUDENTS

Mass media tools are aimed at those with media technology products. With a clearer explanation, communication is carried out by the press, cinema, film, radio and television. With these tools, a message from one place (individuals, organizations, communities) is transferred to a wide audience in the process or activity falls within the scope of mass communication (Kaya 1985). Mass communication is a fairly recent phenomenon of the civilization. Mass media has helped not only with socialization of the individuals, but also to the society, because its help in human development is necessary and inevitable (Reddi 1991). The socialization contact size occurs through the mass media. Especially, mass media is widely used to transfer the information from the central area of the nation to the rest of the population.

Mass Media are diversified media technologies that are intended to reach a large audience by mass communication. The technologies through which this communicating place various because there are different from each other ie, radio, music, film and television. Decade’s worth of research has shown several effects of mass media to children in primary schools. Mass media is not necessary have negative impact to children but also has a positive value to them. For example mass media plays a major role in enhancing positive children’s development in various education programs aired in television that may serve to increase children’s knowledge and understanding of various life aspects. Positive role models portrayed in the mass media can also serve a positive social development tool for children. Qualitative research studies have shown that one way in which television enhances development in children is portraying positive role models of collaboration and development as a responsible manner of acting (Press, 2007). It is therefore evident that TV can serve as a means of learning of positive reinforcement in children.

Mass media has also played a major role in enhancing socialization among children. With the advance technology, children can easily access the internet which is a major socialization tool and can also be used as a research tool that can be utilized positively by students. (Mumi, 2010) Despite the positive effects of mass media it has the negative value. For example many children instead of investing their time studying, reading good books, engaging in social activities and exercising, children choose to spend their evenings watching movies or glued to the TV sets. With the increasing technological advancement, the internet can be easily accessed by children. This exposes such children to things that they do not necessarily need to know and may not understand. The reading culture is gradually fading and substituted by mass media. This poses a negative impact on school performance as well as learning problems. Children are increasingly reporting low academic grades and problems in learning due to overindulgence in mass media (Matthew & Jesse, 2008). Mass media intends to dictate various aspects including the ideal image or definition of beasty. Children start to imitate the characters portrayed in mass media without being careful enough to differentiate wrong and right which has led to several young girls develop self esteem issues due to failure to match up to the image and beauty standards dictated by the media (Pege & Extra, 2004). Children start behaving abnormally just to imitate to what they saw the actors do and this takes their time instead of ding constructive learning. Mass media may prompt children to engage in sexual activities at an early age, research has indicated that children are exposed to approximately 14,000 sexual references annually in television. Out of this only 150 of them address issues of abstinence, sexual responsibility and contraception (Press, 2007). This implies that sex is portrayed as a fun activity, which prompts children to have an urge to try it out. Over exposure to sexual content in videos, game of television programming is strongly linked to increasing rate of teen pregnancies. This also applies to substance abuse highly depicted in movies that children watch out of curiosity leading to such children trying out different illegal drugs and substances seen in media sources.

A medium is a “channel of communication” means pupil send and receive information. The printed word, for example, is a medium when we  read a newspaper or magazine, something is communicated as in sum way. An electronic form of communication is television, telephones and film. Mass means ’many’ and what we are interested is here is how and why different forms of media are used to transmit and to be received by large numbers of they audience (chris,2011).

A mass medium such as television is generally classified as ‘one-to-many’ communication means ‘one’ person such as the author of book. The creators of a television programme or a film director communicates to many pupil or audience “at  the same time” in a way that is largely inpersonal. That is what we called the one way communication in the sense that those communicating a message to an audience don’t receive simulataneous  feedback from the audience (chris,2011).

Mass media, which includes print media, electronic media and the internet said to have strong influence on the lifes of  adolescents. Media electronics such as television and video programmes serve many elements of violence. Mass media spreading information widely to the people they added that mass media, which is called a general distribution was able to channel massage from a remote a faster rate. Despite the positive effects of mass media it has the negative value. For example many children instead of investing their times studying reading good books, enaging in social activities and exercising children choose to spend evening watching movies or tv.

According to Arklan and Tasdemir (2008), in order to reach the information, especially the mass media and the Internet began to be considered as a part of the social structure. Although there are negative aspects to reach the target group, these tools are very important to spread the information for the community. They are easy and cheap, making the possibility of access to information for different targets, the various obstacles and limitations due to the features such as the disposal of a resource that emphasizes the dissemination of the information (Arklan and Tasdemir 2008).

Many children are taking most of their time in mass media. This has led to poor grades and school work because tension takes time away from reading and schoolwork. Studies show that even one or two hours of daily television viewing by school aged children has significant harmful effects on academic performance, especially reading” (Comedian Pediatric Society, (1999).

Most of the children instead of investing their time studying and reading good books, children choose to spend their evenings watching movies or glued to TV sets. The reading culture is gradually fading and substituted by mass media. This poses a negative effect on school performance as well as learning problems in learning problems. Children are increasing reporting low academic grades and problems in learning due to overindulgence in mass media (Marthaw & Jesses, 2008).

 Although research clearly demonstrates that well designed aged appropriate educational television can be beneficial to children of pre-school age, studies on infants and toddlers suggest that these young children may better understand from real life experience than they do from video. Moreover, some research findings suggest that exposure to television during the first few years of life may be associated with poorer cognitive development. Early exposure to age appropriate programs designed around an educational curriculum is associated with cognitive and academic enhancement whereas exposure to pure entertainment and violent content is associated with poorer cognitive development and lower academic achievement. Children watching cartoons and entertainment television during pre-school years have poorer pre-reading skills at age 5(Macbeth, 1996). Also children who overindulge in entertainment TV are less likely to read books and other print media (Wright & Huston, 1995.

Despite the negative effects of mass media on performance there are a number of positive social effects of mass media on children. Mass media plays a major role in enhancing positive child development. For instance, various education programs are aired in television may serve to increase children’s knowledge (Press, 2007). It is therefore evident that television can serve as a means of learning in children.

Also studies show that the significance of poor grades and school work. Because television take time away from reading and school work, it is important to control TV viewing during school week. Studies show that even two or on hour of daily television viewing by school aged children has a significant harmful effect on academic performance, especially reading (Canadian Pediatric Society, 1991).

As by the displacement theory which proposes that time spent like reading, it proposes that children who view television most heavily to seem to spend less time in activities that encourage cognitive development and in turn show the lowest achievement.

This study is significant to the teachers, parents and students . This study will help the teachers of the school to know the influence that mass media has on their students, saw as assist them to enlightened and create awareness to the students on the possible influence it has on them. The study is of significant to parents in the sense that they will no the possible effects these mass media usage has on their children, saw as to serve as watch- dog to their children on the usage of the  Mass media.

The study will able the students of  the high school level so that they will be aware that, a part from the social benefits of the mass media, using the mass media more than necessary will pose possible damage to their study it will be relevant in assisting students in understanding the diversity of mass media . It will provide relevance material for students and the other researchers undertaking similar research. The students will help research with make information  on the influence of mass media on academic performance of high school students.The mass media information presented accessibly ,nicely attracts the students and stimulates it intellectually and affectively and a convergent action school- mass – media focalized on the students can be extremely effective in the formation of necessary aptitudes in the modern society ,but it has to be extremely efficient in aptitude formation necessary to the modern society, because it has to be used correctly because family, school  and mass-media model behavior. Parents working together with teachers in education children the importance of the use of mass media will be very important because children will understand the benefits of using mass media in their academic and research. Parents should also take their time controlling children on which sites of mass media are suitable for them and also encouraging them to spend their time in reading books and social activities. The parents and teachers should inform the children that the programs are only for acting and not real life and drug abuse is not the best way.

Mass media addiction has led to many children spending a lot of their time in mass media. This exposes children to things they do not necessarily need to know and may not understand. Many children instead of investing time to their education. they spend it on mass media and drug abuse imitating the actor on programs and movies. It is important for parents, guardians and teacher to take their time to educate the children the benefits of mass media to their academic performance if well utilized and educate them which sites to visit that they can find educational materials instead of using it viewing sites that are not of nay benefit. They should also control children from watching some programs on TV because there are some that are for elderly only. Also children should be motivated to work hard by rewarding the best student as this will challenge others to spend most of their time in reading and researching thus making them improve performance in order to also be rewarded. Children should be encouraged to participate in social activities in school and also to take their time in group work and doing assignments as well as playing with others and also conversing with their family members about their day- day activities. Also parents should find a way to utilize technology in a manner that is more beneficial and less harmful to their children’s well being.