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Sexuality in the Media: A Powerful Influence & An Educational Tool

Sexuality in the Media: A Powerful Influence & An Educational Tool. JOMC 140 April 1, 2004 Erika Barrera, Courtney Harris, Erin James, Jennie Kuhn, Antonio Tucker and Sara White. Introduction. Sex is prevalent in today’s media. Recent studies Responsible sexual behavior?

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Sexuality in the Media: A Powerful Influence & An Educational Tool

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  1. Sexuality in the Media:A Powerful Influence & An Educational Tool JOMC 140 April 1, 2004 Erika Barrera, Courtney Harris, Erin James, Jennie Kuhn, Antonio Tucker and Sara White

  2. Introduction • Sex is prevalent in today’s media. • Recent studies • Responsible sexual behavior? • Media as an educational tool

  3. Perceptions of Sexuality in the Media • Primary source of sexual education • Differing views of sexual media • Violence vs. sexual material • Viewers believe sexual materials “contribute to sexual promiscuity, loss of respect for women and increases in acts of sexual violence”(Gunter) • Definition of a “proper family”

  4. Media Sex: Degrading to Women and Misleading to Men • Social construction of reality • Women: subordinate, domestic, highly sexual beings (“sex objects”) • Sexually demanding men • Perpetuation and imitation of inappropriate behaviors • Men are mislead?

  5. Youth and the Media • Socialization process • Cultivation Theory • Social Learning Theory • Effects on youth

  6. The Media and Sexually Deviant Behavior • Original thoughts about sex • Media’s role in sexually deviant behavior • Point of Contention

  7. Controls on Sexual Content in Television Programming • Television ratings and content lettering • V-chip • FCC fines • Late time slots

  8. Our Study • Purpose: To determine if perceptions of sex and the media vary when exposed to different forms of sexuality on TV. • The O.C. vs. Talk Sex with Sue • 26 participants in two research groups; 11 viewed a clip from The O.C. and 15 viewed a clip from Talk Sex with Sue. • Participants filled out a questionnaire about media usage, perceptions of the clip viewed and sexuality. • Results were analyzed.

  9. Clips • The O.C. • Talk Sex with Sue

  10. O.C. vs. Talk Sex with Sue • Survey Question: “TV portrays reality as it really is.” • Result: More viewers of The O.C. clip were in agreement with this statement than viewers of the Talk Sex with Sue clip. • Explanation:The O.C. is a drama series with characters that act out real-life situations. Talk Sex with Sue is a help line.

  11. O.C. vs. Talk Sex with Sue • Survey Question: “I believe that it is very important to use birth control and STD protection when engaging in premarital sexual activities.” • Result: More viewers of the Talk Sex with Sue clip were in agreement with this statement than viewers of The O.C. clip. • Explanation: Sue is a sex educator and addresses issues of safe sex. • Public Policy Implications

  12. O.C. vs. Talk Sex with Sue • Survey Question: “What percentage of college students do you think is sexually active?” • Result:The O.C. clip viewers believed an average of 80% of college students are sexually active as compared to the Talk Sex with Sue clip viewers average response of 65%. • Explanation:The O.C. contains college-aged characters who are engaging in sexual activities during the show. Talk Sex with Sue is simply providing sexual education to callers.

  13. Heavy TV Viewers vs. Light TV Viewers • Survey Question: “In general, I find that a large amount of TV shows feature sexual content.” • Result: Heavy viewers were in agreement with this statement more than light viewers. • Explanation: This positive correlation exhibits the cultivation theory defined as “long-term exposure to media content that will shape our view of the world.” (Gerbner, 1967)

  14. Heavy TV Viewers vs. Light TV Viewers • Survey Question: “TV portrays reality as it really is.” • Result: Heavy viewers were in agreement with this statement more than light viewers. • Explanation: This positive correlation also exhibits the cultivation theory. • Public Policy Implications

  15. Heavy TV Viewers vs. Light TV Viewers • Survey Question: “I believe that a premarital couple can have a meaningful relationship without being sexually active.” • Result: Light viewers were in agreement with this statement more than heavy viewers. • Explanation: This negative correlation shows the powerful influence TV has on viewers’ opinions of sex. Sexual activity is presented as the norm in most media. • Public Policy Implications

  16. Heavy TV Viewers vs. Light TV Viewers • Survey Question: “I believe that it is very important to use birth control and STD protection when engaging in premarital sexual activities.” • Result: Light viewers were in agreement with this statement more than heavy viewers. • Explanation: This negative correlation shows the powerful influence TV has on viewers’ opinions of sex. The media has a tendency to portray characters involved in irresponsible sexual behavior. • Public Policy Implications

  17. Heavy TV Viewers vs. Light TV Viewers • Survey Question: “What percentage of college students do you think is sexually active?” • Result:. Heavy viewers believed that a higher percentage of college students is sexually active as compared to light viewers. • Explanation: This positive correlation exhibits the cultivation theory. • Public Policy Implications

  18. Conclusion • Review of major issues • Television is a key tool for sexual education • Policy implications without hindering artistic license * Public service announcements * Clearer, more defined rating and lettering system * V-chip instructions

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