BANGLADESH UNIVERSITY OF PROFESSIONALS

Assignment on

Topic: Individual’s Behavior and dependency on media

Course: IR 2315 – Media and International Relations

Submitted to
Zerine Tanzim
Assistant Professor
Department of International Relations
Faculty of Security and Strategic Studies
Submitted by
Naoshin Tasnim Rishti
Roll: 2141921023
Section: A
BIR-21
Department of International Relations
Faculty of Security and Strategic Studies

Date of Submission: 30th October, 2022

Question:
What impact does the media have on individual's behavior and how does it
influence their dependency on the media?

Answer:

In this era of technological advancement, the media as technologies have dramatically affected
human behavior and have easily drawn a connection between the virtual world and the real
world. Digital technologies are not only the daily tools of communication, information, and
entertainment for people but have become omnipresent and an integral part of people’s lives. In
today’s digital world, the media can give us ideas, inspire us to do certain things, and drive us to
initiate what we see.

The media are considered the catalyst of change and development and are expected to accelerate
the process of social welfare and empowerment for all. The process of communication has
created an informed citizenry. Playing the role of gatekeeper, the media has also contributed to
people’s empowerment, the diffusion of innovations, and the ideology of progress and
modernity.

Everyone is affected by the media who has access to the media, irrespective of age, gender, race,
and religion. The media controls society, and the ones behind the media are the artists and
designers who create a virtual world to be totally relatable with the real world. Their purpose is
to establish a link between the real world and the virtual world where people can tend to take the
media content as an integral part of their lives, considering it a reality. The media is thus both
positive and negative and is capable of changing human behavior, lifestyle, and moral thoughts
and consequences. Media is considered to be an ever changing development with whom the
generations change as well.

Media
Media refers to the communication channels through which we disseminate news, music,
movies, education, promotional messages, and other data. It includes physical and online
newspapers and magazines, television, radio, billboards, telephones, the Internet, faxes, and
billboards.
Different types of Media
The media can be broken down into two main categories: broadcast and print. The Internet has
also emerged as a major player, as a rapidly-growing number of people globally get their news,
movies, etc. online.

Print media includes all types of publications, including newspapers, journals, magazines, books,
and reports. It is the oldest type, and despite suffering since the emergence of the Internet, is still
used by a major proportion of the population.

Broadcast media refers to radio and TV, which came onto the scene at the beginning and middle
of the 20th century, respectively. Most people still get their news from TV and radio broadcasts.
However, experts predict that it will not be long before online sources take over. Over the past
twenty years, cable news has grown in importance.
The Internet – specifically websites and blogs – is rapidly emerging as a viable and major
channel of communication as more and more people seek news, entertainment and educational
material online. The term "viable" in business means capable of generating profits for many
years.

The latest data suggests that internet users grew by 192 million over the past 12 months,
resulting in annual growth of just 4.0 percent in 2021. Virtually every part of the Internet has
become a medium of communication; most free email services have little boxes that display ads
and other messages.

The 21st century has seen the emergence of social media, another form of new media. Social
media platforms allow users to have conversations, share information, and create web content.
There are many forms of social media, including blogs, micro-blogs, wikis, social networking
sites, photo-sharing sites, instant messaging, video-sharing sites, podcasts, widgets, virtual
worlds, and more. There are more than 4.5 billion social media users around the world. The
largest social media networks include Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, and TikTok.
Media’s impact on an individual’s behavior
The International Journal of Indian Psychology published a paper in 2019 titled "Effect of media
on human behavior" where they designed a study to carry out a survey to ascertain the change in
behavior of people as a consequence of the impact of the media. The type of the report was
qualitative, i.e., using questionnaires. This design has been selected because this study focuses on
measuring the behavior of individuals and analyzing the effects of media on them. Human
behavior is highly unpredictable and varies a lot. Thus, it cannot be mathematically calculated.

Fig: The number of subjects whose behavior changes according to the time spend on media.
Total 60 subjects were taken into consideration while conducting this research. According to this
table, when the 17 subjects spend less than 2 hours on media, 10 subjects out of these have no
change in their behavior. While 2 subjects have very low change, 5 subjects have moderate
change and very high change is not experienced by any subject. Similarly, when the 31 subjects
spend 2 to 4 hours on media, 9 subjects out of these have no change in their behavior.
While 7 subjects have very low change, 14 subjects have moderate change and very high change
is experienced by only one subject. Similarly, when the 9 subjects spend 4 to 8 hours on
media, 2 subjects out of these have no change in their behavior. While 2 subjects have
very low change, 5 subjects have moderate change and very high change is not experienced
by any subject. Similarly, when the other 3 subjects spend more than 8 hours on media, 1
subject out of these has no change in his behavior. While the other 2 subjects experience very
high change in their behavior. The overall change in the behavior caused by media, however
high or low, is experienced by 38 (11+24+03) subjects out of the total 60 subjects, i.e. 63.33%.
But less subjects are moderately or highly affected by media, i.e. 27 (24+3) out of 60 and
less number of subjects access media for long durations, i.e. 12 (9+3) out of 60.

Impact of media in shaping public opinion:

Public opinion is nothing but an amalgamation of opinions, views, beliefs, and attitudes of
individuals which can be on a particular subject matter, voiced by a comparatively significant
segment of the society.

Human nature is such that it makes them eager to know about their surroundings, the tendency of
being informed, such an atypical nature makes them prone to relying upon and getting influenced
by the information that they receive without critically thinking about the authenticity of the
information. It can be observed that sometimes the information providers not only tell the bare
information but also state their opinion along with it. Mass Media including news channels,
internet (social media), newspapers, etc. have the power of changing people's perspectives on an
issue in hand. All such instances combined help in the formation of public opinion, depending on
the authenticity of the news and how the people wish to interpret it.

Mass media works as a medium between the government and the public. Its function is to
provide the people with information for them to form an opinion based on the piece of
information.

The important role played by mass media in shaping opinion can be well understood by looking
at an example i.e. of China. The Chinese government has complete control over what is being
shown to its populace. From television to the internet, the government decides what its citizens
need to watch and what not to.

The Chinese people are not free to post according to their whims and fancies on the internet,
what is worse is that it is not even considered as an infringement of their right to speech. This
clearly shows how the government tries to curb the freedom of press and media from shaping
any kind of public opinion which goes against the government.
Public opinion is the first essential of democracy, and the role played by the media informing
this public opinion is immense thus the success of a democracy is very much based upon the
effectiveness of such self-regulation practices of media.

Impact of media on an individual’s behavior as per age:

Ages 6 to 11: The Curious Years

Most children between the ages of 6 and 11 are curious and desire to explore media. Their
inquisitive curiosity is what drives them to explore various media outlets such as television,
smartphones and various social media applications. This age group of children is just beginning
to use media, typically in the company of their parents and immediate family. However, this also
has some significant impact on their behavior. For example: Giving kids access to YouTube so
they can binge on cartoons and other kid-friendly video is a common way parents want to feed
their kids. When a child develops this habit, they will not eat if they are not provided anything to
watch on YouTube while their parents are trying to feed them.
Ages 12 to 17: Finding Themselves

Teens are seeking independence and trying to figure out who they really are. They describe
themselves as “sharing and connecting” (86% vs. an average of 82% among respondents aged 12
to 54) and to enjoy sharing their opinions.

Nowadays, media is a vital tool for teens. Whether it’s tiktok, youtube or any other social media,
they’re more likely to share all their experiences there. Now, this also affects their course of
behavior in a variety of ways. For example: to feel they cannot live without their phone and to
worry about not having access to the internet.

Moreover, their desire to always be “on” comes with a lot of pressure. Many believe it looks
good to have a lot of social media connections. They’re also more likely to find it embarrassing
to post something and not receive a lot of “likes” and to worry about online bullying.
Ages 18 to 24: Choosing a Path in Life

As they enter young adulthood, people aged 18 to 24 are focused on the future and conscious of
how others perceive them. They feel more pressure to be “the best” are more concerned about
what others think of them, and are more worried about making their parents proud.

Since moving on from their protected teen world, their networks have expanded. Most (91%)
have a social media account – and they’re the age group with the most social media connections.

These young adults are starting to question social media’s impact on their lives, however. Most
(60%) think they spend too much time on social media (an average of 49%), 57% wish they
could take a break from the internet and social media and 29% feel that social media has a
negative effect on their relationships.

Ages 25 to 34: Navigating Adulthood

Adults 25 to 34 came of age during social media’s rise and lived through its testing phase. As
they navigate adulthood, they’ve become more cautious social media users. They are accustomed
to sharing, rely on acknowledgement from others, and want to know what their peers are up to.
At the same time, they’re wary of oversharing which also have noticeable effects on their
behavior. Many worry that pictures or stories on social media could cause problems in the future.

Parents in this age range are careful about their children’s online usage as well, with 63% saying
that social media posts about their kids concern them (compared with 60% of parents 35 to 54).

Ages 35 to 54: Self-Assured

Adults aged 35 to 54 take a balanced approach to social media. They know who they are and
what they like. Most (90%) believe that their social media accounts reflect their true self.
Compared with younger users, they care less about validation and how others perceive them.

This group is less likely to say they share everything on social media (26% vs. an average of
37% among respondents aged 12 to 54), to think that having lots of connections makes them
look good and to feel embarrassed if they post something and don’t receive a lot of “likes”.

Parents in this age range have even more reason to be on social media – to connect with their
children. They’re more likely than those without children to have a social media account (86% of
parents, 82% of non-parents).

Individual’s Dependency on Media:

As individuals, we are dependent on the media in many different ways, which has a big impact
on how we behave every day. Let's take a closer look at two hypotheses that might be used to
evaluate this phenomenon and how much each of us depends on the media.

Technological Determinism Theory

Technological Determinism Theory, developed by Marshall McLuhan in 1962, states that

media technology shapes how we as individuals in a society think, behave, feel, act, and
how the functioning of the society as we move from one technological age to another
(Tribal-Literate-Print-Electronic-Social media). It further explains that through the current
technology that is available, individuals learn and feel and think the way we do because
of the messages they receive. People then move these developed senses into their everyday
lives and they want to use them again.

i. Technological Determinism theory frames three assumptions. Firstly, media instill every
act in society. Secondly, media shape perceptions and organize human experiences.
Thirdly, media link the world.
ii. According to this theory, the technology of mass media not only shapes attitudes and
behavior of people but also bring a revolution in the mode of operation of a social
system.
iii. The theory further proposes that functioning of a social fabric changes accordingly with
emergence of every new technology. Basic principle of media ecology theory is that man
survival on the globe is molded according to variations in the system of human
communications.
iv. According to McLuhan growth of technologies of mass communication ensure culture
diffusion in a society which in turn helps change human behavior. Here goes McLuhan
famous quote “We shape our tools and they in turn shape us” to fit in the discourse.
v. West and Turner have quoted McLuhan to have stated that “we have a symbolic
relationship with mediated technology, we create technology and technology in turn re-
creates who we are”. The historical perspective of the theory proposes that revolutions in
technology from time to time have brought corresponding changes in the societies.
Media dependency theory
There is another theory called ‘Media dependency theory’ which is a systematic approach to the
study of the effects of mass media on individuals, audiences and of their interactions between
media and social systems. It was introduced in outline by the American communications
researchers Sandra Ball-Rokeach and Melvin DeFleur in 1976.

i. According to this theory, there is an internal link between media, audience and large
social system. The audience learning from the real life is limited, so they can use media
to get more information to fulfil their needs. An extensive use of media generates
dependent relation in audience. Also Media can able to create dependence relationship
with target audiences to achieve their goals by using its media power.

ii. In general, the extent of the media’s influence is related to the degree of dependence of
individuals and social systems on the media. Two of the basic propositions put forward
by Ball-Rokeach and DeFleur are:
 (1) the greater the number of social functions performed for an audience by a medium
(e.g., informing the electorate, providing entertainment), the greater the audience’s
dependency on that medium, and

(2) the greater the instability of a society (e.g., in situations of social change and
conflict), the greater the audience’s dependency on the media and, therefore, the
greater the potential effects of the media on the audience.

iii. There are potentially three types of effects that result from an audience’s dependency on
the media: cognitive, affective, and behavioral. Cognitive effects are changes in an
audience’s attitudes, beliefs, and values, including changes brought about by the media in
its role in political “agenda setting.” Affective effects include, for example, the
development of feelings of fear and anxiety about living in certain neighborhoods as a
result of overexposure to news reports about violent events in such areas. An example of
a behavioral effect is “deactivation,” which occurs when individual members of an
audience refrain from taking certain actions that they would have taken had they not been
exposed to certain messages from the media. Not voting in political elections may be
such an effect.

iv. At the individual level, the theory of media dependency only weakly defines our
expectation of ‘reliance’ on mass media. In any political environment, uncertainty or
ambiguity tends to generate heightened anxiety among its constituents. Societies in
transition are particularly likely to generate a great deal of anxiety or stress for their
people. Evident in the theory is that citizens engage in purposive media use: rather than
simply generally higher levels of media use in countries in transition, individuals use
media as sources of information (or ‘reassurance’ – in times of heightened anxiety,
information often serves that purpose). Mass media would assuage worries through
providing information and attract an increased level of use. The media then has greater
power in structuring perceptions of reality.
Conclusion:
The world is witnessing only a hint of advancement in technology but still it has effectively
contributed to some of the spheres of human lives. The impact of the media on people's behavior
and our dependence on it in many ways has been significant.

Moreover, in various research, it is evident that media does have an impact on how people
behave. And as we predicted, time plays a significant role in influencing how the media affects a
person's behavior by altering those impacts. It is clear that the behavioral effects on a person are
greater the longer a person accesses the media.

Additionally, the media has an impact on people who realize it but lack the maturity to
distinguish between reality and the virtual world shown in the media. To decrease the impact of
the media, it is important to comprehend this distinction.