Page 28 - Pure Life 11

Modern Media and Changing the Functions of Family /27

Under these circumstances, media must take an
approach so that while it preserves values and traditions of
the past, it also pays attention to massive changes that are
happening in the modern world.

4. Media and Domestic Violence
Media exert influence on family members and family relations
in various forms. Different radio or TV programs can promote
certain behavioral patterns in the form of movies, TV series or
radio programs. These behavioral patterns are internalized in
individuals from early childhood, and will create a certain
mentality toward husband and wife relationships.
Nowadays we can consider domestic violence from the
viewpoint of child harassment and violence in couples’
relationships. The latter form of violence can be approached in
two ways: Violence against men and violence against women.
However, the dominant form is violence against women that is
a man using violence against women is higher in quantity than
the other way round. Since this form of violence happens in the
family environment and is rarely publicized, the current
statistics cannot be a true indicator of its properties.
In fact, media can discreetly form certain cultural
clichés and mindsets in a person’s mind. This clichéd
form can be a form of authority or dominance of men over
women or an unhealthy relationship of men with children.
When being male is introduced as a the cause of
dominance and superiority over other members of the
family in a TV program, when rightful requests of family
members are blatantly disregarded, or when the response of
men or women are depicted as a form of aggression, then
domestic violence is advertised and propagated in media.