I heard a talk last month about marketing/media and the impact they have on young people. One thing that was really interesting was the way that marketing plays on people’s fears and drives and, given how much exposure we have to media, it can have a huge impact.
Apparently everyday the average high school student is exposed to:
-2000 ads
-10.5 hours of media/tech
-7 porn clips (and 40 x more women now then the last generation are viewing porn)
-2.5 hours of gaming (more and more antisocial gaming vs group gaming)
-150 texts sent/received (an average…I’m sure a lot of high schoolers are texting in the thousands of messages…)
The speaker talked about how, when we’re making decisions, we go back and forth between our prefrontal cortext (reason, critical thinking) and hippocampus (memories) in our brains. But, when we are frightened, we trigger the amygdala, which is the “fight or flight” part of the brain. We don’t have time to go to the other areas so this part of our brain helps us react to survive.
The problem is that it can’t discern between a real crisis and a fear being played on by media (like video games and porn). These things induce a fear cycle and, if we are constantly in and out of fear cycles, the amygdala can actually grow….
The speaker I was listening to was referring more to the way that this can be used to sell, but it seems to tie into what Philip Zimbardo was talking about as well.
Impressive speaker and video. This video stuff is very annoying as using the internet can be a minefield if one is interested in sport or humor which are two subjects that are laden with pop up and pop under windows. Zimbardo in a way tells us nothing we didn’t already know but details the clear statistical damage the arousal addiction ‘industry’ is causing.
Quite a researcher. Even gets into what he calls the ‘Lucifer Effect’. He does not accept the idea that people are intrinsically ‘good’ but asserts that people who are ‘normally’ ‘good’ can be ‘induced, seduced and initiated’ into performing irrational, self-destructive and evil acts. Though his work may seem to support much of Psychology and its’ determinism which is always looking for what ’caused’ someone to do so and so we see that Zimbardo shows that the decision to be involved in certain things is the significant point. Its not the big decision that leads to a horrible act it’s the little ones way back there that are often ignored, forgotten or excused that have ushered in the ‘big’ opportunity. Reminiscent of where you store up things that is where your life will be. (loose translation of Mt 6:21).
Who does not believe this, based on their own life experience? I do:
“He does not accept the idea that people are intrinsically ‘good’ but asserts that people who are ‘normally’ ‘good’ can be ‘induced, seduced and initiated’ into performing irrational, self-destructive and evil acts.”
This has been known for several years, but who wants to actually deal with it. Lawmakers not, because anything done will be seen as censorship. So we put at risk all people. The addicted who will eventually act in bad ways , maybe illegal ways. Children and women are at risk due to the very reasons this man reveals. Yet our downward spiraling moral culture refuses to hear there are right and wrongs, good and bads, and moral boundaries and principles.
Educators dangerously allow sexual perversion to be taught to children, media pushes sex in every way it can, advertising uses sex.
Parents – beware – but how many parents are using porn , so how can they have any authority.
Who claims they have the most important role over kids nowdays – educators – the very people who refuse to clean up their teaching and influence.
I can attest first hand on the porn front…its a terrible, terrible industry that is harmful to everyone who engages it – producers, actors, consumers, etc.
by 
Oh porn. The damage it causes. And the way we fail to recognize this damage. Sigh.
I heard a talk last month about marketing/media and the impact they have on young people. One thing that was really interesting was the way that marketing plays on people’s fears and drives and, given how much exposure we have to media, it can have a huge impact.
Apparently everyday the average high school student is exposed to:
-2000 ads
-10.5 hours of media/tech
-7 porn clips (and 40 x more women now then the last generation are viewing porn)
-2.5 hours of gaming (more and more antisocial gaming vs group gaming)
-150 texts sent/received (an average…I’m sure a lot of high schoolers are texting in the thousands of messages…)
The speaker talked about how, when we’re making decisions, we go back and forth between our prefrontal cortext (reason, critical thinking) and hippocampus (memories) in our brains. But, when we are frightened, we trigger the amygdala, which is the “fight or flight” part of the brain. We don’t have time to go to the other areas so this part of our brain helps us react to survive.
The problem is that it can’t discern between a real crisis and a fear being played on by media (like video games and porn). These things induce a fear cycle and, if we are constantly in and out of fear cycles, the amygdala can actually grow….
The speaker I was listening to was referring more to the way that this can be used to sell, but it seems to tie into what Philip Zimbardo was talking about as well.
Impressive speaker and video. This video stuff is very annoying as using the internet can be a minefield if one is interested in sport or humor which are two subjects that are laden with pop up and pop under windows. Zimbardo in a way tells us nothing we didn’t already know but details the clear statistical damage the arousal addiction ‘industry’ is causing.
Quite a researcher. Even gets into what he calls the ‘Lucifer Effect’. He does not accept the idea that people are intrinsically ‘good’ but asserts that people who are ‘normally’ ‘good’ can be ‘induced, seduced and initiated’ into performing irrational, self-destructive and evil acts. Though his work may seem to support much of Psychology and its’ determinism which is always looking for what ’caused’ someone to do so and so we see that Zimbardo shows that the decision to be involved in certain things is the significant point. Its not the big decision that leads to a horrible act it’s the little ones way back there that are often ignored, forgotten or excused that have ushered in the ‘big’ opportunity. Reminiscent of where you store up things that is where your life will be. (loose translation of Mt 6:21).
Hi David,
That’s really interesting. Thanks for pointing out that research. I think I may go dig a little deeper!
Rebecca, interesting. I have heard it said we live in an anxious age. I believe this to be true.
Who does not believe this, based on their own life experience? I do:
“He does not accept the idea that people are intrinsically ‘good’ but asserts that people who are ‘normally’ ‘good’ can be ‘induced, seduced and initiated’ into performing irrational, self-destructive and evil acts.”
This has been known for several years, but who wants to actually deal with it. Lawmakers not, because anything done will be seen as censorship. So we put at risk all people. The addicted who will eventually act in bad ways , maybe illegal ways. Children and women are at risk due to the very reasons this man reveals. Yet our downward spiraling moral culture refuses to hear there are right and wrongs, good and bads, and moral boundaries and principles.
Educators dangerously allow sexual perversion to be taught to children, media pushes sex in every way it can, advertising uses sex.
Parents – beware – but how many parents are using porn , so how can they have any authority.
Who claims they have the most important role over kids nowdays – educators – the very people who refuse to clean up their teaching and influence.
I can attest first hand on the porn front…its a terrible, terrible industry that is harmful to everyone who engages it – producers, actors, consumers, etc.