Chapter 3 - Mass Communication Effects

1. Do stereotypes exist in the media today? Explain and if yes, give examples - if no,explain why you believe they do not.

Stereotypes are everywhere in the media. In order for advertisers and television show writers to get their points across quickly in the small time they have, sometimes they use stereotypes to help the story along with out giving a huge background. There are hundreds of examples of stereotypes in the media, all you have to do is pick up a magazine, turn on the television, or search the internet. Here is a list of examples I found over the internet of common stereotypes:

Black people are on welfare

Mexicans are lazy
Asians are super smart
Irishmen are alcoholics
White people are racist
BYU students are self-righteous
U of U students all drink

Recently I've been watching a new TV show called The Big Bang Theory.  In it, there are various stereotypes.  You have penny, the blond girl who lives in the apartment across from sheldon and leonard, who is depicted as a gorgeous blond who is ditzy and falls for all the wrong guys.(a typical blond portrayal) Then you have sheldon and leonard who are exceptionally smart, but socially inept.  Together these stereotypes create a very entertaining show, but they are stereotypes none the less.

2. There is the possibility that people will be immersing themselves in the world of mass media to a point where they begin to tune out the real world. What might happen if people begin to overly distance themselves from the reality of the outside world? Are there examples of where this has already happened?

The example I thought of where someone has immersed themself so much in the mass media world, is when girls look at magazines, movie stars, and other types of media where women are depicted as skinny, beautiful, and perfect.  Girls all over the U.S. become anorexic or bulimic because of the pictures they see of prominent women in the media. They distance themselves from reality, and think that all girls are supposed to be that size, that weight, and that beautiful.  It can tear their self esteem apart, and create various health problems.  Reality is so distorted for them that when they do become too skinny, they still think they are fat.  Here are examples I found of skinny models in magazines, internet, etc. :