Mean World Syndrome
The Illness Caused From Literally Watching Too Much TV
Introduction and Definition
Portrait of George Gerbner
This Graph shows the amount of TV watched on Average
This Photo depicts how fear projected on TV can influence humans
Symptoms, Characteristics and Proposed Hypotheses of the Causes
-people will buy guns suddenly and/or they will defend themselves instantaneously
-they will vote for political parties and candidates who promise a lot of safety
-people suffering from this will exaggerate their fears and concerns
- Can also lead to other mental conditions such as anxiety and depression
Consider the Graph Below:
This Graph from Stats Canada shows a decreasing trend in crime over the past two decades(above)
Impact of Illness on an Individual's Life and on the Lives of Family Members
-people become fearful of the world they live in and will suffer from anxiety or paranoia
-people can also become normalized or desensitized to the violence around them which can also cause a mob mentality or a reluctance to act among the masses when a violent act occurs
-more people with the mean world syndrome(which means more people desensitized to violence) pushes movie-making companies to make even more violent movies just to wet the appetites of those who have become desensitized to the previous amounts of violence in the media
-causes individuals to be paranoid/scared of other humans, even those close to them such as their family members
-can compromise the safety of others around the people afflicted. This was seen when statisticians found that there was an increase in the amount of guns sold after the events of 9/11
A picture of the twin towers during the terrorist attacks of 9/11
A comic depicting how TV and the Media can desensitize humans to violence
This chart shows that the number of negative editorials in the news correlates to the number of members and followers of that news/media outlet
Support Systems and Community Programs Available for Treatment
On the other hand, because there is a clear link between the amount of media consumed and the amount of anxiety and fear an individual has, it is logical to assume that we can detoxify ourselves from the negativity in the media by simply limiting or shutting off our connection to bad news.
The Comic below shows how the media can consume our minds
Works Cited(APA Format)
Nancy Signorelli, 4-28-2014, George Gerbner American Journalist, Encyclopedia Britannica, Retrieved 2015-12-14
2015-12-14, Canada's Decline Rate: Two decades of decline, Statistics Canada. Retrieved 20-12-14
George Gerbner Archive, Retrieved 2015-12-14, from URL: http://web.asc.upenn.edu/gerbner/archive.aspx?sectionID=18