An Interesting Experiment

I'm writing a final paper for another class (not media related) which required me to perform an interesting and ultimately insightful experiment.  The experiment required that I watch three hours of media and explore the types of messages the media suggests to adolescents about sexuality and sexual relationships.  Then, I was required to contemplate how these messages might influence adolescents in their development of sexual identities.  In conducting my own research, I was sure I would discover a commonality between the types of messages the media transmits and how adolescents develop their sexual identities.  Although I did come across commonalities, I was surprised at some of the messages the media transmits. 

When it came time to gain experience and collect my own research, I chose to analyze television shows as the specific forms of media.  I wanted to have a basis to compare the media on, so I chose to watch episodes of varying genres: two episodes of the drama, House and two episodes of the reality show, The Jersey Shore.

House is a program whose central character, Dr. Gregory House, is a sarcastic and complex medical genius.  Dr. House, along with his team of physicians whom he shows little respect, solves a variety of medical mysteries.  I chose to watch House because Dr. House displays numerous crude characteristics.  I believed any sexual references he made would be sexist and crass; I was interested to explore the types of messages he potentially transmitted.    The Jersey Shore is a reality program whose central characters are a group of rowdy and perhaps, irresponsible young adults.  The cast is not shy about their sexuality or sexual endeavors.  I chose this show because it was a “reality” program.  Therefore, it sparked an interest in terms of what the media offers audience members as the deemed social reality or cultural norm.  Based on my findings (and from what we've learned in SSP 327), I can argue with conviction that the media exposes its audience to numerous messages about sex and sexuality.  Instances of sexual behavior and verbal discussions about sexuality and sexual relationships surfaced in numbers.  What struck me as most interesting however, was that the genre of the show didn't make too profound a difference in requisite to the amount of sexuality expressed.    Also interesting to me, was the difference in the amount of sexuality expressed in terms of gender.  Although both males and females were open in their discussions about sex, it seemed the males really came across as sexually aggressive and suggestive in both of the shows I watched. In the past, media focused a lot on the woman who is time and again "swept away" by the idea of sex.  Now, it seems media is much more focused on the sexually aggressive male who, no matter how crass he acts, ends up with a woman in his bed at night.    I was also quite interested in the media's inability to take sex out of literally any aspect of life.  All of the episodes of House take place in their workplace, but sex emerges over and over again.  If television really is playing the role of a super peer in terms of sex education, media sex warrants considerable concern.  I urge you to run this sort of experiment yourself while you watch television.  I bet you'll come across some pretty surprising and interesting sexual messages in the media, and I wonder if you too will think media sex warrants considerable concern.