MEDIA EFFECTS IN TANZANIA

HERE ARE 4 ANTI-SOCIAL MEDIA EFFECTS IN TANZANIA

This work is going to explore the antisocial media effects, the effects that promote the emergence and expansion of antisocial behaviors in the society. While drawing examples from Tanzania, this work is going to deal with two studies on antisocial effects: “The Role of Media Violence in Violent Behavior” by Huesmann1& Taylor2 (2006) and “Effects of Viewing Drama on Egyptian and American Youths’ Perceptions of Family” by Auter (2010):

1.The violent mass media contents make people aggressive in nature and so they become tempted to turn the violence they saw into real violent in the real world. This is because of the nature of a human being to imitate the mass media as they believe that everything shown is true and is how it should be everywhere. This argument arises from the theory of SOCIAL CULTIVATION THEORY which the researchers, Huesmann1 and Taylor2 (2006) used to draw the conclusion that the society tends to imitate the mass media even than how the mass media imitates it. In their studies, they found that it is undoubtedly real that the violent contents of media bring about both short-living and long-lasting effects on the behaviors of the audiences. This is true because when you consider this in the Tanzanian environments, the children who are exposed to violent games like GTA Vice City, violent Movieslike WWE champions and the like are so violent as compared to those who are not so exposed. However, researches have to be done on this! For instance, Huesmann1& Taylor2 (2006 pp. 409) said,

“Media violence poses a threat to public health inasmuch as it leads to an increase in real-world violence and aggression. Research clearly shows that fictional television and film violence contribute to an increase in aggression and violence both in the short term and across the life span. Television news violence also contributes to increased violence, principally in the form of imitative suicides and acts of aggression”

2.It is also more likely that bad acts like murders may increase in the society because of people being over-exposed to the violent media contents. This is true because most people use to think and believe that whatever the media content is true and should be imitated as soon as possible. Though some people, especially the theorists of the Scientific Errors of mass Communication Theory deny this, still this argument is so relevant to so many people because most of them are not media literates. In Tanzania, there have been crimes of using bombs, guns and acids to murder people, especially in Zanzibar and Arusha in few days past, which may probably be associated with violent movies, games and news reporting which talk and show the same acts all the time. The findings of this study by Huesmann1& Taylor2 (2006 pp.409) also claim that to be true as people tend to copy the televisions and movies mostly and try to apply what they have viewed in the real world. So, if what have been viewed are killings, violence or other such actions, then such antisocial behaviors are very possible to increase. Such study for example claimed,

“The relationship between media violence and real-world violence and aggression is moderated by the nature of the media content and characteristics of and social influences on the individual exposed to that content. Still, the average overall size of the effect is large enough to place it in the category of known threats to public”.

3.The dressing and hair styles can be changed into negative ways by the over-exposure to the contents of television and movies which are oriented on the dressing and hair styles. We have to agree that the dressing style of the Mang'ati people may be annoyance and immorality to the Sukuma people and vice versa. This is due to the undeniable fact that dressing codes differ from one people to another people and so the hair dressing and shaving styles. Because the Tanzanians are more exposed to the television programs and movies from western nations, it is more likely that these people may copy the dressing styles, hair cutting styles and the like. As aforementioned, it is not necessary that all the dressing codes of west may be appreciated in Tanzania because we have our own standards. For example, sagging, miniskirts, bikinis and shot blouses and dresses are associated with antisocial behaviors copied by the Tanzanians, especially the young generation from movies, like Telenovela and Soap Operas and TV programs including Fashion Shows. This is from the findings of Auter (2010 pp. 26) when he studied the effects of media both in Egypt and America basing on the Brazilian Soap Operas and Telenovelas. His study claimed,

“….Telenovela and Soap Opera change peoples` dressing styles in both Egypt and America. However, the effects seem to be fewer in Egypt, probably because of deep-rooted cultural values in Middle East…People would like to wear like a certain movie star because to him or her, that star must be looking good because he acts good….”

4.People in Tanzania have also been changed behaviors related to marriage and love affairs in the extent that researches have to be conducted on the same issues. People are so tempted to go to bed before the marriages, to go to bed with the people of same sex, to have western styles of sex like, sodomy, oral sex, French-kiss and the like. Also people are tempted to marry through modern ceremonies like Kitchen-Parts, send-offs and weddings. All these stuffs are not so acceptable in our society because they are not the part and parcel of our customs and traditions. They are originally copied from erotic movies, Telenovelas, Soap Operas and other romantic kinds of movies. This Argument arises from the findings of the study on the media Effects by Auter (2010), whereby that study concluded that almost all the marriages and love engagements are reflecting the Brazilian Telenovela and Soap Operas in America mostly. The same study added that in Egypt these effects are not yet far reaching because of the Islamic culture that is strong enough to resist some of these movies and television programs. This study by Auter (2010 pp. 26) claims,

“The marriage and love affairs in America and slightly in Egypt are rampantly changing into those shown in the Telenovelas and Soap Opera scenes. People are copying everything, including, the way to talk to a lover, to marry and to date a man or a woman…..”

To conclude this work, it can be said that if the writer of this work were in a position to give order to the world, she would tell all the media practitioners to stop producing contents which may affect the societies negatively especially on the matters related to potential customs and traditions. But because that is impossible, then she is only proposing that all people should be made media literates. This means that people should be made aware on the all important issues related to the mass media contents because these effects are very dangerous and long lasting to them and their societies in general.