Question

Which of the following is not true about media and behavior?

a). Media influences people's behavior in conjunction with other factors.
b). Young children are more likely than adults to imitate what they see in the media.
c). The media is more likely to have a direct effect on people's behavior when the behavior in question is of little importance.
d). There is no data that supports that the media affects our behavior.

Answer 1

The following are not true/false, and here's why:

A: TRUE
Studies prove that the media affects behaviour in conjunction with other factors - ever seen your favourite actor in a certain outfit? Ever seen a viral trend on Youtube? People follow and adapt to these trends quickly.

B: TRUE
This question is actually subjective. It's true that the media does in fact influence young people more than adults, the media is more accessible and influential to young people who are growing up with it and the trends it brings along - adults don't watch the "Don't Judge Challenge" and decide to copy it with their friends, as most simply don't care about it as much as today's youth.

C: TRUE
It's general science and human nature that if the behaviour in question is of little importance, it'll be soon replicated. Your outfit is of little importance, yet the media has such an impact on it and your body image. Cancer and Ebola is important, yet they are sidelined topics in the general scope of things.

D: FALSE
This was an obvious one - there is constant and growing data to support that the media affects our behaviour, you can also create your own - viral videos and trends start with one person and influence the entire internet, if the media didn't affect our behaviour, WebMD would have no purpose, nor would Yahoo Answers, Brainly or Quora. Your behaviour is affected by the responses you receive.

Good luck with your homework!