During my travels I have noticed that people in Europe (or
at least the places I’ve gone – around the UK and Belgium) show more public
displays of affection (PDA) compared to people in the States. I think that
relationships in the States are similar in their levels of happiness as
European relationships, so why is there more PDA in Europe?
Combing class discussion from the topics of Cultivation
Theory and Media Effects from Sexual Content, I came up with a possible answer.
Cultivation Theory suggests that the more media a person is exposed to, the
more they cultivate similar views of the world as shown to them on television.
Sexual content in media, whether on television, print ads, or online – ranges
from mildly suggestive to sexually explicit. Because new forms of media are
becoming more widely availed and used by younger viewers, there are social
concerns about the amount of sexual content shown.
As previous blogs have pointed out, ads and television
programs in the UK and Europe have more content that leans towards the sexually
explicit side of the scale than we are used to seeing in America. Personally, I
have noticed that magazine covers in the UK are more revealing than covers in
the US.
In London last weekend, I was handed a tabloid before I went
into the tube station. I noticed that most people on the train were reading
tabloids, so I started reading the one I was handed. After turning the first
page, I saw an advertisement that was sexually explicit. I immediately closed
the tabloid and threw it away when I got off the train. I don’t remember the
name of the tabloid or what the specific advertisement was for, but I do
remember the sexually explicit image and how wrong I thought it was.
It would be extremely easy for any young person to pick up
one of the tabloid and be subjected to these sexually explicit images, and I’m
sure they do. Young people in Europe are constantly exposed to sexually
explicit images, which might cultivate them to show more PDA and act in
sexually explicit ways.
Although this is only a correlation (and not causation), I
think that there is some merit in these observations. I have wonder if young
people would be showing as many public displays of affections if they grew up
in the States, and were not consuming media with so much sexual content?
I definitely agree that exposure to sexual content in the media can have an effect on the behavior of those who are exposed. Over here in the UK, advertisements, TV programs, newspapers, and other forms of media are all relatively more provocative than we are used to seeing back home. With all the exposure, people in the UK can become desensitized to it, and may begin to think that the sexualized themes portrayed in the media actually play out in real life. I think this can definitely altar people's perception of society and their behavior, namely causing more public displays of affection. Our perception of this media, however, comes as more of a culture shock because we are not accustomed to the kind of sexually explicit material that is featured in British media. I think the fact that we are all taken by surprise at the level of PDA speaks for itself in answering your question. If individuals from the UK grew up in the States where sexually explicit material is not so readily available, they would probably be shocked by the PDA in their culture as well.
ReplyDeleteAshlyn -- I completely agree with your conclusion that cultivation from the media directly correlates with our opinions and reactions to PDA. I too don't want to say it's a causation because I have no proof, but it definitely influences us. How can it not? Over the past several generations, media has been thrown at the public in all forums from radio to television to advertisements to Twitter. It would be virtually impossible for us not to absorb and learn from at least some of this information, especially when the majority of media bolsters similar ideas of how society should be, such as limited PDA and sexualized material. We've made the joke in class more than once before that Americans are so conservative because of our Puritan roots, but I definitely think the joke could ring some truth. Even those first evangelists put out messages to their congregations on how they thought society should behave, which began to form the values and ideals for future Americans. More than once I have been walking through a train station or even the Metro in Paris and ran into couple who dropped out of their stuff on the ground and began making out in the middle of everything. Personally I think it's pretty inconsiderate to have no disregard for the others simply trying to get around you, let alone have to watch your PDA, but perhaps if I grew up here too I'd be more accepting.
ReplyDeleteI think there is some serious merit to your observations. Even just in my time here, I've slowly (very slowly) stopped being shocked and/or grossed out when I see the random couple on the street making out or the overtly sexual ad in the Tube station. Constant exposure to something definitely desensitizes us to it. Sara pointed out in her post that some of the more subtle sexual references in ads may just go over kids' heads. I think its becoming clear, based on all of our reactions, that Americans may overact just a little when it comes to things like PDA and sexual content in ads. Maybe young people in Europe are more likely to show PDA or to act in sexually explicit ways, or maybe they just mature a little bit more quickly than we do.
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