The Effects of the Media on Underage Alcohol Abuse It is a major aspect of our culture and many others, being used in religious ceremonies, for celebration, and during common socialization, its presence is seen everywhere. ?It? is alcohol. Alcohol is the broad term that society gives to such drinks as wine, beer, and hard liquor because it contains ethyl alcohol. Despite the fact that in the past century alone, alcohol has been denounced, accepted, and outlawed, we still see alcohol everywhere in magazines, television, billboards, and The effects of alcohol are numerous and reach a widespread of people in the following ways: drunk driving accidents, fetal alcohol syndrome, liver disease, and increased risk of sexually transmitted diseases. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, also called the NIAAA, state in their article called ?Alcohol Alert? that, ?Alcohol contributes to 100,000 deaths annually, making it the third leading cause of preventable casualty? (2).
In addition, Gary Hopkins, MD, director of The Center for Adolescent Behavior Research at Andrews University, found that 41% of all traffic fatalities, the leading cause of accidental death, are alcohol-related (n.p.).
Alcohol is a significant problem in today?s society, it isn?t limited to any particular age group, but one age group of great concern is those that are under twenty-one years. The Century Council is a group started in 1991 to fight underage drinking and alcohol abuse. According to ?Fighting Alcohol Abuse,? the Century Council?s website, ?most young people do not drink illegally, the number who do is high enough to make underage drinking a serious safety and health concern?(n.p.).
The Essay on Drug And Alcohol Abuse
If I were an advisor to the Governor of Missouri, the issue I would encourage him to address is the manufacture of drugs and the use of drugs and alcohol throughout our state. The advice I would give him is to impose stiffer penalties for those who manufacture drugs and focus on prevention, and, most importantly, rehabilitation, of those who abuse alcohol or drugs. According to the Missouri ...
The Century Council continues with sixth graders in saying, ?one in fourteen sixth graders drink monthly?(n.p.).
They go on to talk about eighth graders and thier drinking habits. ?One in four eighth graders have drank in the last month, one in six have reported ?binge drinking,? and one in ten got drunk while drinking?(n.p.).
Binge drinking is drinking heavily in a short amount of time and can result in alcohol poisining sometimes resulting in death. If that is shocking, maybe the statistic that ?one in two high school seniors drink on a monthly basis?(n.p.).
These statistics again prove a serious problem, but what is the root? In a society where children are able to identify more brands of beer than American Presidents, there is a definite problem. The root to the dangerous mix of alcholol and today?s youth is the media. The increase in underage alcohol consumption is a direct and indirect result of the media?s influence in children and teenagers. The same study by the NIAAA showed that when a group of nine to eleven year olds were asked what Tony the Tiger said when he appears on television advertisements, then asked what those talking frogs, spokescritters for Budweiser, said, they were able to respond to the latter much faster (1).
Clearly, these ads are leaving an impression on young minds. These advertisements are targeting teenagers heavily during prime-time television and during A large portion of a television program is its commercials. Commercials praise this soft drink because it is richer, that brand of potato chips because they are crispier, and those khakis because people can line-dance in them. The commercials are colorful and loud, featuring the ?beautiful people:? models, rock stars, athletes, actors, and actresses that society have come to make their role models. Every company is spending millions of dollars to get the most renowned characters, people, cartoons, or animals to appeal so that we will buy their products. These are the same targeting tactics used in alcohol advertisements as well. Statistics from P.A. Madden and J.W. Grube?s research ?Frequency and Nature of Alcohol and Tobacco Advertisements on Television Sports? from the American Journal of Public Health says that the beer brewing industry spends six million dollars each year on television and radio advertisements. As well, they spend ninety million dollars a year on print advertisements (298).
The Essay on Are Advertisements Aimed At Teenagers Effective?
Write your thesis statement about the Effectiveness of Advertising in the space provided below. Include previous sections into this document before submitting this Research Graphic Organizer. Choose a topic: Technology; Sports Equipment; Clothing; Food Questions to research: Are advertisements aimed at teenagers effective? And, are they ethical? My Response: Advertisements aimed at teenagers are ...
Aside from that, they get less obvious advertisements. When watching a movie, people drink a certain soda, eat at certain fast food restaurants, and wear a particular brand of clothing to try to sway the public to buy the same things. When looking at exactly whom the television and movie industry is targeting, consider the audience that is watching. Television shows such as Dawson?s Creek and Beverly Hills 90210 are aimed primarily at teenagers. Many times they urge abstinence of habit-forming substances to teenagers. However, once these shows stop for commercials, those same teenagers are drowned with advertisements for Budweiser and numerous other drinks. The National Post tells us in their article entitled ?Alcohol Companies Find Underage Market, ?that MTV has been causing quite a controversy because of its part in advertising to the underage. In one week, it was found that over 27 commercials for different beer companies were aired between 7:30 p.m. and 10:00 p.m. More than 50 percent of the viewers that watch during this time are underage? (n.p.).
The hours of seven and eleven are prime-time for teenagers to watch television, and it also seems prime-time for targeted advertisements.
Hopkins goes on to tell us in his research that the average youth will have watched 22,000 hours of television and include about 350,000 commercials by the time they are eighteen years old. This goes back to the basic principle of advertising; it sells products (n.p.).
Teenagers get used to seeing these suggestions in front of them day after day and eventually it will make them want to see what they are missing and attempt in becoming more adult-like. If teenagers get accustomed to alcohol now, they most certainly will continue to use it when they get older. Hopkins says that they are four times more likely to become alcoholics as well (n.p.).
The Essay on Alcohol Teenagers In Society
Teenagers in society Alcohol Alcohol Teenagers in society today have a different outlook on life. They mature at a faster rate then we realize. Many teens start experimenting with alcohol at the young age of thirteen and fourteen (Alcohol and teen drinking Aug 21, 2000). Some start even earlier if they have parents that drink or an older sibling that abuses alcohol. It is known as the cool thing ...
But if these companies can recruit the children now, they can secure that they will have them as future consumers. Not only are alcohol advertisements targeted to sell products to the underaged, they also show the use of these products in situations that are potentially dangerous. The NIAAA says of beer commercials surveyed, one-third of them involve drinking alongside driving or water activities such as boating, swimming, or playing on the beach (n.p.).
These commercials link drinking with sociability by showing pretty and famous people having fun drinking. It portrays that when one is at the beach they must have alcohol to have fun during these activities, but does not show the dangers. They demonstrate how the rich, sophisticated people drinking expensive wine to celebrate just being alive. After a hard day at work, they exhibit how the average guy sits down to relax with a beer. These commercials link drinking with sociability, elegance, physical attractiveness, success, romance, and adventure. One key factor to all of this is that, sadly enough, it does not stop at television. Madden and Grube, the authors most well-known for their comparisons with advertisements of tobacco and alcohol in sports, say that most popular place for alcohol advertisements is during and around sporting events. Throughout stadiums there are thousands of people cheering with a beer in one hand, and entire walls are covered with signs and banners that are devoted to specific brands of beer. The proud makers of one beer company are sponsoring the game while another company of alcohol is sponsoring the scoreboard. In the Superbowl, we can watch two different kind of beer having their own ?war? with their own variation of football in the ?Bud Bowl.? Some might say that these games wouldn?t be if it weren?t for these companies, but Dr. Gary Hopkins suggests that in all realization, alcoholic commercials only constitute for seven percent of advertisements in sports programming (n.p.).
The Essay on Alcohol Among Our Teenagers
This is a letter i wrote last christmas when i was bored addressed to the editor of a local newspaper in The Bahamas, where i live. Hope you enjoy. Dear Editor and my fellow Bahamian public, I am disturbed, disgruntled and shocked at the magnitude of carelessness that the public shows for the well-being and security of our youth. Recently, I was invited with a few friends to join them to celebrate ...
Another statistic from the NIAAA proves that these imbedded messages appear at a rate of over three per hour in major sports such as baseball, football, hockey, and basketball (2).
Thousands of teenagers watch sports on television every week with one targeted advertisement after another. Eventually, all of these advertisements are going to peak the teenagers interest. In today?s modern world, we can?t forget the Internet when we discuss the broad term ?media.? The following was found on on a media awareness website called ?Alcoholic Companies Find Underage Market? that is sponsored by the Media Awareness Network: A 1998 study by a Washington advocacy group says that alcohol marketers are increasingly trying to attract underage drinkers through trendy online advertising. Conducted by the Center for Media Education (CME), the three month project found 46 Web sites – almost twice the number cited in 1997 – that used similar marketing tactics to appeal to Alcohol web sites were reported to feature animation, motion video, contests, and slang geared towards young people. Two talking frogs have also become popular characters on Budweiser’s site. The study also showed Beer and liquor companies were found more likely to target young people than wine makers. The study also showed that only 44 percent of the 77 Web sites it surveyed posted age disclaimers warnings tostop underage consumers from entering (n.p.).
By telling someone under the age of twenty-one that they cannot enter a website, the company is enticing them to rebel and go where they shouldn?t. The NIAAA says that by age sixteen, teenagers list alcohol as their most favorite advertisements (3).
Quite honestly, who doesn?t like frogs that make funny jokes and can joke? The answer to this question is for the same reason that people are interested in children wrestling in soda commercials, and hip dance steps in GAP khakis. To help demostrate, I have included four advertisements from magazines, directed mostly towards teenagers, with my essay The first advertisement, for Captain Morgan?s Original Spiced Rum, shows a group of attractive young adults on a beach having a good time. These are things that might appeal to am underage audience. The people in the advertisement are on the beach having a good time, but this could be a potentially dangerous situation telling young people that it is fine to be by the water, swimming, or boating when drinking. Another major issue with this advertisement is the character that portrays ?Captain Morgan,? he?s a cartoon. Cartoons have a natural way of attracting young audiences for three reasons: they can relate to them, they are non-threatening, and they are easily The second advertisement, for Hennessy Cognac, shows an attractive young couple. It sends the message, ?in order to have a special romantic time, alcohol might need to be involved.? The words ?very special? are clearly printed in the advertisement suggesting special times can be obtained with the right people and this alcoholic beverage.
The Term Paper on How Are Drugs and Alcohol Affecting the Teenagers?
How are drugs and alcohol affecting the Teenagers? Recently drugs and alcohol have become a growing trend in teenagers. Teenagers are not fully taking in consideration the long term effects of their actions. These days drugs are being glamourized and promoted in movies, books, advertisements, shows etc. As a result drug and alcohol consumption has become very popular amongst adolescents. Being ...
The male in the picture is looking at the female in a seductive manner. An underage drinker might think that alcohol will increase their chances of getting a significant other from seeing advertisements like this. The third example that I have included shows a nearly exposed young woman that has just landed from parachuting. Once again recreational activity and alcohol is a dangerous mixture and teenagers may not realize this. Another major pitfall to youth on this advertisement for Kahlua, is that not only does it show these aspects, but it also gives a recipe for how to make a specific mixed drink from the drink. After the recipe the words, ? then join the party,? appear suggesting entertainment with alcohol. The last advertisement that I have included is for Miller Genuine Draft. This advertisement shows this company sponsoring prominent bands from all over the world and that youth should come out and join the fun. Underaged people might be influenced to think that in order to be cool and to be like the people that they idolize, they have to drink. What a poor message to send to teenagers. Some might say that there is not a problem with advertisements.
Parents are constantly witnessing thier teenager ripping out advertisements that are colorful, beautiful, and/or fun. There is not a problem with the advertisements being fun, but sometimes parents do not pay attention to what advertisement is going to be displayed. All to often they are alcohol advertisements, just like those above, giving bad impressions. The most highly collected advertisement among teenagers is Absolut vodka. Through these advertisements, Absolut gives us the impression that life is colorful and funny. When driving down the highway, isn?t it kind of ironic to see billboards sporting signs for all sorts of alcoholic products? The more appropriate kind of billboard is one near my hometown that reads, ?If you decided to have one for the road, expect a State Trooper for a chaser.? Any time the media?s responsibility is discussed in what it promotes, there are arguments that are loudly presented. The first usually comes from the media, which directly will be their First Amendment rights. This is a completely honest argument. However, it is not the freedom of the press people are disagreeing with, it is lack of ethics, and what we want for America?s children, By the examples cited above, there is a clear link between underage drinking and the alcohol industry?s use of the media, directly and indirectly, to advertise their products to children and teenagers. The NIAAA, has research and stated that ?Alcohol advertising may influence adolescents to be more favorably predisposed to drinking? (3).
The Term Paper on Time Warner Media Company World
Time Warner In 1989, the largest Media Corporation was formed. The integration of Time Inc. and Warner communications produced Time Warner, which in 1996 with the acquisition of Turner broadcasting, regained it's status from Disney as the largest media corporation in the world. The company right now, with over 200 subsidiaries world- wide, is becoming fully global with it's profits from the USA ...
Gary Hopkin?s gives a great comparison on the International level in his studies stating, ?in the 1970?s Sweden banned alcohol advertising and it worked to decrease alcohol consumption by at least twenty percent (n.p.).
If the United Stated was able to restrict Camel cigarette advertisements, by taking Joe Camel?s cartoon face off of tobacco, we could reduce the amount of teenage drinkers in our society. By doing this, it could lead in a reduction of legal aged alcoholics, raised birth rates, increased school and work productivity, and raise the general health in our nation. Despite the evidence the presented, should we ignore the fact that it affects our children? Or are cartoons, bright pictures, fun activities, and ?beautiful people? coincidence to these advertisements?
Bibliography:
Works Cited ?Alcoholic Companies Find Underage Market.? National Post. 11 Mar. 1999. Media Awareness Network. 25 Feb. 2000. Captian Morgan Original Spiced Rum. Captain Morgan Rum Company. 1999. Century Council, The. ?Fighting Alcohol Abuse.? 24 Feb. 2000.
Hennessy Cognac. Schieffelin and Somerset Company. 1999. Hopkins, Gary L., MD, Drip, Director, Center for Adolescent Behavior Research, Andrews University. ?Media Influence on the Health of Adolecents.? 19 Feb. 2000. Kahlua Liqueur. Allied Domeco Spirits USA. 1999. Madden, P.A. and J.W. Grube. ?Frequency and Nature of Alcohol and Tobacco Advertisements in Television Sports, 1990 through 1992.? American Journal of Public Health. Feb 1994. 297-299. Millar Genuine Draft. Miller Brewing Company. Nov. 1999. NIAAA (National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism) ?Alcohol Alert.? Wall Street Journal, November 27, 1996: 1-3.
