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Adolescents, Crime, and the Media pp 31–49Cite as

Media Portrayals of Crime and Youth

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Part of the book series: Advancing Responsible Adolescent Development ((ARAD))

Abstract

It is generally well understood that fictional media portrayals of crime often present crime in sensationalized ways which do not represent reality. The cultivation hypothesis suggests that such media may result in distorted views of crime among viewers. Evidence in support or against this belief is examined. Overall, research suggests that cultivation effects, at least for fictional violence, are quite weak. However, content analyses do suggest that fictional media portrayals of both crime and youth tend to be distorted and unrealistic. Racial minorities are often portrayed as criminal perpetrators in fictional media as often are youth. However, perhaps fortunately, viewers do not appear to attend significantly to fictional media when forming beliefs about crime.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    β = 0.10

  2. 2.

    r values between 0.12 and 0.20

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Behavioral Sciences, Texas A&M International University, Laredo, TX, USA

    Christopher J. Ferguson

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Ferguson, C.J. (2013). Media Portrayals of Crime and Youth. In: Adolescents, Crime, and the Media. Advancing Responsible Adolescent Development. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-6741-0_3

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