http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dy...8120201992.html

quote:

TV, Internet Causing Kids Harm: Report TUESDAY, Dec. 2 (HealthDay News) -- There's a strong link between media exposure and childhood obesity, smoking and sexual activity, according to U.S. researchers who reviewed 173 studies on media and health conducted over the past three decades. According to the review, 80 percent of the studies concluded that higher amounts of television and other media exposure were associated with negative health effects in children and adolescents. The strongest association was between media and obesity. Of the 73 studies that examined media/childhood weight, 86 percent showed a significant association between increased media exposure and obesity. The findings, by researchers from Yale University School of Medicine, the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH), and the California Pacific Medical Center, were released Tuesday by Common Sense Media, a nonprofit organization that seeks to improve the impact of media and entertainment on children and families. "This review is the first-ever comprehensive evaluation of the many ways that media impacts children's physical health," lead researcher Dr. Ezekiel J. Emanuel, of the NIH, said in a news release. "The results clearly show that there is a strong correlation between media exposure and long-term negative health effects to children. This study provides an important jumping-off point for future research that should explore both the effects of traditional media content and that of digital media -- such as video games, the Internet, and cell phones -- which kids are using today with more frequency," Emanuel said. He and his colleagues recommend that parents limit their children's exposure to media and make wise, age-appropriate decisions for their children. There should be media literacy programs in schools, the researchers said, and policy makers need to make media education programs a national priority. "Media is increasingly pervasive in the lives of children and adolescents," James P. Steyer, Common Sense Media founder and CEO, said in a group news release. "Parents and educators must consider the effects of media when they're trying to address issues with their child's health. This report makes is clear that we need a bold new agenda on media and technology use. We hope this report will create a new sense of urgency in that regard."

Assuming they're just not straight up lying, apparently no-one at

• The Washington Post,
  
• Common Sense Media (oh, the irony),
  
• The U.S. National Institutes of Health,
  
• Yale University School of Medicine, or
  
• The California Pacific Medical Center
  

There is no doubt that heavy media exposure contributes to hedonistic thinking. This should be no surprise as the purpose of media is to entertain, so media, in and of itself, is hedonistic. One hour of television will entail 10 minutes of commercials, saying, "Buy this, buy that, you want this, you need that, look at yourself you're nothing without this product". Arbiter, are you actually going to say heavy media exposure plays no part in our societies shift to materialistic hedonism? WTF caused our current economic recession? I'll tell you. MATERIALISM/HEDONISM run amok. Fucking Ditech.com commercials on every fucking channel...

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quote:

Originally posted by Krypton There is no doubt that heavy media exposure contributes to hedonistic thinking. This should be no surprise as the purpose of media is to entertain, so media, in and of itself, is hedonistic. One hour of television will entail 10 minutes of commercials, saying, "Buy this, buy that, you want this, you need that, look at yourself you're nothing without this product". Arbiter, are you actually going to say heavy media exposure plays no part in our societies shift to materialistic hedonism? WTF caused our current economic recession? I'll tell you. MATERIALISM/HEDONISM run amok. Fucking Ditech.com commercials on every fucking channel...

Being born human is the major contribution of "hedonism".

The media is just trying to sell you objects and conformist ideologies.

The internet is good for kids in that they will be much more intelligent than any previous generation since their medium is interactive, unlike TV. Their minds must engage the potential by being active.

But ... obviously sitting on your ass all day is going to make you fat.

quote:

Originally posted by DJ Shibby But ... obviously sitting on your ass all day is going to make you fat.

...and that's all they can draw from the study - being lazy and inactive makes you deconditioned with the associated health risks. "Media" gives you something to do while you're being lazy, but doesn't make you lazy or directly affect your health.

A simple case control study would disprove the notion that "media" is bad for your health. Sit one kid on a couch and have him watch 8 hours of "media" a day. Sit another kid on an exercise bike and have him pedal while he watches "media" for 8 hours a day.

quote:

Originally posted by NeoPhono ...and that's all they can draw from the study - being lazy and inactive makes you deconditioned with the associated health risks. "Media" gives you something to do while you're being lazy, but doesn't make you lazy or directly affect your health. A simple case control study would disprove the notion that "media" is bad for your health. Sit one kid on a couch and have him watch 8 hours of "media" a day. Sit another kid on an exercise bike and have him pedal while he watches "media" for 8 hours a day.

Exactly.

Ah, got to love the scientific process.

I know they spend thousands, maybe millions, on these kinds of research investigations, but they do make me laugh so I'll forgive them!

quote:

Originally posted by Krypton One hour of television will entail 10 minutes of commercials, saying, "Buy this, buy that, you want this, you need that, look at yourself you're nothing without this product".

the DVR... best invention ever. I don't have to watch f-ing commercials anymore and I love it.

quote:

Originally posted by NeoPhono ...and that's all they can draw from the study - being lazy and inactive makes you deconditioned with the associated health risks. "Media" gives you something to do while you're being lazy, but doesn't make you lazy or directly affect your health. A simple case control study would disprove the notion that "media" is bad for your health. Sit one kid on a couch and have him watch 8 hours of "media" a day. Sit another kid on an exercise bike and have him pedal while he watches "media" for 8 hours a day.

media also informs children about, and fosters their desire for, mcdonalds, coke, burger king, cookies. I think the research was directed more towards this line of thinking (the effects of constant exposure to the types of advertising on TV).

quote:

Originally posted by jerZ07002 media also informs children about, and fosters their desire for, mcdonalds, coke, burger king, cookies. I think the research was directed more towards this line of thinking (the effects of constant exposure to the types of advertising on TV).

Exactly. Not only that, but it is a well documented fact that corporations and business hire psychologists to market to young children, so they nag their parents at the mall or whatever and give in to their demands. There is a lot of money and interest vested in it. I fail to see these "gaping holes" in logic, assuming one is not blind to the context. I'm not proposing censorship as responsibility lies with parents but the practice of hiring professional for manipulative add campaigns directed at young children, teaching them to be obedient consumer from such a young age, which is not a secret or anything amongst these professionals, is quite repulsive. I don't see how libertarian values that have context when it comes to adults even applies to children so there is a very reasonable groups of argument against such practices, especially given the fact that it a very conscious effort by private corporate interests and not speculative conjecture.

___________________
"The Greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance, it is the illusion of knowledge." -Stephen Hawking
"First they came for the communists, and I did not speak out— because I was not a communist;
Then they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out— because I was not a socialist;
Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out— because I was not a trade unionist;
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out— because I was not a Jew;
Then they came for me— and there was no one left to speak out for me." -Martin Niemöller

That is why if you have a job in marketing or advertising the only way to save your soul is to kill yourself. Right?

___________________
I've never been able to eat a whole baby.
Kill the women. Eat the children.
It's just one of those days where you want to bend over everyone you know and kiss their ass goodbye with a big sideways boot.

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quote:

Originally posted by Zild That is why if you have a job in marketing or advertising the only way to save your soul is to kill yourself. Right?

Haha, indeed .

___________________
"The Greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance, it is the illusion of knowledge." -Stephen Hawking
"First they came for the communists, and I did not speak out— because I was not a communist;
Then they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out— because I was not a socialist;
Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out— because I was not a trade unionist;
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out— because I was not a Jew;
Then they came for me— and there was no one left to speak out for me." -Martin Niemöller

quote:

Originally posted by Zild That is why if you have a job in marketing or advertising the only way to save your soul is to kill yourself. Right?

i don't think there is a job in the world that doesn't involve trying to influence someone do to something. people in advertising and marketing just do it for other people. even if you developed something that had a great societial benefit, you would still need to influence/convince the populous that the development was beneficial for society. this is just how the world works.