The influence of media on the lifestyle of youngsters and adolescents

In the present era, the media like a trapdoor to the outside world are effective in the outlooks, attitudes and behaviors of the individuals of a society; although that the visualization of most of us for the outside world and ourselves has been inevitably formed through intermediation of the media.
The institution of media is preoccupied with the work of production, reproduction and insight distribution and in a broader sense; it means that they are engaged in the symbols or the meaningful and experimental sources in the social world. Often the boundaries and frontiers of the symbolic environment in which we live (including the information, opinions and beliefs) are revealed to us with the assistance of the mass media.
In addition to this, the media play an intermediary role between the social reality and the individualistic experience; an intermediary audience with others and an experience out of apprehension or its direct contact, an intermediary audience and the legal, industrial, governmental institutions and the apprehension of an audience from the other groups. From this aspect the metaphors like a window to the outside world, the interpreter of the complex events, tribune transfer of information and ideas, the reflector mirror of the society and or a curtain or a veil on the truth and service to the propaganda objectives supervise the intermediary role of the mass media in the social relations.
Basically visualization of the existence of lifestyles without mass media is impossible. In the viewpoint of Giddens, the media has an important role in the different lifestyles propagandism. The spectrum of lifestyles with the ideal versions that are designed in the media may be limited, but are more extensive than the lifestyles that people usually in their day-to-day life are emplaced in their cast.
Indeed, in his belief the media in the modern world not only provide the potentialities and the versions, but also present the subtly explanations of the designs or the special lifestyles.
The lifestyles with attention to their popularity and social power are using different media for their dissemination and are informants of contents as well as form of programs. A lifestyle can find an appearance as a tantamount of culture or values of the communicators of the mass media. For an example, the writers, directors and the other production factors are reflectors of their lifestyles in the television serials i.e. the middleclass lifestyle.
The media news coverage can be a promoter for the catechism of the lifestyles. As far as news is concerned, the investigation of these effects is more complex and needs that the politics of news, ideology or social values effective in it are investigated. Eventually it can be possible that the lifestyle footprints are manifested with the chain investigation of these cases. One of the most prominent manifestations of this issue is the style of news and the values of the news.
Different researches have explained the patterns of the news style that are an exhibitor of the dominance of the criteria such as personification, conflict, violence, referring the elite nations, referring the elite individuals and being negative, metropolism (all the roads end up to the big cities), natural structuralism (to manifest the cultural-historical affair natural) in the news selection and coverage. Each of these elements can be related to the lifestyle modes.
Although today the media such as television or the multimedia such as the internet have more reference audiences for the lifestyle, but the written media such as newspapers and magazines also in their own manner have a role in the promotion and the introduction of the lifestyles.
These media cover the fashion, tourism, health, decoration, music, etc. modules. The ``Life’’ magazines, the monthly ``Complex’’ and the ``Gentlemen’s Quarterly’’ (with the group of audiences targeting university men in the mega cities) and ``Marie Claire’’ and ``Prima’’ (with the audience targeting women) are the examples of the lifestyle publications.
Even on the internet in addition to the famous and professional sites of lifestyle like ``The Beauty Bean’’ (for the interior design), ``Smitten Kitchen’’ (for cookery and food products), ``Jezebel’’ (the life of the famous faces) and many others, even the popular news sites have also allocated a section of it to the lifestyle in order to respond to the news needs of their audiences in this module.
Preponderantly the lifestyle is based on the visual communications and the television medium is mostly used for it. Out of the television programs with the highest followers that are accommodated in the topic of lifestyle programs are the programs that are heterogeneously composed of cookery, news, famous faces, music, etc. and are presented to the audience. Of the other forms of lifestyle programs, the programs relate to coverage in which the fashion and dress designing experts, for the audiences that have corresponded to them, are designing the hair model and coverage and other apparent characteristics. These types of programs are also prepared in the case of interior designing of audiences’ homes. The other type of lifestyle programs is the contests in which the audiences based on their cooking expertise compete with others. ``Come dine with me’’ is the prime and the most popular examples of this kind of programs that was broadcasted via the television channel ``itv’’ in the United Kingdom. The examples of this kind of programs are broadcasted in 13 counties viz. Turkey, South Africa, Denmark, Malaysia, etc.
May be the most revealing influential level of the media on the lifestyle is the commercial advertisements. The media with advertisements of the products and services can be effective in the promotion, dissemination and continuation of the lifestyles. As interpreted by Asa Berger, the advertisements in order to sell a commodity are forced to reveal the attitudes, lifestyles, customs, habits and preferences of the people.
In fact, the propaganda is nothing more than a sheer trade. The advertisements control the daily life and predominance on the social relations and at the same time guides the people to the subjectivism and choosing sequestration from the others and imposes a form of collective styles on them. Ball-Rokeach in 1984 demonstrated that the television can be an appropriate means for an individual pursuit to accept the new values. He in his studies found the evidences based on the quick acceptance of the individualistic values via the individuals that are subjected to the western films and TV programs.
In an elaborate study on the effects of television advertisements in the United States, it was clear that getting exposed to the advertisements promotes the materialistic values. These studies are based on this assumption that advertisement in addition to perception of information on the portal of products and services also expresses and inducts the consumerist values.
Similarly, a research in China showed that exposure to the western media contents and as well the media containing consumerist matters lead to the acceptance of the two consumerist values, i.e. the qualitative consumption and the innovative consumption and as well the expansion of the most positive attitudes towards the advertisements and leads to an increased consumption.
The researches on the lifestyle in the field of media choice not only can identify the characteristics of the specific audiences for the specific medium but also the specific audiences for a group of media. This identification is also beneficial in targeting the production of media from the qualitative and quantitative viewpoint and also explicit the media strategy advertisements.
The most important studies related to the lifestyle in the media production module have been carried out through a group of scholars’ viz. Pessemier and Tilgert. They identified and categorized the groups of magazine readers with their lifestyle characteristics, demographic variables, and use of the commodities and job selection characteristic.
These studies in the course of over three decades has caused that the advertisement firms, dependent on the type of a particular commodity, consider the formalities or media suitable for the advertisement and through this route get an access to the selection of a media model; with an assumption that each medium whether written or visual is produced for a specific content and also has specific audiences.
Another level of the media effects is non-news programs like serials and films. Today, the leisure time of a major section of the society, individuals is around the utilization of different media. The media by broadcasting serials and other recreational and entertainment programs can be effective directly or indirectly in the propaganda of lifestyles.
``Modern leisure’’ observes the development of individual's authorization to choose the mode of time consumption beyond the class, sex and age limitations and basically are the revival resultant of the economic and social organization of work in the human societies. The leisure style is composed of a coherent collection of the preferences and leisure behaviors that their coherence is analyzable through the means of effect of determining factors and field experiences.
The results of a research in relation to the importance rate of the factors determining the leisure style of Tehran youths and also the type of leisure experiences interaction ``online’’ and ```non-online’’ and or in better words, the status of the internet use in the individuals leisure behaviours, is an indicator of the existence of three different leisure styles among the case studied youths. The leisure styles ``independent’’ and ``class-oriented’’ in terms of origin and determination factors and also the leisure behaviors interaction of individuals in the internet and their leisure behavior in the real world, had the highest difference among the existing behavioural categorizations.
In the ``independent’’ leisure lifestyle, the internet use has a special status. This status more than anything else is analyzable via the role of age course in the youths pertaining to this leisure style. These individuals generally are single, jobless, and have a diploma or lesser education. Much leisure time, leisure perception that means enjoying and living in pleasure, the orientation of social leisure and its role in the guidance of the other leisure activities, the special status of the friends gathering in the social leisure and considering the methods to actively live in the leisure, are the specifications of the leisure behaviors in this leisure style.
But the effect of internet use on the leisure behavior of the individuals belonging to the leisure style ``knowledge-oriented’’ is different. An important and elemental factor that determines this difference is the university academics and increased media literacy and information and also the social network of educated individuals that leads to the manifestation of the specific leisure behaviors in them.
The leisure perception is accounted as a tantamount to rest and carry out the works that are lagging behind, the importance of time in the leisure behavior, an inclination to individualistic methods for enjoying the leisure time, the effect of non-leisure experiences in the education and social relations fields to determine the leisure activities content and the domination to select and maintain the leisure culture in the role model of public occupying their leisure time is one of the most important characteristics of this leisure style. The leisure time rate of individuals is different and also their leisure activities, is affected by the peculiarities such as economic, social, sex, job, lifecycle bases, etc.
The most important peculiarity which is effective in the ``class-oriented’’ leisure style in determining the status of internet use in the collection of the leisure behaviors is the scheduling and localizing the leisure activities. The individuals belonging to this leisure style with development of leisure behavior that from the geographical temporal and local circumstances are different with the leisure behavior of the other individuals and youths, and are in lookout to create a kind of distinction between themselves and they.
This issue is followed by a distinguished consequence in relation to the internet use, which is an activity that basically lacks time and place, and that is a very low importance of internet use in the collection of the individuals’ leisure behaviors belonging to this leisure style.
The universality of the internet usage has reduced its capacity to determine the stratiform and in fact is an important variable in the determination of the internet status as a means and an arena of leisure experiences, in this leisure lifestyle, more than being an amateur of the media and digital literacy; it was an amateur of stratiform literacy. The literacy of the nobility classes and skill to select the tools and procedures is based on the logic to maintain the stratiform distinction.
Based on the results of the research that was carried on the social networks and lifestyle of youths, 30.6 percent of the men and 41.3 percent of the women believed that the internet social networks could in a high rate be effective on the literature type of the society individuals. This issue indicates that most of the members of the social networks believe that a noticeable relationship exists among their membership in the internet social networks and the lifestyle of the members of the virtual networks.
Moreover, 49.5 percent of women and 41.4 percent of men believe that membership in the internet social networks in an average to higher values could be effective on their coverage style in a society. In the other sections of this research, the effect of membership in the internet social networks on the identity literature of individuals in relation to the opposite sex and the effect of internet social networks on the virtual lifestyle of individuals was investigated.
The growth of internet in the recent years has provided the fields for the use and purchase of an internet. In a research on the peripheral of the behavior of an internet user between the Iranian users it was determined that among the internet usage priorities in the purchase, perception of the product information 50.7 percent, comparison of the product cost 4.8 percent, purchase 8.3 percent and product recommendation 1.9 percent have allocated the users' priorities to itself.
In this aspect, the large section of internet purchase among the internet users is related to its vision and mental dimension and the behavior and deed dimension have allocated a lesser percent to it. Therefore, internet has been converted as a source of information acquisition about the purchase and the behavior dimension of purchase and use has a higher flow in the real world.
Apart from the internet, the television media has allocated a considerable share of the audiences’ leisure times to it. Based on the research that was carried out via the National Youth Organization on the mode of time passage among the adolescents and youths of their leisure activities in the Tehran city, the television watching had a major share in their leisure times with the rate of 3:11 from the total 7:21 hours of leisure. The meeting of the relatives and friends (1:10) , rest (43 minutes), listening to the radio (32 minutes) sport and games (27 minutes) and reading books (18 minutes) have allocated the next ratings to themselves.
But this question raises here that `How are the effects of television on the lifestyle?’ the cultivation theory in the module of medium effects have shown that the delicate common phases structure the infrastructure of the different programs in a television. The sketches, images are relatively prevalent and stable and important of all are a general model of the programs that the communities in a long course are exposed to them. The staged pattern, selection of the actors, social types and the related consequences are present in most of the television programs.
Mrs. Shore believes that the television factor besides fragmentation of the neighborhood bonds and the entrance of women to the labor market has persuaded the users to the western countries that instead of accompanying the neighboring and corresponding individuals have engrossed their look to the lifestyle of the individuals that are richer in comparison to them. Today when you sit to watch a movie, probably you are watching a long visual advertisement.
For an example, the preponderant of television serials and programs in Iran shows the lifestyle of urban leisure class and the elements related with it. The type of coverage houses and the places used in the serial, the vehicles and others all present the lifestyle patterns.
In a research entitled the analysis of the contents of the television commercials with emphasis on the social class and lifestyle, that pertained to the analysis of the content of the television commercials broadcasted before and was among the most watched television serials and programs in 2005, it was clear that the commercials in Iran as a tantamount of language, is the producer of the meaning of consumption/use and an exhibitor of the lifestyle of the middle class that is moving upward; in a manner that this advertisement contains the sports belonging to the high class, the streets of the north of the city, villa homes and as well the high towers and the expensive cars.
Based on the research results that in a specific manner was carried out with an aim to investigate the effects of television programs on the lifestyle demonstrated that the television in the social lifestyle dimension has given a special importance to the modern society and the affluent stratum: in a manner that it seemed that the traditional society along with a series of customs and traditions has been ignored and on the other hand, the middle and low stratum also are not so exhibited. In the cultural dimension also the lack of attention to the status of the ladies has been observed and in the religious dimension, it was determined that the television programs have been influential in the consolidation of the family relations, although it did not have much success to encourage youth to the marriage and eventually, in the psychological dimension, that included the issue such as acceptance of a role model and the sympathetic feeling of the audience, television did not have much effect.
This issue can cover the estrangement of the audience with television programs and serials, since a completely different lifestyle with the realties of his or her life will be exhibited. The results of a polling of broadcasting television serials viewers in response to the question that to what an extent the life possibilities that are exhibited in most of the serials are in compliance with the public life of the people, is an exhibitor of this fact that a high percentage of the viewers, the similarity of the used cases in those serials (i.e. home, home appliances, vehicles, the type of actors clothes and the type of individuals amusements and leisure) have been considered in the extent of ``low’’ and ``very low’’ and ``nil’’ when compared to their own lives.
As it was mentioned, the effect of news coverage, commercial advertisements, serials and television programs and the virtual space of the lifestyle are the probable realms of the effect; but basically the role and the effect of media on the lifestyle should be considered with the other non-connectivity variables such as age, sex, economic and social status, education and others. All the dimensions and phases of the lifestyle cannot be considered affected by the collective media. The role of communications between individual and groups also in this between is of importance.
In addition to this, in the case of the lifestyles, necessarily the recognition, attitude and the behavior of individuals are not consistent with each other, immaterial of whether the individuals may have a positive outlook to a specific lifestyle, but from the practical aspect of the lifestyle, due to the reasons such as lack of access to the financial resources, the norms and social values, etc. could be weak.
One of the major concerns in the portal of the media influence on the lifestyle, are the youngster and the adolescent audiences. In the case of the audiences who are low aged, the media can create specific consumption styles and modes. Due to the lack of the abilities and cognitive skills, this group are more fragile in apposition to the propaganda.
The most conventional background with an appeal (like a convincing strategy) that is used in the advertisement for the youngsters, it is the bonding of a product with joy and happiness (use of poetry, varied colors, cartoon characters, etc…) children, and not the provision of the real information about a product.
The influence of the television advertisement on the children can be categorized into two categories of influences viz. intentional and unintentional influences. For an example the goody propaganda creates an intentional effect of the purchase of product and increase of the consumption, but it is possible that the unintentional influences of this advertisement, leads to the incorrect understanding in the case of food habits or the conflict of children-parents and causes the children to force their parents to purchase undesirable products.
In the case of the adolescent group an inability to say ``no’’ to their friends, curiosity, highly dangerous pleasures, the indecency depression of unhealthy behavior, the contrast between the reality and truthfulness, the generation gap and the friends beyond the parents, are the elements and fields that are effective in the formation of the lifestyle. For the reason that the group of audiences with attention to the aforementioned cases, the virtual space realms have a more appeal and probably the research of the lifestyle in the case of this group should be focused on the virtual space.
Finally, in the scope of the social communications, the desire of the political and cultural executors and custodians of the society is to change, reform and create the lifestyle that is compatible with the values and norms of their societies. One of the most influential sources is the attention to the native and religious doctrines that can be considered in the creation of the change and reformation of the lifestyle and a model for the consumption.
For an example the Islam emphasizes to the Muslims to enjoy the blessings of the Almighty God and satisfy their needs. The access and the optimal use and distancing from the extravagance and prodigality is the case emphasized by the Islam and Muslim are being forbidden from the monasticism and hardship on him or herself and the family. Basically the consumption of the individuals in the Islam is generally divided into the following five sections:
A- The imperative utilizations in order to provide the necessary needs of oneself and the individuals that are under the sponsorship and that are used to carry out the indispensable services such as food and clothing and pilgrimage enchantment.
B- The recommended utilizations that take place in order to attract the divine consent, the goals that are benevolent and loved by the Almighty God and acquisition of the good deed.
C- The unlawful utilizations that are used in the illegitimate and unlawful routes and in the cases that it is out of the canonical limit and need.
D- The abominable utilizations that include the over the standard limit consumption and also the strictness in the daily consumption.
E- The permissible utilizations that include the cases other than the aforementioned cases and there is nil good deed or criticism in it.
With respect to these fields and religious learning that are observant on the social issues, the lifestyle aspects can be reformed and improved. Naturally, this affair needs a predictable and the needed workmanships. One of these fields is the activity in the form of media.
In the present scenario, the radio and television broadcast with the initiation of the broadcasting digital system, has initiated over15 channels in the varied modules viz. documentary, education, cartoon, sports and market. This collection, with respect to the technical and scientific abilities, the capability to create the channel of the lifestyle or family is in accordance with the culture and the values of a society. The programming in the modules such as the coverage, internal design, arts and crafts and cookery are the inclusions of this issue.
There are dispersed programs which relate to the lifestyle in the different national and provincial networks and can be accumulated in this network so that the needs of the audiences are responded. The heterogeneity of the related module with the lifestyle and the competitions between the different media in the same field has made the activity very difficult and this issue definitely seeks a long-term and functional purposive planning and policy making.
The activity in this module not only comprises the change and reformation of the related issues to the lifestyle, but also can be effective in the increase of interest to domestic productions, the recognition of the capabilities and capacities that are lacking behind in the culture of the society in the lifestyle module. Besides, the re-evaluation in the commercial advertisement modes in the media and the abstinence from the spread of the consumable patterns are the other modules that need a higher effort and consideration.