Entertainment media such as television shows and movies may influence audiences to imitate or display similar negative behaviors they view from fictional characters. Examples of this issue are provided in Danzig’s (2012) examination of the effects of the TV series 24 on viewers. In Danzig’s examination, he interviews and observes those involved in the development of 24 and those involved in real world experiences, especially interrogators. Moreover, he focuses on the impact of interrogations and violence in entertainment media on reality. Danzig’s point was to show how TV shows and films can negatively influence audiences if they take fictional characters or situations too seriously or apply what they see on entertainment media to real life.
As mentioned by Danzig (2012), torture is often utilized and glorified on TV and in films. Torture often provides the “good guys” with an advantage and makes them heroes. However, some people take this unrealistic idea too seriously and believe the torture techniques utilized by characters on TV or in movies will be effective in real life. For example, methods for interrogation from television shows have been imitated by “junior U.S. soldiers” and Guantánamo Bay interrogators. Additionally, the TV series 24 has presented an issue in military educational schools due to young students referencing the show as an effective way to utilize torture. Interrogators have also based their interrogation techniques on 24. At Guantánamo Bay, Diane Beaver, the “highest-ranking uniformed military lawyer” in that area, stated that 24’s 2nd season impacted the interrogation methods utilized at Guantánamo. Other professionals, including soldiers, have utilized TV shows and films as references for interrogations, including Lagouranis in Iraq.
In Danzig’s (2012) article, we see that fictional torture in entertainment media such as television shows and movies may influence audiences to copy what they watch. Viewers may imitate what they see on TV or films, which may lead to real negative consequences. In this case, interrogators or soldiers copying TV show or movie characters may lack limitations in their interrogation methods, which may lead negative consequences such as killing the individual being interrogated. Real life imitation of fictional characters seen on TV or in the movies may be encouraged when characters are shown experiencing zero consequences for their actions and/or are rewarded for their violent actions (e.g. becoming a hero). Moreover, fictional characters may be copied in order to obtain similar rewards, despite the fictionality of characters and situations on TV and in films.
On the other hand, although television shows and movies (we’ll leave out some documentaries in this case) are fake, they can often appear extremely realistic. The close attention to realistic features (e.g. costumes, props) in a TV series or film may blur the line between reality and entertainment, a potential influence on encouraging audiences to apply what they have seen in a show to real life. In one instance, Kiefer Sutherland (Jack Bauer in 24) told Danzig (2012) people frequently view him as Bauer. Sutherland stated, “Recently, a woman on the street ran away from me screaming, ‘Don’t hurt me Jack Bauer!’” In addition, General Finnegan, West Point’s U.S. Military Academy dean and wearing a real uniform representing the army, was mistaken for a 24 extra while waiting for a meet up with Sutherland to speak with him regarding how the TV series depicts interrogations.
Conclusively, audiences may take TV shows and films too seriously and apply what they have watched to real life, despite the fictional environment of these entertainment media. This issue could be influenced by multiple factors, some of which are discussed in Danzig’s (2012) article. These factors may include: the difficulties of separating the entertainment media world of TV shows and films from reality when attention to realistic features are present, and fictional characters being rewarded and/or lacking consequences for their negative behaviors. We should become more aware of these influences and recognize that television shows and films are purely for entertainment (and money to those who developed the show or movie) and should not be taken seriously or applied to real life, for real consequences could result.
References
Danzig, D. (2012). Countering the Jack Bauer Effect: AN EXAMINATION OF HOW TO LIMIT THE INFLUENCE OF TV’S MOST POPULAR, AND MOST BRUTAL, HERO. In Flynn, M. & Salek, F. F. (Eds.), Screening Torture: Media Representations of State Terror and Political Domination (pp. 21–33). Columbia University Press. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.7312/flyn15358.4
I found your post to be very interesting and well written. Even though I have not seen the tv series 24 I feel that you provided a wonderful explanation of how entertainment can influence the world around us. I particularly liked how you pointed out about the realism in these films. It is a lot harder to determine what is fake and what is real. I have even found myself getting sucked into a tv series and almost couldn’t tell the difference from reality and fictionalism of the show. When I have “binge watched” a show on netflix that has several seasons available; I have sightly thought that these characters were real people. I remember catching myself having dreams about the people and even thinking “I wonder what they are up to?”. I know it sounds crazy, doesn’t it? The power that these forms of entertainment and media have over us is a lot larger then what we think it is. The amount of influence this has on us is extremely large and we need to consider its affects on us.