If a child behaved violently towards someone else, for example if he punched another child, there would be consequences for that child. Perhaps detention or grounding, but then their act of violence is mostly forgotten. Rarely do parents or school officials investigate why the child acted violently. If asked, adults might say something like “the child probably watches a violent television show, like Powerangers, or plays violent video games, like Grand Theft Auto.” Most people would consider this an acceptable reason. It is normal to blame “the media” for everything that is wrong with our culture. But the question raised now is why; Why does our society claim that violence in the media influences children's behavior? The term “media” is somewhat overused in our culture. It's a vague term we use to include all the ways messages are represented to us, usually in technology. Dr. Cyndy Scheibe, a professor at Ithaca College and media literacy expert, says media is “messages conveyed through mass-produced images, language, and/or sound for a mass audience. [Media is also] mediated by a form of technology and the producer of the message is not in the same place as the recipient of the message” (Scheibe). This means that media would include things like television, movies, the Internet, and print. Media does not include things like text messages because they are not intended for a mass audience. For the purposes of this essay, “media” will primarily refer to television and video games. Violence in the media can also be broken down into a specific definition. Dr. Scheibe describes the characteristics of violence in the media as frequent and pervasive (appears in ... middle of paper ...... major contributor. Works Cited Browne KD; Hamilton-Giachritsis C. “The Influence of Violent Media on children and adolescents: a public health approach". Lancet 365.9460 (2005): pp. 702-710. ------, Congressional Testimony on Violence in the Media. Olson, Cheryl K. “It's Perverse, But It's Also Fiction.” Print.Scheibe, Cyndy Ithaca College Textor 101. January 25, 2012. Classroom lecture.Walma van der Molen JH Conception of television content that is harmful to children.” Pediatrics 113.6 (2004): pp. 1771-1775.