Wiley-Blackwell The Myth of Media Violence: A Critical Introduction

The Myth of Media Violence: A Critical Introduction assesses the current and historical debates over violence in film, television, and video games; extends the conversation beyond simple condemnation or support; and addresses a diverse range of issues and influences. Looks at the chronology of contemporary media violence, and explores reservations over communications medias throughout history. Examines the forces behind the encouraged anxieties about media violence. Uses examples drawn from a range of media, including disaster and horror movies, science fiction, film tie-in toys, crime shows, MTV, news, sports, and children’s television programming, books and video games. Includes a closing chapter about why media violence exists as it does in our culture, and what we can do about it. Review “Trend does a nice job examining the historical discussions of media violence and how research has become inseparable…written well and is a pleasure to read.” PsycCritiques From the Inside Flap Public hunger for violent entertainment has always existed with each invention of new media, from the printing press to the internet. The Myth of Media Violence examines the current and historical debates over one of the most widely discussed yet little understood issues of our time: the social and cultural effects of violence in film, television, and video games. David Trend explains the need for media violence, and why, despite decades of activism against them, violent media outlets continue to grow and develop at a rapid pace. Engaging examples are drawn from a range of media, including disaster and horror movies, science fiction, film tie-in toys, crime shows, MTV, news, sports, and children’s television programming, books, and video games. The book also investigates the forces encouraging social anxieties, why violence in media exists at all, and how society can deal with it From the Back Cover Public hunger for violent entertainment has always existed with each invention of new media, from the printing press to the internet. The Myth of Media Violence examines the current and historical debates over one of the most widely discussed yet little understood issues of our time: the social and cultural effects of violence in film, television, and video games. David Trend explains the need for media violence, and why, despite decades of activism against them, violent media outlets continue to grow and develop at a rapid pace. Engaging examples are drawn from a range of media, including disaster and horror movies, science fiction, film tie-in toys, crime shows, MTV, news, sports, and children’s television programming, books, and video games. The book also investigates the forces encouraging social anxieties, why violence in media exists at all, and how society can deal with it About the Author David Trend is Professor of Studio Art at the University of California, Irvine. He is the author or editor of a number of books, including Radical Democracy: Identity, Citizenship and the State (1995) and Reading Digital Culture (Blackwell, 2001).