Drugs and the Mass Media

In: The annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, Band 417, S. 86-100

Abstract

Mass media (MM) have been described as all-pervasive cultural institutions which both reflect & project society's values. They are shown to have played a role throughout history, whenever new developments have threatened established values, & often are singled out as important facilitators & accelerators of social change. As such, it is not surprising that various charges have been leveled against the MM for their purported role in the recent & significant escalation of psychoactive drug use & abuse. Some critics have attempted to relate the act of viewing or experiencing the MM to problems of drug use; others have focused their charges on, & label as villains, the contents of the media, as in advertising, TV entertainment, & popular song lyrics. Some of these accusations are examined, & the issues & the evidence in the current controversy over the role of MM in the use & abuse of psychoactive drugs are explored. HA.