Viewing Violent Content in News Channels and Its Relation with Aggression in Young Adults

Abstract

The present study aimed at determining whether a significant relation exists between viewing violent content in news channels and aggression in young adults. For this purpose, the sample included 56 participants, comprising of 27 males and 29 females between the ages of 18-25 years from different departments of the University of Karachi, currently enrolled in different university programs, and in addition have access to the various mediums of media i.e. the internet and television. Data collection was done using a consent form, a demographic form, a survey form, and the self-administered Aggression Questionnaire (Buss & Perry, 1992). The results revealed a non-significant correlation (r = .003), suggesting that viewing violent content in news channels did not play a significant role on aggression in young adults. However, a partially significant difference was found in the different components of aggression, suggesting that, females were more hostile (p = 0.013) as compared to males. On the outlook of the present study, it is recommended that for future exploration on similar researches, a more diverse and larger sample size, ranging from all age groups, educational backgrounds, and socioeconomic statuses should be considered. Along with a diverse population, the diverse nature of media should also be taken into account which may range from news channels, movies, videogames, and so on, so that better and more advanced results may be yielded from the study. .