Thesis statement: Music videos portraying rape have strong influence on college students whose opinions about sexuality in such videos have changed over the years.
Burgess, M. C. R., & Burpo, S. (2012). The effect of music videos on college students’ perceptions of rape. College Student Journal, 46(4), 748-763.
This fundamental research provides valuable information and various insights necessary for gaining and understanding of the topic under study. The primary purpose of the article is to examine “the effect of sexualized portrayals of female artists in music videos on college students’ perceptions of date rape” (Burgess & Burpo, 2012, p. 748). The reasons why precisely music videos are selected for this study are that they are not labeled as ‘pornography,’ are commercially aired and repetitious, show the idealized world, and do not make most people think critically (Burgess & Burpo, 2012, p. 751). Overall, in order to gain specific conclusions, the authors observe and analyze randomly selected college students’ reactions on music videos portraying rape. Further, they examine the way these various videos affect participants’ further perception of violence against women.
Summary
Nowadays, various types of electronic media play a significant role in the lives of the youth. Social networks, video games, podcasts, and music videos have become more interesting for many teenagers and young adults than other activities. Consequently, if children and students are engaged in the digital world, it is possible to say that it has strong impact on their perceptions of the real life. In 2012, when the article was written, there was a gap in literature concerning the influence of music videos on “young adults’ perceptions of sexual interactions, particularly ones with a violent component” (Burgess & Burpo, 2012, p. 748). Therefore, there was a necessity to explore the issue and close this gap.
Before conducting their own experiment, the authors provide literature review and demonstrate that such a question was already raised several years ago by a number of researchers. For instance, in 2005, Ward et al. managed to find out that “the more music video exposure teens had, the more sex-role stereotypes they endorsed” (as cited in Burgess & Burpo, 2012, p. 748). According to Arnett’s research, females are usually portrayed “as scantily clad, engaging in sexually provocative movements, and often only present as visual extras” (as cited in Burgess & Burpo, 2012, p. 750). Further, in 2007, Jhally proved that females’ poor portrayals were not limited to rap music videos and illustrated that they were in general “rarely portrayed well in music videos, as artists or props” (as cited in Burgess & Burpo, 2012, p. 749). The aim of the article under study is to prove and develop the forementioned ideas.
Overall, a special experiment was designed to receive the necessary information. Burgess and Burpo (2012) randomly selected 132 college students and showed them music videos in which women are portrayed either as simple commentators or as a sex object. Then, the participants were asked to get acquainted with a story about a date rape and evaluate the guilt of a young male, as well as their feelings towards the victim.
Additionally, it is essential to mention that the authors also pay attention to discussing the definitions and perceptions of pornography as a general concept. They again focus on literature review and try to understand whether music videos in which females are extremely sexualized and demeaned may be considered pornography. The reason why this is important for Burgess and Burpo (2012) is because precisely society’s perceptions of pornography may have significant influence on the way males and females view rape.
References
Burgess, M. C. R., & Burpo, S. (2012). The effect of music videos on college students’ perceptions of rape. College Student Journal, 46(4), 748-763.