Media is an important part of everyday life, used by many people in a variety of ways for entertainment, information and social interaction with other people. The media is also an important factor in shaping society’s attitudes to a range of issues, including alcohol and drunkenness.
Often alcohol use is normalised in the media, and it is portrayed as an everyday part of life. This includes alcohol product placement in television programs, alcohol advertising and sponsorship. The media also plays a role in glorifying drunkenness and we can see this occur in the content of our television programs and the way drunkenness is reported in the news. This includes views conveyed by television and radio presenters and celebrities.
Young people are large consumers of media and research is showing that their attitudes towards alcohol and drunkenness are shaped by the media.
To find out what you can do click here.
The problem
A Western Australian study conducted by the Youth Media Committee (2006) found that youth participation in activities are highly media based, with television, movies, radio, internet and print media being a main source of leisure activities, information source and social activities.
Research demonstrates that alcohol advertising can significantly change young people’s decisions about drinking and their expectations of alcohol use. This includes (but is not limited to) young people’s thoughts and attitudes towards alcohol consumption, how and where they consume alcohol, and the amount of alcohol they consume (Roche et al. 2008).
Research has found the alcohol manufacturers promoting their products have used mediums such as viral emails, online games, cartoons, role models, sports/famous persons and prizes to encourage consumers (often young people) to visit their site (Carroll et al. 2005).