Hot Button Issue Paper

Technologies evolve, but sex and violence have always been--and may remain--hot-button issues in the media. The pace of new technological change is so rapid that some people may no longer wait on formal media to research and provide information for making personal decisions.

Write a 1,400- to 1,750-word paper that addresses the following:

• A brief discussion of 20th century communication developments, milestones, and applications exemplifying changes in media portrayal of sex and violence.
• Explain how the negative effects of sex and violence on children have increased in media technology. Provide examples and cite at least one contemporary news article.
• Explain how the negative effects of sex and violence on adults have increased in media technology. Provide examples and cite at least one contemporary news article.
• Make specific recommendations about how the problems of media portrayal of sex and violence might be minimized.
• Examine how the immediacy of media involving sex and violence affects your own interpersonal communication.  How is the development of intimacy within interpersonal relationships related to the volume and accessibility of media portrayals of sex and violence?
• Consider the ethical and legal implications involved in the personal use of social media and other technologies to access and share images and videos.  Based on your own understanding and research of ethics, what ethical principles are involved in the use of technology in relation to images of sex and violence?  What ethical principles are involved when posting or making accessible the personal images of others?
• What laws are in place because of photos or videos made accessible without permission?  What recommendations based on your research of law and ethics can you propose in relation to the accessibility and proliferation of images of sex and violence?
• Examine the home page or landing page of a mainstream online news source that comes up on your screen upon login.  Examine the imagery used on the entire page, including any advertisements.  Discuss the diversity of the people portrayed.  How are women represented? How are people of color represented?

Cite at least three different peer-reviewed outside sources, in addition to two contemporary news articles.

Format your assignment according to appropriate course-level APA guidelines.