Socialization can be defined as the process by which people learn to become members of a society (Tepperman & Curtis, 2011, p.58). Thus, the socialization process of an individual starts from birth and continues throughout life. The period of socialization helps an individual to develop feelings, perceptions, learn the basics of social interaction and also learn to recognize and respond socially to parents and other important people in their lives (Tepperman & Curtis, 2011, p.58). According to Tepperman and Curtis (2011), “Socialization is accomplished by many different variables; including ethnicity, family structure, gender, environment and birth order” (p.58). Socialization perpetuates culture so therefore individuals are …show more content…

According to Tepperman and Curtis (2011), the media are “Instrumental in transmitting and reinforcing certain values, social behaviors, and definitions of social reality” (p.64). The media also contribute to racial and sexual stereotypes – stereotyped portrayal of men and women, racial or ethnic minorities, homosexual men or women, older people, or those with varying abilities shape viewer understanding and socializations (Tepperman $ Curtis, 2011, p.64). Thus, the mass media is assumed to be significant, with powerful, long lasting consequences. Today there are more televisions and fewer people per household. In other words, more people are watching television alone (Tepperman & Curtis, 2011, p68). Children spend a great deal of time surfing the internet and watching television. Most of the time, these children are unattended or unsupervised because so many parents are in the labour force spending long hours to provide for their families. As a result of the increasing use of the internet and other sources of entertainment or information such as television, children are more liable to imitate what they see on the television or the internet. There has been a long standing concern that focuses on violence and pornography in digital media; 20 years ago it was televisions particularly music videos; but movies, comics