Effects of Mass Media

James gets in trouble at school for trying to kickbox his classmates like they do in video games. Olivia watches a lot of televised high school dramas and worries that appearing too “smart” will make boys not like her. Are media messages influencing the attitudes and behaviors of these kids? We have already seen how audiences and other factors shape media messages. In this section, we will explore the research and theories on how mass media messages might actually shape us.