Death+in+Media

In various forms of media today, the representation of death has seen various modifications as it is presented towards the public. Depending on the intended audience, many programs change the way death is presented in order to make it less graphic and more appealing. This change may also come to affect the way people are able to handle the occurrence of death. Whether an image involving death is edited to remove the graphic details or completely eliminates a characters death; the removal of death as we see in popular culture has undergone a gradual decline. Due to the taboo nature death has taken, it seems that pop culture slowly wants to get rid of death in media.
 * Death in Media**

The many platforms of social media, such as Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook, have changed the process of grief as a whole. In the old days a death would be heard of in a certain location and area, a funeral would be set in place and anyone, mainly the family and friends of the victim could show up if they wanted to and there you have your funeral. Nowadays the death of someone is shared on social media. Friends, families, and strangers all alike give their condolences. Therefore bringing people together from a community or many communities to mourn a loss and celebrate their moving on to another life.
 * Grieving on Social media**

Forming Perception from the Media
A study by the Department of Sociology at the University of Ethics talked to kids aged 10-17 about how they process and reflect on death. The study states that while media provides children with an "omnipresent" source on anything death-related, without educated discussions from adults, children are left to form their own uneducated opinions on the topic [1]. If this Coombs study is correctly representative, then children are developing their perspective on death based on what they see in the media.

In the show The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy a clear representation of death can be seen in the character Grim: the Grimm Reaper [2]. The show portrays Grim having an exceptionally friendly relationship with the two other main characters, Billy and Mandy. Despite his ability to take the life of any character he wishes, Grim maintains an approachable reputation as he navigates through the lifestyles of Billy and Mandy. The show's personification of death in Grim allows him to better communicate with the young audience that he is not to be feared.

Real World Death Depicted in the Media
In April 2, 2005 Pope John Paul II died, ending a more than 26 year long term as Pope [3]. The time of his death was a very sad time for the world as preparations were made to put him to rest. At the time of his funeral procession, it became apparent that the media was more interested in the public spectacle the procession than focusing on the Pope's legacy. Displaying graphic images of the Pope in this state multiple times was feared to push away audiences. Shifting the global audience's focus from the death of a prominent figure to the magnitude of the event taking place was a tactic the media used to keep viewers captivated.

A Steady Decline in Real World Violence
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In his above presentation with TED, Steven Pinker examines evidence of a steady decline in violence that has emerged since Biblical times up to the present [4]. Pinker argues that despite the violence we currently experience, "we are living in the most peaceful time in our species' existence".

External References

 * Death in Fiction
 * Death in Fiction vs. Reality
 * Death in Televison
 * Media on Terrorist Attacks

Photographs
(1) " The Grim Adventures of and Mandy . " TV.com . CBS Interactive, Inc, 2016. Web. 23 July 2016.

(2) Latson, Jennifer. " How John Paul II Became One of the Longest-Tenured Popes Ever. " Time. Time, 2 Apr. 2015. Web. 22 Apr. 2016.

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