Media is an essential part of modern life. It influences people's lives from birth to death, including their expectations of romantic and sexual relationships. This article explains how media affects those expectations by outlining different factors involved.
The most obvious way that media impacts relational expectations is through depictions of idealized romance. Hollywood movies often portray romantic relationships as passionate, intense, and long-lasting. They show couples who are deeply in love, have perfect chemistry, and always support each other.
This representation has little basis in reality because it ignores common relationship issues such as fights, disagreements, and breakups.
These films often present unrealistic body types, which can lead viewers to believe that they need to look like the actors to be desirable partners. These messages shape viewers' expectations for future relationships, creating frustration when real-life romances don't live up to them.
Social media also plays a role in shaping relational expectations. Platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat promote images of "perfect" relationships. Users see couples posing together, sharing cute moments, and showing their love publicly. This creates pressure on individuals to act similarly in their own relationships, leading to false comparisons with others and dissatisfaction if they cannot match the standard set by social media.
Social media influencers frequently post about their sex lives, encouraging followers to seek more frequent or extreme sexual encounters than may be healthy or feasible.
Media consumption also shapes sexual scripts. Pornography is one example, where consumers observe sexual acts that would not occur naturally in real life, such as numerous positions, unusual locations, and multiple partners. This can create confusion about what constitutes normal or healthy sex and contribute to unrealistic expectations of sexual performance.
Movies and TV shows often portray characters engaging in casual sex without consequences. While this might appeal to some audiences, it can make it harder for people who value long-term commitment to find suitable partners.
Reality TV shows often glorify polyamorous relationships, causing viewers to question whether monogamy is necessary or possible.
Media influences how we think about romantic and sexual relationships. The idealized romance of Hollywood movies, the social media pressures of perfectionism, and the sexual scripts presented in pornography all create unattainable standards for many viewers. As a result, these factors must be considered when evaluating relational expectations and sexual scripts.
How does media consumption shape relational expectations and sexual scripts?
According to research, media consumption has been found to play an important role in shaping relational expectations and sexual scripts among individuals. Specifically, exposure to various forms of media such as movies, television shows, music videos, social media platforms, and video games often portray unrealistic depictions of romantic relationships and sex, which can create unattainable standards for many people.