Media exposure can be defined as the experience of using electronic devices such as televisions, computers, phones, and tablets for entertainment or information purposes. It is usually considered as the best source of gathering information from all around the world. In general, the mass media affects human behavior in different ways; however, when it comes to children's perceptions, they are more likely to be influenced negatively than adults. Children are most susceptible to the negative influence of media. This paper will focus on how the exposure of romance in the media has been influencing adolescents' expectations and relational scripts.
According to research conducted in 2019, there was an increase in the rate of teenagers who claimed that their knowledge about sexual topics mainly came from the internet. This means that the youthful population is exposed to many sexually related issues without parental guidance or control. The results also showed that boys and girls were equally affected, but the latter had higher exposure to pornographic material which they watched together with male counterparts. Sexualized romance in the media portrays a perfect love scenario where one partner gives pleasure to another through acts of lust and attraction. This creates false illusions in young minds about intimacy.
People who see this often tend to think that every relationship should have high levels of passionate sex and therefore set out to achieve them. When these expectations are not met, they become disappointed and frustrated, resulting in unhappiness. In fact, some relationships fail because of unrealistic expectations created by the media.
The media can create unhealthy relational scripts, which further affect the mental health of young adults. Adolescents believe that being emotionally detached from a partner leads to freedom and independence while having frequent sex promotes closeness. As a result, they develop shallow relations characterized by infidelity and lack of loyalty.
Individuals have learned to be selfish as they compete for attention and sexual favors. Another consequence of media-induced relational scripts is gender inequality; men are supposed to be dominant and protective while women are submissive and weak. Relationships built on such foundations may lead to abuse, violence, and even rape. Therefore, adolescent intimacy and expectations are influenced negatively when exposed to media content that encourages such behaviors.