The American media plays a huge role in shaping our culture’s religious views and morals in the 21^st century. It is important to see how much American’s use the media. California State University at Northridge has some television statistics gathered by TV Free America regarding American’s use of television media. There are 6 million videos rented daily in America, and over 6 hours per day are spent watching tv in the average American household. With this considerable amount of time and money being spent we need to ask what it is that Americans are investing so much of their lives and resources absorbing. According to Box Office Mojo in 2009 there were 20 PG-13 and 20 R rated films that hit the box office, while only 9 G rated films made it that far.

                

            Those are some big numbers and that doesn’t even touch on the vast influence that the internet or the music industry has in our society. With such a massive influence it’s important that we know who is producing all this material. The mass producers of movies in America are Dreamworks, 20^th Century FOX, United Artists, and Paramount Pictures, Universal Studios, Warner Bros., Walt Disney, and Pixar just to name a few. The main television producers include the major networks like ABC, NBC, FOX, CNN and many others.

                

            These are the people that are setting the standard or norm for how we act in society. Do their values mesh with yours? Do your personal values comply with theirs? Maybe your personal values have been molded by what they’ve been feeding you and you might not even realize it.

Cal State statistics: http://www.csun.edu/science/health/docs/tv&health.html

Box Office Mojo statistics: http://boxofficemojo.com/yearly/chart/mpaarating.htm?yr=2009&rating=R&view=releasedate&p=.htm