Impact of Media on Society Media technologies are becoming an important aspect of today's society. Every day, people interact with media in many different forms. Media is commonly defined as a communication channel. Radio, newspapers and television are all examples of media. It cannot be assumed that the media consists of completely unbiased information and that media companies do not impose their own control over the information provided to media users. Since many people use media very frequently, it is obvious to assume that they have effects on people. According to the textbook Media Now, “media effects are changes in knowledge, attitude, or behavior that result from exposure to mass media” (386). This leaves us with many unanswered questions about the media and its influences. This article will examine how media effects are determined and explore the major effects on society today: violence, prejudice, and sexual behavior. To understand how the media can influence society or individuals, it is first necessary to examine different approaches that can be used to analyze the media. According to the book Media Now, two main approaches are used: the deductive approach and the inductive approach. The deductive approach is when a social scientist first presents theories or predictions through systematic observations of the media, and then uses the results of his or her research to support the theory or prove it false. An inductive approach is slightly opposite because this method first examines people's interactions with the media and with each other, and then creates theories from real-life situational research. The inductive approach tends to be used more frequently because its theories are based on real cases. Another difference in how to approach research on media effects is how some social scientists are interested in quantitative information while others are more interested in qualitative information. Quantitative information occurs when the desired outcomes are as many as possible, while qualitative information occurs when the desired outcomes consist of the best and most useful information. All of these research approaches and methods influence how social scientists determine how the media affects society and individuals. The type of studies conducted by these social scientists create detailed profiles of the media and their content and identify trends over time. For example, one study found that exposure to alcohol advertising and television programs is associated with positive beliefs about drinking and alcohol use (Austin 2).