7.09

There have been many ways governments over time have tried to stopped malicious activity. They have been on TV, newspapers or word of mouth. But, a more effective and popular way has been gaining steam in the past century. This is the PSA. It is the government’s way of telling people to stop malicious activity without much work. But, are they effective? Do they prove useful in stopping malicious intent?

PSAs have been used throughout time since media was created. It has been proven to be effective throughout time in stopping/slowing heinous acts such as Drugs, nicotine and alcohol. It has also been effective on inattentive drivers with PSAs ranging from fatal crashes to heartfelt stories. The companies who produce them look to make the shock and effectiveness high, so they will be stuck in the viewer's mind and make the message followed. Through research, PSAs have raised awareness for issues such as deforestation and endangered species, increasing donations given to the non-profits. Now, back to driving, PSAs use the model I mentioned before, utilizes the minds of the viewers. They know that if they shock the viewer with something relating to their message, they can ultimately make the viewer eventually agree with their opinions and messages. This goes back to car safety PSAs. They can make a person become a more attentive and cautious driver, as it worked on many. They show a fatal accident, and BAM, you got the crowd’s attention. It is shown to have worked in many cases and still works till today.

What about the other view from the room, where the PSA is ineffective or overly effective? Then, the message and money were wasted. PSA usually tend to be the latter and not the former. Many PSAs play during hours where children watch, such as Saturday morning. Children, when exposed to some of these ads, can become traumatized. This can lead to PTSD and many other mental conditions, requiring at some points psychiatric or therapeutic help. With driving PSAs in particular, you may have kids who have a lifelong fear of cars and driving. Some studies have shown that these ads are too scary, and should be toned down and put at different time slots to be more effective and not scarring.

PSAs have been around for a long time and in that time, have affected many lives in a good way. They have changed people from doing activities that can harm them and saved them from going down the rabbit hole once more. Though, they have also proved to be harmful or ineffective somewhat, especially when shown to younger demographics. Traumatization has occurred from them, and PTSD. Though, I’d say the benefits outweigh the risks, I do believe measures can be taken to reform PSAs into a less traumatizing event.