The idea that people are not influenced by what they see on screen is one Karen Bardsley aims to disprove on Friday.

In a lecture titled “Pornography and the Power of Images,” Bardsley, an assistant professor of philosophy at Morehead State University, will talk about how what people see on film impacts their behavior.

UK philosophy professor Natalie Nenadic said Bardsley’s topic is extremely relevant in today’s society where people are bombarded with media.

“If film didn’t enjoy this influence, then companies would not pay millions of dollars for 30-second television advertisements. And the pornography industry would not make billions of dollars annually,” Nenadic said. “But most viewers insist that they are well aware of the difference between film and reality and that they aren’t hopelessly manipulated by the film images they view.”

Bardsley will speak on how moving images shape perceptions in general but especially in relation to pornography. Nenadic said these perceptions dramatically affect the way the viewer treats women.

“This topic is important because we live in a society that is becoming increasingly pornographic, from the pornography that floods the Internet to the way that pornography has recently become mainstreamed in the media and in the wider culture,” she said. “Studies show that pornography plays a major role in the way men and boys view and treat women and girls, teaching them that sexual abuse and exploitation is normal.”

The lecture is hosted by the Department of Philosophy in conjunction with a seminar Nenadic teaches titled “Modernity, Pornography, and Sex Equality.” Nenadic said discussing the power of pornography with young people is vital because college-aged men and women are a demographic largely affected by porn.

“This topic is relevant to college students and others because, as studies show, the majority of men, especially college-age men, view Internet pornography on a regular basis and tend to see women in the ways that pornography portrays them,” Nenadic said. “This talk can help them begin questioning what they are doing. And it can give support to women who, in their everyday lives, are trying to resist being seen and treated in these ways by the men around them.”

The lecture will take place Friday at 4 p.m. in room 228 of the Student Center. Admission is free and open to the public.