Positive Influences of Television

1476 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: The strength and weakness of TV on children

“Adults should trust teens to be responsible for their media choices and listen to them about why the stories they like are important, instead of fixating on their choices only as an opportunity to lecture on ‘having better things to do’ and ‘all the crap that’s on television’ (Campbell). Though not all television is good for teenagers, there is still a great deal of television aimed at teenagers that understand them without wrongly influencing them. The main concern should be whether, in the long run, television is beneficial or damaging to the overall person. Television comes with its negatives, bad influences from some shows and just outright stupidity from others. It also has some more positive intentions like molding the younger generations’ minds and promoting good morals for younger and older generations. Despite the negative connotation of watching a lot of television, it still can be beneficial to helping one’s mind grow.

Despite many useless forms of mindless entertainment that is in the media, there are a lot of television shows that are good for all ages to be raised on. Some shows promote educational values to feed the younger minds. Sesame Street is a show geared to preschool age children and “Independent research found that children who regularly watch Sesame Street gained more than nonviewers on tests of letter recognition, vocabulary and early math skills” (Guernsey). It is not just Sesame Street, but many shows such as Dora the Explorer and Blue’s Clues, though directed at much younger generations, provide an early example for kids to learn various skills with the intention of giving them an early start long before their schooling even begins. With a wide variety of learning shows that promote the ...

... middle of paper ...

...shion. Families can become united by viewing shows together and using them as an opportunity to have discussions about anything and everything.

Works Cited

Campbell, Richard and Campbell, Caitlyn, Lavery, David and Wilcox, Rhonda V. eds. “Demons, Aliens, Teens and Television.” Slayage. 2 Mar. 2001. Web. 15 Nov. 2009

“The Good Things About Television.” Media Awareness Network. n.d. Web. 18 Nov. 2009.

Guernsey, Lisa. “The Show That Counts.” Newsweek 22.153 (2009): 53-57. EBSCO. Web. 29 Oct. 2009.

Poniewozik, James. “The Breedy Bunch.” Time 19-173 (2009): 18-18. EBSCO. Web. 29 Oct. 2009.

Star Wars: Episode II— Attack of the Clones. By George Lucas. Dir. George Lucas. LucasArts, 2002. Film.

“Television’s Impacts on Kids.” Media Awareness Network. n.d. Web. 18 Nov. 2009.

Weider, Joe. “Watch and Grow.” Muscle & Fitness Aug. 2009. EBSO. Web. 29 Oct. 2009.

Show More
Related

  • Article Application: Television Harms Children by Ann Viorisek White

    606 Words  | 2 Pages

    White, A. V. (2006). Television Harms Children. Opposing Viewpoints. Television. San Diego: Greenhaven Press. (Reprinted from Mothering, 2001, 70)

    Read More

  • Mad TV: The Impact of Televised Violence on America

    1889 Words  | 4 Pages

    Hepburn, Mary A. "TV Violence! A Medium’s Effects Under Scrutiny." Social Education. Sept 1997: pp244-249. SIRS Researcher. Available <http://researcher.sirs.com/>

    Read More

  • The Sesame Street Sociology

    1934 Words  | 4 Pages

    “In the late 1960s, a television producer named Joan Ganz Cooney set out to start an epidemic. Her targets were three-, four-, and five-year-olds. Her agent of infection was television, and the “virus” she wanted to spread was literacy” (Gladwell 89). The Tipping Point is a book on the study of epidemics- including mental epidemics and trends. Sesame Street, still one of the most iconic shows to date, is an epidemic; the splurge of knowledge that appeared in children after it began to air is undeniable. The show started production in New York in 1968. Shows for children such as Sesame Street support children in school and throughout life by teaching them memorable lessons from helpful muppets. Nevertheless, how and

    Read More

  • Television's Effect on Families as Expressed in Marie Winn's Article "The Trouble with Television"

    887 Words  | 2 Pages

    It may be hard to admit, but television has become an intricate part of our everyday lives. People children often find themselves sitting in front of the television screen for a longer period of time than before and this has evolved immensely over the past few years. In this article, “The Trouble with Television,” by the author Marie Winn, mentions that addiction of television is negative effects on children and families. It keeps the families from doing other things and it’s a hidden competitor for all other activities. Television takes place of play and on top of that kids who watch a lot of television grow uncivilized. Also, the author mentioned that televisions are less resourceful for children and have negative effects on children’s school achievement and on physical fitness. Although there are so many other types of addictions but the author Marie Winn’s points of argument of watching television is a serious addiction that our children and families have negative effects.

    Read More

  • Social Comparison Theory On Television

    1050 Words  | 3 Pages

    Television has become a big part in children’s day-to-day lives especially in the 20th century. Children in this century rely on television to keep them entertained and educated instead of entertaining and educating themselves by participating in activities, which will teach them a lot more in life then the actual television. There is no doubt that children are most easily influenced by television because of the different content that they watch as well as the amount of time consumed watching TV. The television does have an emotional and intellectual development on children but this all depends on the content that they’re watching and the way that they absorb the information that the show is trying to send out. Different programs will portray

    Read More

  • Analysis Of The Plug In Drug By Marie Winn

    524 Words  | 2 Pages

    She first offers a counterargument to the thought that a youngster unfamiliar with TV programs will find making friends difficult and will be labeled as an outsider by saying that the other children will respect their independence and recognize the richness of the other activities. She ten gives a counterargument to the thought that the experience that children get from watching television is the same as the adult’s by saying that adults can relate to their past experiences and real life while young children don’t have that real life experience and knowledge to relate the TV programs to. Lastly, she counters the thought that TV is an important source for learning by saying that children who were television-educated use words that they don’t fully understand and “facts” whose accuracy they can’t judge as they don’t have that experience, while the children who learned through reading or other activities besides watching TV can use their minds and bodies to understand and enrich their

    Read More

  • Overview of the Smurfette Principle

    1706 Words  | 4 Pages

    Children in their adolescents years watch a great amount of TV each week and it is almost inevitable that they will start to be influenced by what they see on their television. They will see diffe...

    Read More

  • Sesame Street and its Effects on Children

    984 Words  | 2 Pages

    Sesame Street is a TV show directed towards children. It contains Muppets that experience some of the same problems that today’s children face. They talk about being a good sport, getting new kids in their families, having arguments with their friends, and sharing, just to name a few. While helping children deal positively with the things they are dealing with, the show also has an educational aspect exposing children to letters, numbers, and other pre-literacy items. With all of this being advertised it’s important to make sure that the educational aspect is actually positively influencing the millions of children that watch it.

    Read More

  • Infant learning via t.v.

    1796 Words  | 4 Pages

    The question as to whether television is a good way to teach children has always been hotly debated. There has been studies conducted that demonstrate that school age children can benefit from educational programs geared toward their age range. Some elementary schools in the United States have implement educational shows into their daily classes; even high schools and colleges use educational videos as part of their lectures and many say they are beneficial. Yet there is a new trend that seems to be sweeping across America; infant targeted media products. These new shows are now targeting children as young as 12 months, telling parents that it will help their child develop faster and ahead of their peers. It’s an appeal that no parent could pass up because everyone what’s their child to be the next Einstein. The question however is do these products actually work? This is the question DeLoache et al. (2010) and Krcmar, Grela, and Lin (2007) attempt to answer in their research into media and infant learning. Both studies focus on infant related media shows vs patent interaction, which learning style works the best, and if the claims by marketers about the effectiveness of their shows hold some or any validity.

    Read More

  • Screen Time- Devil in Disguise or Misunderstood?

    1659 Words  | 4 Pages

    Moses, Annie M., and Benson McMullen. "What Television Can (And Can't) Do To Promote Early Literacy Development." YC: Young Children 64.2 (2009): 80-89. Education Research Complete. Web. 18 Apr. 2014.

    Read More

  • How Television Impacts our Children

    1110 Words  | 3 Pages

    Dorothy G. Singer, Jerome L. Singer and Diana M. Zuckerman. Teaching television.- How to use TV to your child's advantage. New York: Dial Press, 1981.

    Read More

  • Television and Media Effect on the Public

    4844 Words  | 10 Pages

    Television is a vital source from which most Americans receive information. News and media delegates on television have abused theirs powers over society through the airing of appealing news shows that misinform the public. Through literary research and experimentation, it has been proven that people's perception of reality has been altered by the information they receive from such programs. Manipulation, misinterpretation, word arrangement, picture placement and timing are all factors and tricks that play a major role in the case. Research, experimentation, and actual media coverage has pinpointed actual methods used for deceptive advertising. Television influences society in many ways. People are easily swayed to accept a belief that they may not normally have unless expressed on television, since many people think that everything they hear on television is true. This, however, is not always the case. It has been observed that over the past twenty to thirty years, normal social behavior, even actual life roles of men and women and media, regulatory policies have all been altered (Browne 1998). Media has changed with time, along with quality and respectability. Many Americans receive and accept false information that is merely used as an attention grabber that better the show's ratings and popularity. Many magazines and Journal reviews have periodically discussed the "muckraking" that many tabloid shows rely on to draw in their viewers. This involves sensationalizing a story to make it more interesting, therefore increasing the interest of the audience. "Along the way, all sorts of scandalous substance and goofy tricks appear, but not much mystery in the logic," (Garnson 1997). People often know that these shows aim to deceive them, but still accept the information as truth. Many times, people have strong opinions on certain topics. Yet, when they are exposed to the other side of the argument, they may be likely to agree with the opposite view. As Leon Festinger said, "If I chose to do it (or say it), I must believe in it," (Myers 1997). This is an example of Festinger's cognitive dissonance theory, which pertains to acting contrary to our beliefs. Television influences many people to change their original beliefs. It has the viewers think that the majority of other people hold the contrary idea. Once these views are presented, people have the option to hol...

    Read More

  • The Negative Effects of Television

    1445 Words  | 3 Pages

    In the argumentative essay “T.V. Addiction” by Marie Winn, Winn relates watching television to having an addiction with drugs and alcohol. The television experience allows us to escape from the real world and enter into a pleasurable and peaceful mental state. When it comes to television, Marie asks the following question: Is there a kind of television viewing that falls into the more serious category of destruction addiction? I believe there is. Why do so many people, instead of doing what they’re supposed to be doing, put everything on hold and just focus on television? I think this is because they want an escape from their problems.

    Read More

  • Negative Essay: The Effects Of Watching Too Much Television

    1082 Words  | 3 Pages

    Television has become one of the major entertainment providers in our modern life. It sits in the living room of about almost every home in the world and it is the one thing that most people like to come home to after a long day of work or school. Not only does it give us something to laugh or get scared at but it also provides us with valuable information about what is happening around our local community and around different places in the world. But, as good as this sounds, Television may be affecting us without even realizing it. Being one of the major distractors in today 's society, it gets us attached to its content in which a lot of people spend a lot of their time watching. Being thus, watching too

    Read More

  • Negative Effects Of Television On Children

    1785 Words  | 4 Pages

    The author goes on to say some shows on tv are actually educational and good for kids. There are a number of great children’s television programs that are popular among small children, such as Sesame Street and Blues Clues. These two shows actually engage kids in ways that are good for small children. But, when children watch television regularly, the effects can be harmful. Since the majority of the shows on television, including cartoons, are not what could be considered educational, it has been found that spending more time watching these shows is linked with poorer school performance overall and decreased scores on standardized tests. So, it would seem to make sense that the more time a child spends in front of a television means less time spent on homework or having stimulating interactions with adults or other children. Also, watching TV late at night is a bad habit for children to get into. This habit makes children tired, so that they can’t pay attention in school. Television shares with young kids all the answers, which promotes passive learning and short attention spans. As a result, kids have difficulty concentrating and working hard to solve a

    Read More

More about Positive Influences of Television

Open Document