Television’s Impact on its Viewers
Problems arise abundantly in almost every situation, and solutions are even more scarce. To find one great solution to a pressing problem of contemporary society is difficult, yet not impossible. Americans are plagued by the influences of television day in and day out. It is one of the main constants in many individuals lives, while grabbing the attention of families in ninety-eight percent of America’s homes and is kept on for an average of six and a half hours every day (Cheney 2). Perhaps there isn’t a problem so much in the fact that so many people have this mysterious box on for periods of time, but rather the problem lies in the way the viewer interprets the program that is being presented to them. How much control does the viewer really have over what programs they watch and when? How can a viewer monitor their viewing as well as their children’s in a manner that will benefit them both? And what is the solution for those who watch television for hours on end, giving up employment, schooling and other important duties? These questions will be addressed throughout the course of this paper, along with the best possible solutions that I have conjured up for such a controversial topic.
Television has become nearly unavoidable and American society is more affected by television than they realize. According to Nielsen Media Research, the average TV household in the United States now owns two sets, which are watched just over 30 hours every week by the typical American adult (Mahler 12). American society is more affected by television than is realized. Television offers thin slices of the real word, becoming a version of reality that is created by numerous components from mechanical parts to people, making up the medium of television. Because what is heard and seen on TV is a lot like what is experienced in real life, it’s easily and unconsciously assumed that what is on television- the sex, the violence, the commercials, the cartoons- is real, true, or normal. Viewers must realize the difference inbetween the fiction of TV and the reality of their own lives.
The term “couch potato” has been coined for those who sit around and watch television all day. Rutgers researcher Robert Kubey is one of the many academics troubled by the trend of excessive television viewing.
Presently 98% of the households in the United States have one or more televisions in them. What once was regarded as a luxury item has become a staple appliance of the American household. Gone are the days of the three channel black and white programming of the early years; that has been replaced by digital flat screen televisions connected to satellite programming capable of receiving thousands of channels from around the world. Although televisions and television programming today differ from those of the telescreens in Orwell’s 1984, we are beginning to realize that the effects of television viewing may be the same as those of the telescreens.
In an article ' The Plug-In Drug ' the author Marie Winn discusses the bad influence of television on today's society. Television is a ' drug ' that interfere with family ritual, destroys human relationships and undermines the family.
In the world today watching television is so addictive that everything else looks unattractive. The author argues that television is not lethal as drugs and alcohol but it can have many effects such as children getting more violent and reality seem second best. Every person lives are filled with emotions including anxiety, depression, and stress so after long hard work day the best medicine is to turn the television on and not to worry about anything. For example, I usually drive from site to site to take care of business. So when I return home from work I will sit on my couch and turn the television on and flick the channel until I fall to sleep. As Marie Winn describes, "the television experience allows the participant to blot out the real world and e...
Each year the number of health care associated infections (HAI) increases and has been estimated to be in the hundreds of millions of people around the world. In the United States this accounts for approximately 1 in 25 patients ("Hand Hygiene Basics," 2014). Health care associated infections are considered to be the most persistant adverse event in health care. Hand washing is considered to be one of the best methods for preventing the spread of infection and that poor hand hygiene places patients at high risk ("The Evidence for Clean," n.d.). Patients receiving care in hospitals, long term care facilities, and nursing homes are especially at high risk for developing infections while being cared for. Most health care associated infections
...s and measurement to decrease healthcare- associated infections. American Journal Of Infection Control, pp. S19-S25. doi:10.1016/j.ajic.2012.02.008.
Patients seek health care services to get relieve or complete resolution of their health problems. Unfortunately, some end up with hospital acquired infection (HAI). HAI have a negative effect on the patient, the payer and the institution. This paper discuss the author’s interview with a health care provider on challenges encountered in addressing infection prevention, risk management strategies used in the organization’s infection control program , risk monitoring and maintenance and his view on infection prevention. HAI are preventable and individual health care provider, their institution, the patient and any other player involved must perform their role in infection control to reverse the current trend.
Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) have been a persistent problem in the United States for decades. Yang et al. (2013) stated that “Nosocomial infections or healthcare-associated infections are defined as a localized or systemic condition resulting from an adverse reaction to the presence of an infectious agent or its toxin. There must be no evidence that the infection was present or incubating at the time of admission to the acute care setting” Also if infections occur within 48 hours of being discharged from the hospital or a healthcare setting, then it is considered as a healthcare-associated infection (Daud-Gallotti et al., 2012). Healthcare-associated infections can be easily prevented, however they are held accountable for hundreds of thousands of deaths for the past few decades. They have been known to increase rates of drawn-out hospital stays, cost, morbidity, mortality, and readmission to the hospital (Montoya & Mody, 2011). When antibiotic-resistant organisms (AROs) are involved with these types of infections, the rates are expanded even further and usually cause many more fatalities (Srigley, Lightfoot, Fernie, Gardam & Muller, 2013).
In 2008, 21% of adults in America aged 18 and older were current cigarette smokers while another 21% had been former smokers and 58% had smoked less than 100 cigarettes in their life, according to a CDC survey (Pleis 10). These statistics result in almost half of the United States population being smokers at one point in their life. The tobacco industry is huge in order to provide cigarettes to the quarter of Americans that currently smoke. The statistics that resulted from the survey did not even include other types of tobacco products, which are just as harmful. However, even realizing the harm that tobacco products can cause, tobacco companies use a variety of devious methods to draw people in to buy their product, especially younger people. With all of the money flowing in from their consumers, tobacco companies lobby very heavily in Congress and the House to prevent laws and regulations that will cut into their profits. According to tobaccofreekids.org, the tobacco industry spent $10.6 million to lobby Congress in the first half of 2003 (Tobacco-Free Kids). Organizations such as the American Legacy Foundation are annoyed by the lies that big tobacco companies tell; they decided to bring the truth out into the open. The aptly named “truth” campaign opposes the tactics that tobacco businesses use to advertise their product, and the campaign has decided to fight against the lies to provide the truth about cigarettes and tobacco. The truth campaign’s anti-smoking ads present a stunning portrayal of smoking that reflects the influence tobacco companies have on youth while also illustrating the consequences of addiction and use.
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...
The Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) Program is an essential force maximizing quality, patient centered care, and safety throughout the Veterans Affairs North Texas Health Care System (VANTHCS). The VANTHCS “... is a progressive health care provider in the heart of Texas ... we serve more than 117,000 Veterans and deliver 1.4 million outpatient episodes of care each year to Veterans in 38 Texas counties and two counties in southern Oklahoma” (“VA North Texas,” 2016, para. 1). The purpose of the IPC Program is to guide a facility-wide approach toward identifying, preventing, controlling, and eliminating healthcare-associated infections (HAIs). This approach is facilitated through infection control (IC) practitioner’s role-modeling behaviors of assessing, supporting, guiding, and/or directing healthcare providers (HCPs) in the application of evidence-based practices (EBPs) to prevent HAIs. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), HAIs are often preventable adverse events that pose a major threat to patient safety (“Centers for Disease,” 2016). As a result, IC practitioners recognize the importance of preparing nurse faculty to engage clinical staff in the application of EBPs to prevent infections.
In this article “Tobacco Advertisements Encouraging Smoking” the author claims that the advertisement makes cigarettes most successful product in American history. According to the office of the Surgeon General, in1998, tobacco companies spent 6.7 billion dollars on marketing (Williams.pp.50). We see the big poster on the wall and a hero demonstrates smoke as a good behavior in the move. As we look back to 2007 campaign for the feminine Camel No.9 brand, girls’ night parties, gift bags, and print ads in fashion magazines had a significant impact on teens. Indeed, tobacco companies have a strategic advertisement for consumers to smoke (Roman pp.1). However, I believe that the tobacco companies maintaining cigarettes ads in order to play role in people life to make a decision to smoke. As I see the three main reasons to start smoking; Advertising, Friends smoke, and Family members smoke.
The responsibility of preventing hospital acquired infections does not solely rest upon the feet of the nursing staff. The effort must be a team effort that includes all of the personnel at a facility.
Our generation has been raised in a technological advanced world and there has been definite controversy over many of these innovations that this new culture has brought. An innovation that has troubled the youth of America for many years is television. Although there is no certainty to eliminate this 'plug-in drug,'; there are many ways to control and monitor your television as a parent.
When television first came on the market about fifty years ago, families had one television at the most in the household, and most families only used the television for the news or for an occasional show or two. Today, it is a rarity if you find only one television in a household. Most families have numerous televisions in their house and use it more and more for entertainment purposes. People of all ages are addicted to television. On average, people watch about thirty hours of television a week. But the people who go beyond this mark are known to society as “couch potatoes';.
To many children, TV can be appealing because they find the colorful cartoons interesting and instantly catches their attention. But, as entertaining and fun Television can be, spending too much time looking at your big fifty inch flat screen TV can eventually impact your life. It seems like if you just spend all your time sitting on the couch, you may find yourself preparing fast meals, such as a ham sandwich thrown with some potato chips on a plate or just driving to buying something from McDonald’s. But this can eventually affect your health. If we give Television too much attention it can also affect relationships with parents, siblings or a partner. It can slowly become an easy addiction to come home to, sit on the couch and spend the rest of the day watching all the shows we like. Lastly, too much Television can affect our mood which can lead to certain thinking and