The Effects of Television on Society

877 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Effects of TV on lives

The Effects of Television on Society

The question whether or not television has had a decisive influence on

everyday life and has helped change society, has been questioned by

sociologists and psychologists for many years now.

“T.V. determines what people think and what they do and thus controls

them psychologically and socially. It can make people think things

they would not otherwise think, and do things they would not otherwise

do.“(Srinati, 2000: 179)

This quote is an interesting one as it takes a skeptical view of the

effect of television on society, although it may not be completly

true, the invention of television and the mass media has become a

unique feature of modern society. The development of television has

accompanied an increase in the scale and complexity of social

activities, technology innovation, increased personal income and

standard of life, the decline of more traditional forms of control and

authority and a massive social change accross the world. Whether or

not any of these factors were solely or partly contributed to my

television is a matter of opinion, however there is an association

between the development of television and the mass media and social

change.

The television is viewed as the most important media technology across

the world, it offers viewers entertainment, news, information etc.

However there are many people and parents who believe that television

is an "evil thing that rots the minds of youth." When television first

came out it was predicted that it would lead to children losing

interest in books and school, and make kids intellectually lazy, more

isolated and families woul...

... middle of paper ...

...s of this country.

“Television brings together cultural groups and raises a level of

group consciousness through a distinctive use of language and cultural

symbolism” (Ball-Roreach & Cantor, 1986, p. 38). All these things

would not have been possible without the invention of television. It

is through television medium where a wide range of cultural activities

can reach people in their homes. If television was not invented then

some social and cultural events might not have occurred, therefore

television can be seen as a medium in demonstrating social and

cultural significance in today’s society.

Overall I believe that television is seen by a majority of the viewing

public as a good source of education, entertainment and conversation,

which has helped the world become more tolerant, respectful and

knowledgeable.

Show More
Related

  • Causes And Effects Of The Silent Killer Essay

    1442 Words  | 3 Pages

    Showing the cause and effects of the growth in the use of the television is the purpose of this piece. Individuals do not grasp the full extent of the different areas that the TV has the ability to reach and even manipulate. These “dirty” our sources of truth by perfectly formed propaganda that is absorbed into every area of our lives as a “true” sense of reality or what life should look like.

    Read More

  • Television now vs television in the 80s

    585 Words  | 2 Pages

    Since its introduction in 1946, television has been one of the most important sources of information for mankind. After its debut, television rapidly spread throughout the country and for many it became the gathering point around which the family would meet to talk about the latest news. In the many years since its introduction, television has gradually developed to the one we enjoy today but at the same time this development brought some major changes to its quality. As a matter of fact, I believe that television today is very different to the television I used to watch when I was younger.

    Read More

  • Is Television Ruining America?

    970 Words  | 2 Pages

    Television has long been a part of American culture. From its conception until today there have been people who believe that television is a waste of time and energy and there have been those in the opposite camp who believe that television should be a part of every American life. There is also a middle ground of people who watch television to keep informed on what’s happening in the world as well as entertained by the latest sitcom, or more popularly today, reality show.

    Read More

  • Steven Johnson's Watching TV Makes You Smarter?

    1542 Words  | 4 Pages

    Television has been around for decades. On average people tend to watch television on a daily basis. As society is advancing in the world so is the television culture. People have debated on whether or not television is beneficial for people. Watching television does have an influence on society like keeping you updated on what is going around the world and it is entertaining for people to watch television. It should not be a big deal because in this generation people tend to watch television every day. Television helps individuals exercise their brain and it also help people relieve stress.

    Read More

  • Watching Television: Social Stereotype

    806 Words  | 2 Pages

    After the invention of television by Philo Farnsworth in 1927, this is the most common thing that can be found in any household throughout the globe. But it has not as good reputation as it is expected to have in the houses because there is belief in every house that Television helps in making people lazy, fat and in the worst cases addicted. For example, girls are supposed to have the addiction to the TV series, children to the cartoons and boys to the sports programs. Generally if seen on the online blogs and magazines, fatness of the people is also related to the TV and serials. So there is a stereotype that watching television is bad habit. If any child is watching television then it might not be the best thing that their parents want to watch, because they want them to be productive. In addition to that, the contents presented in the television are also the major problem in this case. A Surgeon General's report last year concluded that 61% of all TV programming contains violence. That provides the stat that if a child spends 3 to 4 hours a day in television then he will see 8000 small screen murders (smith). It might help in the violent character of the child but this is not the all thing television does. If we see in detail the advantages of television has outnumbered the disadvantages and is the best medium of communication throughout the world. Though watching television might be considered to be bad and might have social taboos but it has more advantages than disadvantages and is one of the best scientific innovations done by human being. One scientific innovation has assisted a lot to keep up the growth and development of people from New York to Somalia and from Sydney to Haiti.

    Read More

  • Advantages And Disadvantages Of Watching Too Much Tv

    1074 Words  | 3 Pages

    Before television existed people had to depend on Radio stations to receive their little bit of entertainment and news. But in 1878, the invention of TV began. The first TV made didn’t look anything like the way TV’s look today. It was a mechanical camera with a large spinning disc attached to it (Kids Work). But as over the years, of course, inventions of different TV’s progressed and by the 20th century about 90 percent of our population had a TV in their household (MGHR). Television today is mainly used for people take a break from their life by relaxing and enjoying some entertainment.

    Read More

  • Steven Johnson Watching T. V Makes You Smarter Analysis

    965 Words  | 2 Pages

    Television does hold a purpose in life; whether it is a good one or a bad one is completely up to the person or people who are watching it. For Steven Johnson, in his writing, he begins with a passage that states that watching television is more helpful to the brain rather than harmful. It secludes the person watching it to better understand what is happening in the world today. Arguments have put themselves forward to what has been said in his piece; such as, that certain shows can be helpful for better understanding, but most television is harmful to the minds of youth. Johnson, who has been working on this material for quite a long time, is trying to up hold what he has thought and what

    Read More

  • Television Influence

    1452 Words  | 3 Pages

    ... was first introduced to the world the television has developed a long list of viewers. The television set has played a fundamental role in forming society to what it is today. The television set has become a source of information whether a reliable or unreliable source of it. People around the world can observe the culture of other countries. People of the current generation have the ability to see the culture of the past generations. Television programs were created around the beliefs of society. The television influences people into performing certain actions such as contributing money to help children in need. Advertising agencies are manipulating society into buying material objects by strategically

    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

  • Verbal, Nonverbal, And Representational Codes Of Television By John Fiske

    832 Words  | 2 Pages

    Watching television has become a major part of today’s western culture, people spend an average of three to six hours a day staring at its screen. Television has a huge impact on society and influencing everyday reality. The media is responsible in persuading people to accept a view of society. To understand the correct meaning of what is shown, people have to refer to their knowledge and experience of the world they live in, so that they can differentiate the reality of what they know from what they see in television.

    Read More

  • Television's Influence On American Culture

    639 Words  | 2 Pages

    Television has had a profound impact on American life and culture since its inception in the mid-40s. Television has changed the way Americans process information, entertain, themselves, advertise and has even influenced how we schedule our lives. The movie industry was also greatly influenced by television. Television was instrumental in changing how the film industry operated in response to the growing popularity of television, changing the type of films that would be shown for almost a decade.

    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

  • Television and Media - Relationship between Society and the Media

    2949 Words  | 6 Pages

    As Americans we take pride in our liberating government. But, it is essential to ask how much we, the general public, know about our democracy. Because of the representative structure of our government, it is in our best interest to remain as knowledgeable as possible about political affairs so that we can play an active role in our democracy by voting for candidates and issues. The media, which includes print, television, and the internet, is our primary link to political events and issues. (For the purposes of this essay only print and television will be considered.) Therefore, in order to assess the success of our democracy it is necessary to assess the soundness of our media. We are lucky enough to have a media, in theory, free from government influences because of our rights to freedom of press and freedom of speech, but we are still subject to the media’s interpretation and presentation of politics, as is the danger when depending on any source for information. So, we must address how the media informs us; how successful it is at doing so; and how we should respond to it.

    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

  • The Importance of Mass Media for the Younger Generation

    783 Words  | 2 Pages

    Conclusion, media can be used to promote social growth and thinking skills. If television and the newer electronic media, is used wisely it can have great positive potential for learning and development. Television is a better medium for conveying certain types of information, and it makes learning available to group of children who do not do well in traditional school situations and even to people who cannot read well. People believe media also can make any latest new all around to world reach everyone easily via media mass in a very short time.

    Read More

More about The Effects of Television on Society

Open Document