IntroductionTelevision has been commonly referred to as the drama-infested idiot box which is believed to be the reason why violence, illicit sex and other immoral activities are rampant in our society today. Its power to influence its viewers greatly in terms of advertisement and daily shows is blamed by many scholars as the “root of evil” in this country. Television watching is a common habit not only to adult watchers but also to little children who has easy access to television in their homes.
Clearly, there are many negative effects surrounding the impact of television to our culture. Some instances include the Columbine High School massacre where two high school students went on a killing-spree which is believed to be inspired by Marilyn Manson’s rock ‘n roll music (Anderson). Another media-inspired killing similar to the Columbine massacre is the Virginia Tech massacre where a South Korean national went on two separate killing sprees which is believed to have been inspired by the South Korean film, Oldboy (Gordon). Television violence is further illustrated as negative as the CBS’ Dexter series, a drama about serial killers is allegedly blamed for a filmmaker to commit a murder in Edmonton, Canada (Del Castillo).
These negative impacts of television to viewers cannot be easily dismissed as mere coincidences. Truthfully, television has produced a wide range of negative influences to its viewers. However, it is quite biased if these negative aspects become the sole focus of critics and scholars. It is important to note that television also has positive effects on its viewers depending on the shows that are being broadcasted on air.
Such television shows includes educational programs which definitely helps in educating not only the young minds but also those adult people who are still hungry for learning.Positive Effects of Television on ChildrenTelevision has been around for many years now. Its helpful purpose of bringing updated news and information to all parts of the world has contributed greatly to the rise of the information age. However, it is more than just a visual newspaper or drama-infested box.
In a time when media has empowered the society, it is quite impossible for people to stop the influences which can arise from the impact of television. Regardless if the effect is positive or negative, people cannot be prevented to stop watching television so it would probably be better if television can be used in the most useful way. The positive effect of television lies on the quality and content of the television shows. Clearly, educational programs and those shows which promote good behavior and inspiration can be deemed as the most beneficial effects of media.
Television can have a lot of advantages in terms of visual education. It is artistic in its own way and it also promotes creativity by means of giving us ideas about art such as motion pictures. The advantages that it gives usually depend on the channels that people usually watch. Educational programs such as National Geographic and Animal Planet can be quite helpful for the education of the youth.
Sometimes these channels are even more interesting to see than most class lectures are. Research states that these kinds of educational programs help children to learn more about nature especially at a time when technology diminishes a person’s chance to have direct contact with nature (Kellert 66).The content of television shows is important most especially today when it has become a habit to children to watch television on primetime and during the weekends. Research reveals that “children who watched low-action/low-violence programs showed more imaginative play, with considerable decreases seen among children in the high-action/high-violence group” (Thakkar et al.
5). In this regard, it is important to note that the problem does not lie on the fact of excessive television watching but on the content of the shows being watched by children.Television is also considered to be helpful for children to learn even in a young age of two. Images on screen can be easily perceived by toddlers and can therefore be of help even if they are not yet receiving any formal education (Thakkar et al.
7). To several scholars, t appears that “rather than proclaim that many children ‘watch too much television’ it is more useful to ‘accentuate the positive’ and to do all we can to make children reflective, critical viewers” (Mallett 329). Apparently, it is too late to change the ways of media in portraying violence on television so it would be better if television producers would bank on airing more quality shows for viewers especially for children.Positive Effects of Television on Racial IssuesAccording to research, “There is evidence that educational television shows that emphasize diversity can change children’s racial attitudes” (Thakkar et al.
5). In the study of American Pediatrics Association, it is revealed that “multiracial inserts into Sesame Street changed the short-term intergroup attitude of preschool children in Canada” (Thakkar et al. 5). The study experimented on having white preschoolers watch episodes of Sesame Street with nonwhite children on the video inserts.
When they were asked later to point out in a photograph whom they would like to play with, majority of the children selected nonwhite children. Clearly, the insertion of other people from different races reveals that children can be prevented from developing racial discrimination.Nonetheless, television has made program innovations such as reality programs which have gain controversies with regard to its highly edited results and canned scripts. Nonetheless, some still have high hopes regarding the positive effect of reality programs on other life aspects.
It has been a common scenario that, “nonwhites are underrepresented in almost every aspect of the television industry — except for reality programming” (Braxton). According to Trevor Phillips, the head of Commission for Racial Equality, “In the past, black and Asian people tended to have been on television because we’re exceptional – exceptionally talented, exceptionally brave, or exceptionally stupid or exceptionally criminal” (BBC News). Apparently, racism is one of the moral and social issues that are being addressed and solved gradually by some television shows.Positive Effects of Television in LiteracyAnother aspect that television has clearly developed is the literacy and reading rates of some countries.
Mass media’s promotion of popular culture in America and Europe has definitely affected a great deal of the youth population. In the case of the United States reading rates, novels such as Harry Potter and Twilight have produced a surprisingly greater number of young readers and followers. This is quite unexpected due to the common notion that the youth have gradually stayed away from literature because of technology. The fact that the popularity of these young adult series has touched the curiosity of many young people reveals the ability of mass media to encourage young people to read despite its remarkable lengths.
As for Harry Potter and the Twilight series, some research asserts that, “it would seem these novels are the cultural elixir of educational tools for creating a literate society, something that educational systems have had a hard time doing” (Steinberg et al. 238). With regard to the novels’ success, it is clear that television and media’s effective advertisements are the primary motivators of reading.The overexposure of these two famous novels due to incessant television advertisements and author interviews on talk shows reveal that it is possible for young people to engage in reading activities and even encourage them to follow the works of a particular author.
“Most teens know J.K. Rowling, and many languish between installments of Harry Potter. Using her name recognition to draw the reader’s attention to other similar books can work very well” (Booth 118).
Certainly, mass media has contributed to the reading rates of America in terms of the “reading activity” alone. Scholars believe that no matter what the content and language these books carry, they do help in improving a person’s skills in language. Media’s role in promoting novels by means of adapting some of them in films and using the internet to provoke forums from fans makes it easier for people to become curious about the particular product. ConclusionMedia is definitely good in triggering the curiosities of people and this is their way of gaining more consumers.
It is true that mass media is commonly used to promote commercialism but since it is a very influential tool, its power can also help the education system’s progress. The fact that most young people nowadays rely on media for information shows that media is also a good way to encourage them to value the importance of reading and education. Scholars agree that the disadvantages of television are related to the moral and intellectual ability of the society. According to Valenzuela et al, “Moral panic is a common reaction to new forms of communication” (3).
Most young people nowadays resort to superficially fulfilling tasks such as fashion trends, cosmetics, sexual activities, and MTV. Television influences them to behave in such a way that they are starting to believe that it is the acceptable behavior. In this regard, it is important to weigh the situation with an open mind. In a time when television has become a basic social need, it is not practical to pick a side exclusively.
It depends on the amount of time consumed in watching television and the type of programs that are being watched. Having specific time limitations in front of the television could help (A Guide for Parents). One can discipline himself/herself into limiting his/her television time to 2 hours at most on weekdays and 5 hours on weekends. There also good programs on television which are worthy to watch such as educational programs, movies, inspirational drama series and the likes.
Watching television does not always produce harm; watching excessively does. Works Cited“A Guide for Parents: Television and Your Child.” University of Iowa Children’s Hospital. 27 April 2009.
;http://www.uihealthcare.com/topics/medicaldepartments/pediatrics/tvchildren/index.html;Anderson, John.
“Bowling For Columbine.” 11 October 2002. Newsday.com.
27 April 2009. ; http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/movies/ny-etbowl2960584oct11,0,5392580.
story;Booth, Heather. Serving Teens through Readers’ Advisory. United States of America: by ALA Editions, 2007.Braxton, Greg.
“Reality TV helps break down racial barriers” 22 February 2009. Seattle Times. 27 April 2009. ;http://seattletimes.
nwsource.com/html/television/2008766946_realitytv22.html?syndication=rss;Del Castillo, Valerie Anne. “’Dexter’ Allegedly Inspired Murder in Edmonton.
” 08 November 2008 Buddytv.com. 27 April 2009. ;http://www.
buddytv.com/articles/dexter/dexter-allegedly-inspired-murd-24308.aspx;Gordon, Devin. “A Killer’s Movie Connection.
” Newsweek. 27 April 2009. ;http://www.newsweek.
com/id/35322/output/print;Kellert, Stephen. Building for Life: Designing and Understanding the Human-Nature Connection. Washington D.C: Island Press, 2005.
Mallett, Margaret. The Primary English Encyclopaedia. New York: Routledge, 2007.“Reality TV ‘helps race relations’.
” 28 June 2005. BBC News. 5 March 2009. ;http://news.
bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4629253.stm;Steinberg, Shirley R.
, Priya Parmar ; Birgit Richard. Contemporary youth culture: an international encyclopedia. Connecticut: Greenwood Publishing Group, 2006.Thakkar, Rupin R.
, Garrison, Michelle M. and Dimitri A. Christakis. “A Systematic Review for the Effects of Television Viewing by Infants and Preschoolers.
” Pediatrics. 27 April 2009. ;http://pediatrics.aappublications.
org/cgi/reprint/118/5/2025;Valenzuela, Sebastián., Namsu Park. and Kerk F. Kee.
“Lessons from Facebook: The Effect of Social Network Sites on College Students’ Social Capital.” 5 March 2009. ;http://online.journalism.utexas.edu/2008/papers/Valenzuela.pdf;;
