Television has influenced viewers in many different ways since television had come out. It had portrayed many different aspects of life that had applied to many of the viewers. Viewers had absorbed many things displayed on television, some of the key elements that had influenced the viewers were commercials, storylines, characters, actions being taken during the shows. Viewers may not even be aware that they are being influenced by the shows; the influence can be so subtle. There is a lot of strategy that goes into influencing the viewers, especially during commercial advertisements.
Commercial advertisements that are on television are placed very specifically based on networks, program times, and through that advertisers try to find who is watching at what times. This will allow them to get an idea about which audience is watching the advertisements. Based on the shows, it is safe to say that the general viewers of that show can be determined. An example of reaching out to the target audience is an advertisement like “Christian Mingle”, which is a dating site specifically for Christian singles. Marketers would ask, what shows are these people watching, and how can we connect with them. Based on extensive research they would place their advertisement at a time where they feel Christian singles are watching.
One important time that advertisement is used is when there is a big event that will gain many viewers. An example of this is the Super Bowl that occurs annually, in the 2012 season, had an estimated 108.4 million viewers. The amount of viewers is important because it is reaching out to more viewers, which may or not be part of the target audience. Regardless, it is still reaching out to more viewers, which means more possibility of the advertisement being successful. Any media being shown to a person can influence them, whether they are interested or not, because when the media is being shown to them, it is reminding them of it, whether they are interested in it or not.
Aside from commercials that take place in between the programs being shown, the actual programs have an influence on the viewers as well. It is possible that it is a stronger influence, depending on the show. Shows such as “Community” and “The Big Bang Theory” portray characters in their everyday lives. Just watching how the characters act in the episodes can let viewers think about why the characters are doing what they are doing, how they act, what they wear, how they talk. The programs can show different perspectives from each character. This allows the viewer to analyse the situation better, and see where each character stands. An example of this is clearly portrayed in The Big Bang Theory, where we can see how Penny feels about Leonard, and vice versa. Both have feelings for each other, which they both may not know about them entirely. Another example is in Community, where there are always mixed signals between the characters, which allow for many thoughts to go into the viewer’s mind. The more that the viewer thinks about what is going on, the more effective the influence is.
Shows that revolve around family, such as “That 70’s Show”, “Married with Children”, and “Fresh Prince of Belair” all have different views of family, and with all of these views going to the viewer’s head, it is possible that they will start to contrast between them all. Viewers may see what each role of the family member does differently, for example, contrasting Beverley from Fresh Prince of Belair to Kelly in “Married with Children.” The way they act in their own families, what justifies those actions, and how can it relate to the viewer’s situation with her family. It is possible that television can have a negative influence on the viewer, depending on who is watching what. Young viewers are kept in mind for this point, as they are highly impressionable.
There was an experiment that had taken place, with the purpose of finding out whether children mimic violent images that appear on television. The children were lead into a viewing room, and were to watch scenes of an actor doing certain actions, such as a hugging a doll, and then in another instance, beating the doll. The children were asked to mimic what they had seen the actor did, and they had done so. This proves that the child is able to do the same actions that they saw, but if they had never seen the actions in the first place, they would not know how to do it.
This is how such a subtle thing can become such a problem, as younger viewers may not know when to use the actions appropriately.
Television may not be as simple as it seems, as viewers are just watching television shows that they are interested in. but there is also what is in between the television shows that they watch. Even just the show itself can have such a strong influence on a viewer, to change their life dramatically. Whether it be for the better or worse, television does have the ability to change people. Looking at trends in media, then seeing how viewers may react to it, and then based on their reaction comes more trends.
It is all being researched, and the more research that the industry has done, the more effective they can be at reaching out the viewers. Television will always have an influence on the viewer, simply because the viewer is being reminded whenever they are watching the program or commercial, it is back in their mind, and if it is in their mind, it is effective advertising.
Works Cited
- “2013 Super Bowl falls short of television ratings record.” ESPN.com. N.p., 04 febuary 2013. Web. 9 Aug 2013.
- Winston, Robert. “Robert Winston: Children do mimic violence on TV.” The Guardian . N.p., 07 Jan 2004. Web. 9 Aug 2013.
