The Effects of Television on Society
Recent studies from all around the world have proved that Television has an effect on people as individuals and as a whole. We have coined the phrase "couch potato" for people who sit around watching TV all the time. There has been numerous studies on people of all ages from toddlers to senior citizens on what effects television has on the human psyche. No one can say and believe that television has no effects on society. It is argued constantly whether television reflects society or society reflects what they see on television. TV has become a major part of every American home. Many other developed countries are just the same. Society is what is on television. It is real people acting like another real person writes them to act. Society is making TV so in my opinion neither society or TV actually "reflect" one another, but they blend into pure entertainment. One way or the other, people and society as a whole are affected by television in many ways. Many People like to argue that television is horrible and that it ruins kids minds. There is good evidence to support this view also. Robert DuRant is one of the many people that believe what children are exposed to teaches them how they are supposed to act. He
Some specific shows have been shown to influence peoples behaviors. WWF, for example, has been proven to increase not only the use of violence, but also the use of cigarettes, alcohol, drugs, and more. (McLellan 1-3) What are kids thinking when they are watching wrestling and the coolest guy comes out and downs a beer and then wins the match. They are thinking, man that is cool, I want to be like him. Okay, so all kids do not think exactly this way, but a good number of them do. Oprah influences society in another way. Millions of women watch Oprah every day and pay very close attention to what she and her guests have to say. Women ask Oprah and Dr. Phil their most important questions. How does TV not affect society again? Oh yeah, it really affects society in many ways and on more than one level. Television consists of images and situations within which we grow up and live. In other words, we learn from TV whether we even realize it or not. At any time of day you can turn on the television and see something that you have never seen before. If you are not even paying attention you might even catch something subliminally. Considering how much Americans watch TV now days, most people seem to be paying more attention than that though. It is the same thing as sporting events have done to kids even before television. Before television, but not before sports, all boys wanted to be a football player, baseball player or some sports star. Now days there are still those who want to do those things because they see them on TV, but there is also those who want to be movie stars and newscasters. This alone proves that television has effected society just by the fact that it has created a humongous amount of jobs. Some people shape their lives around being on and around the television business. Others shape their lives around watching television. How many women do you know, and even some younger girls, that tape their favorite soap or soaps when they have to go somewhere during the day. Everyone knows at least one woman who does or has done this. This is also an example of an effect of television on society, planning around what comes on TV. Television not only affects society in the short-term, but also in the long. Columbia University's Jeffery Johnson did a study on about 700 boys and girls about some longer-term effects of television viewing. He and other researchers followed the kids for seventeen years and took into consideration family income, childhood neglect, and psychiatric disorders. With all these things accounted for, the fact still remained that violent television viewing resulted in adults who behaved more aggressively than people who viewed TV much less. This study was published in Science magazine. The editorial that accompanied the study said that it p
Some common words found in the essay are:
Considering Americans, Shannon Kennedy, Jeffery Johnson, Discovery Channel, Unfortunately Americans, , Adolescent Psychiatry, Dr Phil, American TV, TV Kennedy, society television, affects society, affect society, violence television, believe television, television viewing, television affect society, watching television, violence sex, grows watching, television people, everyone's own opinion, kid grows watching, television affects society,
Approximate Word count = 1897
Approximate Pages = 8 (250 words per page double spaced)
|
