Film, Radio and TV - 31
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The Social Impact of Television Part II
In the next four modules we'll examine the social impact of television from the standpoint of seven major criticisms. * Although there are almost as many gripes about TV as there are viewers, it would be difficult to find a complaint that didn't fall into one of these seven areas. When we get through presenting all seven criticisms, we'll look at some of the positive effects of television. The
critics of TV say that television:
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Debases the arts and audience tastes
This criticism, which some see as a bit "hi-brow," is more relevant to U.S. programming than television in countries that take a more paternalistic approach to content. In the latter case some countries seek to give audiences what's in their best interests as opposed to what they are most interested in. In its films and TV programs the United States leads the world in entertainment programming--but not in film and TV programming that many feel is more socially desirable and beneficial. Compared to the United States, many countries feature much more in the way of current events, documentaries, in-depth news, "good" music, and meaningful dramatic productions. Since there are no alternative TV stations in many of these countries, people watch this programming and, as a result, develop a greater understanding of world events and a greater appreciation for the arts. Having lived in one of these countries for a number of years, I can attest to these effects. It was not unusual, for example, to find a farmer or fisherman with less than a high school education who enjoyed classical music and opera. At
the same time, when any one person or group decides what is Who would you trust to decide what you should and should not know about--what you should and should not be able to see on television or read in a newspaper? For example, even though the Philippines was considered a democracy, President Marcos was able to retain popular support for 20 years--largely though his control of the media and his suspension of his country's constitution. During
this time, the controlled media tended to paint Marcos and his regime
in glowing terms. Things that would hurt his image--and there were many--went
largely unreported. When simple bribes didn't work, news people who
didn't go along "disappeared," or were found floating in rivers.
You can read more about this The Philippines has now regained it democratic foundation, although it required a revolution. At the same time, the citizens in many countries can only see or hear what their government approves of; and that's primarily what supports the interests of the country's rulers. For example, during President Bush's trip to China in 2002, the President's remarks to a college audience on freedom and religious tolerance were edited out of a transcript released by the sate-run New China News Agency. Thus, we have a dilemma. We know that things like media violence (to be discussed below) are hurting U.S. society--even though they are linked to ratings and profits. But, when countries turn media content decisions over to some individual or agency in order to provide more beneficial programming (however that's defined), the people not only lose much of their right to chose what they will see and hear in the media, but they can even run the risk of losing their freedoms. The only answer is a very difficult one to bring about: education. But, at the same time, this type of education is difficult or impossible to achieve if television primarily panders to the lowest common dominator. 2.
Undermines
Moral Standards This area of criticism garners Chief among the moral concerns, of course, are casual sex (sex outside of marriage or without a loving commitment) and gratuitous violence (unnecessary and graphic violence added to programming for the sake of ratings).
In
the minds of many, not only is casual sex a sin, but it leads to Even though some influential U.S. groups have opposed sex education, the two-decade decline in the rate of unwanted pregnancies in the United States is due largely to sex education, motivated in measure by an open discussion of these issues in the media. Countries where sex education information has even been more readily available have even lower rates of unwanted pregnancies and sexually transmitted disease. Empirical research related to depicting consensual, nonviolent
sex is at odds with prevailing popular opinion. This emotionally-charged
issue is covered in, "Sexual Imagery and the Law," which is
The
issue of Youth, Sex, and TV looks at this from a another angle, and
is covered
But in "real life," violence and murder normally have profound and lingering effects on both the people involved and on their friends and families. This painful reality is normally glossed over or ignored in film and TV drama. It's significant that even 80% of Hollywood executives (who have vested interests in maintaining profit-related violence in on TV) feel there's a link between TV violence and real-life violence. Studies
show that heavy viewers of TV violence tend to be more "paranoid"
In this regard it's time for another "reality check." Although you might not be able to tell it from watching TV news or crime dramas (which tend to emphasize violence), overall, the percentage of most types of violent crime in the United States has actually been decreasing. We've
noted that violence in films and TV, although related to ratings and
profits, causes harm to individuals and society. If you did not read
it earlier, this is covered in some detail
For decades some viewers in the United States have made demands on government officials to do something about violence and sex on television. And for decades not much has been done--except for veiled threats that some direct governmental action might be taken. Except for content that has been defined as illegal for standard broadcasting, such as pornography and the use of words deemed obscene, no direct action can be taken without trampling on freedom of speech and opening the door to censorship. The issue was to a degree put under the control of parents in a provision of the 1996 Telecommunications Act. The Act requires new television sets to contain "V-chip" circuitry allowing parents to block programming they feel is unsuitable for their children. However, since this option requires time and effort to program, and since many children watch TV alone, the V-chip has, to date, had a limited effect on viewing patterns. Here are the content ratings that V-chips should recognize: V-Chip Ratings
In the minds of some, economic exploitation and escapism are also major moral issues, but we'll cover these under separate topics in the next module. The last of the moral issues to be cited here are the above-the-law behaviors exhibited by many TV and film police officers, detectives, and heroes. Although it may be much simpler to have a hero "do what's necessary" to bring "the bad guys" to justice, trampling over the laws of society in the process communicates the idea that if you are right--or at least if you think you are right--you can then simply ignore laws. As many court cases have revealed after all the facts were in, people who were originally thought to be the criminals, ended up being innocent. In fact, more than 120 people on death row in the United States--sometimes for decades--have later been proven innocent. Plus, it's difficult to find someone who will not try to justify his or her behavior in some way--no matter what they do. For example, defrauding a company can be justified because "they are ripping off people and they deserve it." Hurting someone can be justified because he or she "had it coming." Even murdering someone has been justified because "she is bad," or because "he was messing with me." Even religious beliefs are used to justify illegal behavior. However, In order to enjoy the level of social order that we do, we must all abide by the laws we've established. Thus, programs that send the message that it's okay to ignore the law to achieve "what's right," create major problems. *Although the roots of these criticisms are unknown, some apparently originated in the writings of Dr. Sydney W. Head, who until his death in 1991, was considered one of the most prolific and respected writers in the field of broadcasting. In the next module we'll look at more of issues related to the social impact of television. |
"good" and "bad" for everyone else, we enter a dangerous
area. The survival of a democracy rests on a free flow of information
and an informed electorate.
the
most complaints from viewers. Although there are many moral issues related
to media content, sex and violence create the greatest stir. (As we
life-threatening
disease and unwanted pregnancies. But, a "reality check" is
important in this respect.
Those
who criticize television for showing gratuitous violence cite the findings
noted in the last module that U.S. children typically see 16,000 murders
on TV by the time they are 18. Most of these murders appear to be without
consequence and most are represented as the ready "solution"
to a problem.
about the level of violence around them. They also tend to be more suspicious
of people, in general, and more inclined to view their surroundings
as "unsafe."
