The Impact of Television on Culture
Media plays an integral part in our society today, one of the most known and used platforms is television. Television is a powerful art in the world since it reflects the things that happen in society. Culture is the customs, norms, taboos and a medium through which a community identifies itself. It is dynamic, cohesive, use symbols and passed through generations. Culture encompasses what people wear, the food they eat, religion, music, language and many more (Bennett 2). The relationship between television and culture is dynamic. This is based on the fact that television give a presentation of our society today and therefore influence the behavior of the audience and culture affects through their content. They report and replicate commonly held beliefs about what happens in United States or in the world in general. For example, the content may be about contemporary issues such as love or significant events. This paper therefore seeks to explore and understand how the contents of television influence behavior of the people and hence impacting on their culture.
To start with television both helps in reflecting about the people’s cultures and way of life and at the same time nurturing the moral standards accepted and adopted by the various cultures. Over time, the broadcasters in the various television programs and contents presented have shown their power and ability to influence behavior among the people hence influencing the way of doing things. One of the various examples that can be given is the portrayal of things such as interracial marriages and coupling, marriage within the same sex as well as single parenting as possible and acceptable in the society. Despite such things being condemned by the various cultures over time, in the current culture people have come to accept and live with them. Currently people do not look at these factors as immoral or condemned by their cultures but as part of human life. This is a clear example of how the television plays role of influencing the behavior of the people, the way their see things and hence helping them accept some factors as part of their cultures (Marston).
Television has been on the fore front of spreading information on sensitive topics in society such as homosexuality, religion, racism, politics and mental health to the society today. These are topics that many people find hard to discuss as they are seen as unacceptable in their cultures, through the various television programs the television helps aggravate a countrywide deliberation. They can change people’s perspective on an issue and largely influence how they think after watching the news or presentations in their television sets. For example, racism has been a thorny issue for the longest time in American history (Eichelberger et. al.). Many people would think that the practice died with slavery abolition. However, it did not. For instance, the programs such as Dear White People address racism, especially in colleges. It awakens different emotions and draws attention to the fact that at this day and age racism is still prevalent in America. The supreme court gave a landmark decision on gay marriages. However, the topic is still controversial with much-supporting homosexuality, and others are against it. The movie Philadelphia depicts the life of homosexuals, and what they go through. It helps people understand the effects of homophobia and be more accepting (Dakroury).
Television have a positive impact on our way of life. They may change how people relate to one another, how people dress, language and other cultural aspects. They preserve the culture of community and pass it down from one generation to another. As a way of ensuring there is no erosion of culture, the older generation must help the younger generations learn about their culture. This is through the various fashion and cultural shows aired in our televisions as well as the happenings around the world. In this case, people are able to learn about each other’s cultures hence improving diversity. Some television programs for example helps bring people across the different social classes and age groups together hence improving cohesion and the ability of the people to learn about each other and hence impacting on their cultures, and therefore it is an excellent way to pass cultural education. These programs can also emphasize the importance of education, medicine, and arts which are essential aspects of culture. The characters in the movies can act as virtual role models for the younger generation. Moreover, televisions can help eradicate vices in the society. It can incorporate themes that address the problems and solutions (Eichelberger et. al.).
The television acts as a perfect platform that helps influence the attitude by the people and behavior on several socioeconomic and political issues. Many people have wrong notions on several topics such as HIV/ AIDS. Educative television programs go a long way to dispel myths and misconceptions. They also help the viewer to feel emphatic, and the information will help end the stigma associated with the diseases. Through such programs, one can understand the plight that other people go through such the homeless, the poor and the terminally ill and hence see the world in a different perspective (Goonasekera). Additionally, television through the news and updates help people to keep tabs on history and what is currently happening. Some television programs help inculcate and induce creativity and change the way we think. Suspense and the storylines widen the viewer's imagination and visualization. They also play an important role in entertainment and recreation. They can act as stress and tension relievers. Moreover, televisions enhance cultural exchange (Dakroury).
Television however have a negative impact on society and its culture as well. They are a widely accepted in our lives today since every homestead has a television set where they meet with family members and watch news and other television programs; therefore, we cannot downplay their effect. It affects the way people live and think. Everything a person watches affects him whether consciously or unconsciously. A viewer may try to emulate a character which he considers superior. One may change their way of dressing to look like a celebrity they admire on the films. On extreme cases, some people go through a cosmetic change to look like their idol. Some of these procedures pose a real danger to the well-being of the individual. Copying another individual makes one lose their identity. Television programs may portray life as perfect which is not the case; hence, they may disconnect the viewer from reality. It may change a person’s view from positive to negative depending on how the makers of the film package their themes (Goonasekera).
Televisions are also responsible for promoting immorality and other high-risk behavior. There is a constant rise in controversial content in some of these programs (Marston 3) .They are a favorite source of entertainment, and they can easily influence the imaginations of the audience. For example, having multiple sexual partners is wrong however some films make it look trendy. Therefore, fans may result in infidelity and promiscuity. A teenager may indulge in early sex leading to pregnancy and diseases. Smoking and use of drugs in the films make a person look macho hence the teenagers and youths who are at a delicate stage may result in drug abuse. These practices have adverse effects on health since drug use may lead to addiction and promiscuity may lead to sexually transmitted infections (Mitu).
Every person needs to identify themselves, and culture helps us to do so. Development and diffusion of culture help in cultural unification and promote peaceful co-existence. Cultural unification involves the coming together of different cultures to form one major culture. For example, the African American society may borrow some learning from the native Americans and vice versa. It helps dispel claims of cultural superiority and promote aesthetic appreciation. America is a multicultural state. The different cultures may lead to a clash due to simple things such as a gesture to cruel things such as sexual harassment. The television programs depicting American culture can help solve this by displaying their culture to the world and trying to learn other cultures. It will avoid cultural conflict and facilitate smooth transition and adaptation. For example, the movie Outsource shows the struggle people go through when they experience a new culture (Goonasekera).
In conclusion, televisions generate the illusion of moving pictures, and this makes the genre very popular across all age groups and social classes. Therefore, it is a reliable way to pass information and cultural practices from a generation to another. Despite the fact that television programs may sometimes provide an idealized version of a normal day in an American family or the society, these presentations largely influence the people, through influencing their behavior and the way of life. These programs help pass information regarding our cultures and the people’s way of life and hence influencing the general culture of the people. Whether a television program has a positive or negative impact on the culture and society, depends on the themes and content of the programs. It is the responsibility of the mandated agencies to ensure that television programs contribute positively to the culture and society especially the youth and children.
Works Cited
Bennett, Tony. "Cultural studies and the culture concept." Cultural studies (2015): 548-549.
Dakroury, Aliaa. "Media and Culture." Saint Paul University, Canada (2014).
Goonasekera, Anura. "The influence of television on cultural values—with special reference to Third World countries." Media Asia 14.1 (1987): 7-12.
Eichelberger, Kacey Y., et al. "Black lives matter: claiming a space for evidence-based outrage in obstetrics and gynecology." (2016): 1771-1772.
Marston, Kendra. "Culture of Capitalism." Journal of Media & Cultural Studies (2018): 1 volume 6.
Mitu, Bianca-Marina. "Television's impact on today's people and culture." Economics, Management and Financial Markets 6.2 (2011): 916.