Television and Its Imapact on Society, Film_&


		Data Bases
		• Custom Term Papers • Free Term Papers • Free Research Papers • Free Essays • Free Book Reports • Plagiarism?

		Links
		• Top 100 Term Paper Sites • Top 25 Essay Sites • Top 50 Essay Sites • Search 97,000 Papers @ DirectEssays.com • Search 101,000 Papers @ ExampleEssays.com • Search 90,000 Papers @ MegaEssays.com

		Free Essays
		• Term Paper Sites • Chuck III's Free Essays • Free College Essays • TermPaperSites.com • My Term Papers • Get Free Essays • Essay World • Planet Papers

Search Lots of Essays

Back to Subjects - Film & TV

Television and Its Imapact on Society

Television and Its Imapact on Society Vladimir Kosma Zworykin created a rudimentary versionof the television in 1924; however, the first realistically working television was made possible by Philo Taylor Farnsworth in the 1940s. These televisions were exceptionally expensive, consequently only the affluent members of society had access to them. It was only in 1960 beginning with the presidential election that the television became fashionable to the common public. From that moment on, television has had an immense impact on nearly every facet of our social order, from political affairs to child behavior. This paper will observe some of the more remarkable proceedings and issues television has, and is still, concerned with. Ultimately, this essay will conclude with the nature of influence this solitary device has had on our way of life throughout the years. Television can, and in many cases does, transform the public attitude of political events, as was illustrated in the Vietnam War. During the Vietnam War, Hollywood began generating films in order to rouse controversy over the war. These films were filled with anti-war propaganda and allusions to World War II, which triggered America?s contempt for American involvement in the Vietnam crisis. Upon seeing this and becoming conscious of the threat Hollywood posed, the government began to use those same strategies against the cinematographers. Government documentaries began to come on the scene to give significance to what was happening in Vietnam. From that point on, the Vietnam War became a ?television war? because it was said that more citizens were watching the television than the actual war. Journalists began to show ?history through camera lens.? One such journalist is Walter Cronkite. Cronkite visited Vietnam after the Tet Offensive, and publicized his conclusions on national television. His remark that ?the [Vietnam] War can not be won honorably? caused Lyndon B. Johnson to withdraw himself from the Democratic Primary Election. Vocal oppositions to the war pealed out across the country as a result of the television broadcasts. Rallies, protests and demonstrations began draft-resistance movements. Scenes of cruelty, maimings, bombings, dying Americans, and fleeing refugees flooded American homes everyday. Reporters did everything in their power to show Americans how brutal and barbarian the American troops were. Many historians claim that the disgruntlement of American society over the war rested almost exclusively on the shoulders of the television media. When John F. Kennedy was shot while parading in Dallas, the news media were recording. After he was dead, they replayed the scene countless times for viewers in their homes. Then as that came to a close, they began to see Ruby murder Oswald, the state funeral, a tiny boy solemnly salute his father?s casket as it passed, and then finally the family light the Eternal Flame in Arlington National Cemetery. These things would forever have an affect on America. The media?s role in John F. Kennedy?s death transformed him, in the eyes of many, into a hero. The surfacing of television media into presidential campaigns set unique guidelines for presidential candidates. In some cases, performing well in front of a camera is the leading factor for candidates to be selected. In addition to this, television participation destabilizes political parties, and influences both the political agenda of the contender and voter turn out. The mass media provides information about the qualification of candidates, and issues that will confront the nation after one of those candidates assumes office. The information offered focuses on a candidate?s personality, style, image, capacity, relation to the public, philosophy, and government organization. Thus, presidents are elected based on how they are portrayed by reporters. These influences are faulty, according to many political experts, since they do not permit the voters to see an unprejudiced point of view. It is also noted that people who rely on television as their major source of enlightenment are more politically cynical than those who draw from other sources. Michael Robinson?s ?Public Affairs Television and the Growth of Political Malaise? presents the idea that sums up most political activist?s perspective of television. He says, ?Events are frequently conveyed by television news through an inferential structure that often injects a negativistic, contentious or anti-institutional bias. These biases?evoke images of American politics and social life which are inordinately sinister and despairing.? The Scientific Advisory Committee reported that television violence is a major cause of childhood aggression. The American Psychological Association says that by watching television, children may become unaffected by brutality, and then mimic that violent behavior. They also claim that children will become less perceptive of the pain and suffering of others while at the same time becoming more apprehensive of the world as a whole. In an account by the American Family Association, it is stated that before a child reaches the age of 13, he or she will have observed 100,000 acts of televised violence, and 8,000 acts of televised murder. These acts, over time, will desensitize children both morally and psychologically to the point where they do not know the difference between actuality and fantasy. However, not all experts are of the same mind on this matter. Some deem that television has very little control over society as a whole, not only juveniles. That is exemplified by publicly broadcasting the executions of prisoners sentenced to death. This publicity neither reduces homicide rates nor promotes other homicides. In relation to the affect of television on children, David Horowitz states during a recorded debate, ??TV is like rap music. Do you think suburban kids, listening to rap, talking about shooting cops?then go out, join gangs, and do that? It doesn?t happen.? Education establishments are familiar with television?s effectiveness in schooling. These are television programs such as ?Sesame Street?, ?Mister Rogers Neighborhood,? and ?Barney.? Not only do they instruct children in learning their numbers and colors at an early age, but they also promote self-esteem and social skills. During the Korean War, the rights to a book titled M*A*S*H* were bought and the book was then transformed into a television show. This television show was created to keep American sentiments about the Korean War in check. At this point in time, the government was trying to avoid creating another social problem as there was during the Vietnam War. This seemingly whimsical show was in fact a coping mechanism of sorts for the American people. The terrorist acts of aggression that took place on September 11, 2001 opened up a spacious margin for television to gain a bit of positive ground. Patriotism surged through every television set nationwide. Through commercials and speeches, a revival of nationalism began in America. The sight of Congress singing ?God Bless America? left the country feeling amalgamated and closer than it had in many years. In this case, television gave Americans a common bond, a feeling of oneness. Television is a wonderful communication tool. In a matter of seconds it can relay information from one end of the world to the other. However, its potential for destruction far outweighs that of its potential for advantage. The large quantity of violence and other atrocious scenes that play out hundreds of times a day upon this piece of technology is no match for the fleeting uniting influences it sometimes has. For some people, television is the only truth that is known. Using that truth to manipulate a society is utterly despicable. Make no mistake that television has had an impact on society. That in no way can be disputed. Nevertheless, that impact has been a negative one, which has led to a moral and social decline in America. Bibliography: Bibliography Bailey, William C. ?Murder, Capital Punishment, and Television: Execution Publicity and Homicide Rates?, American Sociological Review, Vol. 55, No. 5, (October 1990) Boyer, Paul S., et. al. The Enduring Vision. Lexington, Massachusetts: D.C. Heath and Company, 1996. Cook, Thomas D., et. al. ?The Implicit Assumptions of Television Research: An Analysis of the 1982 NIMH Report on Television and Behavior?, Public Opinion Quarterly, Vol. 47, No. 2, (Summer, 1983) Grabber, Doris A. ?Press and Television as Opinion Resources in President Campaigns?, Public Opinion Quarterly, Vol. 40, No. 3, (Autumn, 1976) Hallin, Daniel C. ?The Media, the War in Vietnam, and Political Support: A Critique of the Thesis of an Oppositional Media?, The Journal of Politics, Vol. 46, No. 1 (February 1984) Hillard, Robert L. ?Television and Education?, Journal of Higher Education, Vol. 29, No. 8, (November, 1958) http://www.aabelard.org/tv/tv.htm http://www.apa.org/pubinfo/violence.html http://www.infosearch.com/encyclopedia http://www.mash4077.co.uk http://www.parenthoodweb.com/articles/phw247.htm http://www.uweb.ucsb.edu/~elly/social.htm ?Is the Problem with Television or Viewers??, American Enterprise. March, 1999 Rollins, Peter C. ?The Vietnam War: Perceptions Through Literature, Film, and Television?, American Quarterly, Vol. 36, No. 3. (1984)

Word Count: 1265