The Role of Television in the UK - Essay Example

The Role of Television Television spreads very rapidly across UK society as soon as it first became available. Television has become an attractive and time-consuming device as soon as it is introduced it causes powerful and permanent reallocations of time. It is often reported that as television enters a society, attendance at a variety of public functions, including sports and movies, declines. In modern society, the role of television is tremendous because it has a great impact on views and values of people, form identities and ideals of the population, inform and persuade the target audiences. The primary purpose of television is entertainment and amusement. For many people, television replaces reading and theatre, movie and other forms of entertainment. The introduction of television into society seems to have an important effect on frequent hobbies and activities, according to research done in Great Britain in the early 1990s as television was being introduced into that country. An initial decrease in all activities, but most infrequent activities tended to "rebound" after the novelty of television wore off. Television has yet a different meaning to teenagers as its role is limited (Charlton 2001). Most adults watch television for entertainment and information -- and as a means of "unwinding" from a long day of work. The effect television has on adults is different than the effect it has on children, however, not only because they watch different kinds of programs but also because they have a different understanding of the world. Television has become our most powerful and pervasive mass medium. Virtually no home is without a TV, even if there is no telephone. Families watch television an average of seven hours a day. Television has rapidly permeated both our public and private spaces; as TV sets have multiplied inside the home, they have also moved into hospitals, train stations, airplanes, restaurants, and even parks and beaches. For instance, reality shows and soap operas are the main forms of home entertainment for millions of people (Signorielli & Bacue 1999). The most popular are the Castaway, Celebrity Wrestling, The Experiment, Hells Kitchen. Watching these programs, people rely on television for much of their information about the world. It has surpassed newspapers as the primary source of news for most UK viewers In national emergencies, TV is where people turn for information and reassurance. This dependency on television endows it with considerable power—to focus national attention on a single event, to make or break a candidate, and to set the agenda for public debate (Charlton 2001). Another important role of television is to gather and to hold and audiences. In this case, both programmers and advertisers are interested in this same question, then how do they measure success? TV producers use a variety of methods, each with certain strengths and weaknesses, to measure the audience for an individual station or network. Advertisers and programmers know the size and the general composition of the television audience based on the information they receive from these audience counting services, of which there are several (Charlton 2001). These services draw a sample from the population of television viewers in order to estimate the audience at any given time. Several different sampling techniques are used to determine the information of interest, which includes: (a) when the television set is on and for how long, (b) what channel the set is tuned to, and (c) the demographic characteristics of who is watching, television is a device used to sell goods and services, sometimes to enhance the image of corporations, and occasionally, during elections, used to improve the image of politicians (Charlton 2001). Television informs viwers about the world, in part by showing us pictures of the human drama being enacted throughout the world, often as it is actually happening. Television’s appeal knows few age, sex, or education barriers. Television is the universal informant. There are a lot of educational and informational programs on television. The themes shown on the dramas are seldom in conflict with the values of the society as a whole, nor with the marketing industry. Indirect effects are interesting, but they may be largely temporary (Charlton 2001). There is reason to believe that such effects on society are only short term because the changes brought about are either adapted to or accommodated in some way. Sponsors had direct control over program content. Advertising messages were often integrated directly into the story line. Sponsors reviewed all scripts and story ideas, deleting any material that might reflect negatively on their products. This direct relationship between sponsor and product made it possible for outside groups to pressure the television industry by threatening sponsor boycotts. Anti-communist groups effectively employed this tactic as part of a sophisticated campaign to blacklist alleged communists in the television industry (Ward & Rivadeneyra 1999). Television has a great impact on choice and views of viewers representing potential consumers. Television tells viewers that it is good to be thin and sleek, that fat people have to be ashamed of themselves. Television tells us that our hair should always be combed and we should always be on display. Television tells viewers all these things and many more by indirection, by the images it shows and the values it conveys. Consider, for example, the problem of body image (Charlton 2001). In the past few years several researchers have reported that UK’s show a large discrepancy between their images of themselves and the actuality. Most people, especially young people, are unsatisfied with their bodies. They think they are too fat. This is particularly true of women. For instance, many popular soap operas and serials such as ’Neighbours’, ‘Emerdale Farm’ popularize ideal body image. Most of the people on television are thin and fit. On television thin is the ideal and someone overweight, even slightly overweight, is often ridiculed. Most of the people on television are in good shape because they are actors and actresses, it is part of their job to be in good shape. According to Ward and Rivadeneyra (1999): Televisions role as a sexual educator in our culture is one of contradictions. On the one hand, TVs accessibility, frankness, and popular appeal make it an excellent instructor, offering a convenient way to learn about sex without embarrassment. While TVs sexual messages are not necessarily visually explicit, they are abundant, and often provide information youth do not get elsewhere (p. 237). Television forms opinions and ideals of the population, For instance, violent media influences the emission of aggressive scripts in a variety of ways, through arousal and providing cues that are similar to the aggressive cues in everyday life. Violent television helps remind violent people that aggression is a socially acceptable way to resolve problems. So, in the emission phase the internal representation, the script, manifests itself in actual behavior partly in response to the current situation and partly in response to acquired and maintained habits of behavior. Again, there is no claim that television alone produces this result, but rather that it encourages and facilitates it. The striking correlation, described earlier, between viewing aggressive television at age 8 and criminal behavior at age 30 attests to this connection. The violent television at age 8 is not directly related to criminal behavior at age 30, but rather a part of a long cumulative learning process. Television is a cultural mirror which has failed to reflect their image accurately (Charlton 2001). The representation function of television is explained by the fact that it depicts social and political life, highlights events and problems faced by the society. At its best, television is the most powerful medium of communication ever devised. It can help an entire nation mourn the loss or success of political leaders. It can inform viewers clearly about the workings of government, or business deals. For instance, BBC news and Channels 4 have a great on views and perception of current events and political situation around the world. Television documentaries have the power to galvanize people into action. Documentary is one of the most powerful things television does, and sadly it has done so with less and less frequency in recent years. At its worst, television is as bad as its worst critics suggested it might be (Charlton 2001). In some countries television is used by petty dictators to make them appear godlike to an uneducated population; in others the information provided is what the party in power wants believed. Even in the most technologically advanced and well educated countries television is used to sell politicians like soap and deodorant (Gunter et al 2000). The power of images to manipulate attitudes is most clearly shown in the use of television by political candidates. Almost as soon as television became a major force in the mass media, clever politicians started to use it to enhance their political careers. But television’s greatest power is in its role as the central storyteller for the culture. It is the fiction programming, even more than news and public affairs, that most effectively embodies and reinforces the dominant values in UK society. This is what has made television such a critical target for political groups. Television like motion pictures, engages audiences through a powerful combination of narrative and visual images. But unlike theatrical movies, television tells stories around the clock. Following Signorielli and Bacue (1999): Televisions role in society is one of common storyteller - it is the mainstream of our popular culture. Its world shows and tells us about life - people, places, striving, power and fate. It lets us know who is good and who is bad, who wins and who loses, what works and what doesnt, and what it means to be a man or a woman” (p. 527). For instance, Family Affairs vividly portrays life of ordinary people, their troubles and life hopes. The networks, cable services, independent stations, and public television pump an enormous volume of fiction programming into UK homes every day. No other mass medium has ever supplied such a large quantity of story material on a continual basis. Prime time draws most of its material from contemporary life, refashioning it to fit television’s own commercial and institutional conventions. Though the patterns of this "world of television" do not match the contours of the real world, the more people consume TVs images, the more likely they are to confuse them with reality. Even those who dont watch a great deal of television find it hard to escape the influence of these images. For instance, it was found that “cartoon viewing was significantly correlated to post-TV antisocial scores over all children, but within the sexes for girls only, and this relationship survived statistical controls for pre-TV antisocial behavior” (Gunter et al 2000, p. 65). Activist leaders used the mainstream press to publicize their campaign and to generate support from people outside the gay community. They also made specific appeals to professional organizations. In sum, television programs and shows are fundamentally designed to hold attention by entertaining and/or informing the audience. The basic purpose of commercials, on the other hand, is one of persuasion -- changing the beliefs, attitudes and behaviors of viewers. Nearly all of the non-program content of television has this persuasive character. Whether the non-program content is an advertisement for a product, a public service, or a promotion for a TV program or movie, the purpose of the message is to persuade the viewer. This persuasion could be aimed at getting the viewer to adopt new attitudes or engage in new activities, or it may involve reinforcement of already existing attitudes or behaviors. It could simply encourage viewers to watch the next show, or remind them that there are poor children who need their help. In doing so, these short messages may also entertain and/or inform the viewer, but the primary psychological mechanism is one of persuasion. Bibliography 1. Charlton, T., Gunterm B., Hannan, A. 2001, Broadcast Television Effects in A Remote Community. Lawrence Erlbaum; 1 edition. 2. Gunter, B., Charlton, T., Coles, D., Panting, Ch. 2000, The Impact of Television on Childrens Antisocial Behavior in a Novice Television Community. Child Study Journal vol. 30, iss. (2, p. 65. 3. Signorielli, N., Bacue, A. 1999, Recognition and Respect: A Content Analysis of Prime-Time Television Characters across Three Decades. A Journal of Research vol. 40, iss. 7-8, p. 527. 4. Ward, M.L., Rivadeneyra, R. 1999, Contributions of Entertainment Television to Adolescents Sexual Attitudes and Expectations: The Role of Viewing Amount versus Viewer Involvement. The Journal of Sex Research vol. 36, iss.3, pp. 237-238. Read More