Masterson 1 Kristen Masterson Dr.

Patel Writing and New Media 16 April 2014 The Evolution of Television and American Culture Although technology continues to evolve and expand, there still remain several different controversies surrounding the issue of television. Television has been a reliable source for news and entertainment dating back to the 1950s. As technology improves, so does the use of television and other media outlets. However, there has been research done that either enhances the use of television in the general society or exploits the problems that it causes. Since there is a lot of information that exposes the positive and negative aspects of television, it is important to investigate this topic further. After gathering and reading many different arguments and data, it becomes clear that television is both helping and hurting American culture. When times change and social boundaries begin to be pushed, television adapts to the new rules regarding the current state of the American culture. The television is simply trying to compete and stay current with the American society so people will not lose interest in the programs that are being shown. There is much research done that proves television has a direct influence or impact on American culture. This will be seen further as the research compiled begins to connect and come together in order to prove a similar goal. When Americans continue to watch the television set religiously, the programs that are being shown will eventually influence or effect their decisions, morals and even their health. In todays society, when something is seen in abundance it becomes a trend and sooner rather than later it will become some sort of phenomenon. The television encourages these types of

Masterson 2 behaviors because it has let many people, places or ideas gain recognition. As this relentlessly continues to happen, Americans will jump on the bandwagon and chase after a similar goal. This can be problematic because there is no line between what is appropriate and what is not appropriate in todays culture. The boundaries are being crossed and the television is showing more sexual and crude behavior. Instead of getting backlash for these things it is getting encouraged because the American culture is changing. Also, because watching the television set exerts no physical activity, it can affect ones health. This has become a major controversy throughout the country especially because the obesity epidemic is prevalent. There is a direct link between the evolution of television and American culture because they are both able to impact one another in either a negative or positive way. Since the television is such a huge part of todays society and culture in America, it is important to explore the positive and negative aspects of this piece of technology. On average, most people spend about sixteen hours per week watching television (Morrison). Since this is a large amount of time to be watching television, one must recognize what it is doing to the American culture as a whole. This interests many people because it is directly impacting the way the American culture is being shaped. For instance, television was once strictly used as a source of information. When big news or world events would occur, the television provided the people with a way to keep in touch with the current events. Since then however, it has developed into more of a form of entertainment as compared to a source for information. When too much free time is spent watching television, there are bound to be some side effects. Although it helps the world stay connected, it can also disconnect them from society at the same time. This is interesting because two polar opposite ideals can be examined by just researching one piece of technology. When people can relate to spending too much time watching television instead of

Masterson 3 doing other productive things, it deserves to be further explored. This is why this topic is particularly interesting and will be useful to many. In order for one to fully understand this debate about television, the positive aspects must be explored. For instance, television is a good resource to have because it brings families together and allows people to share in common interests or ideas. When people are able to watch the same program or news station, they will all be receiving the same information. This aspect of the television will bring people together and create a sense of unity that the group will be able to feel. Many say that, television functions as a social context, providing sensory communication and social congregation as well as a center for meaning (Adams). When you look at television in a social context, it becomes and meaningful and positive thing. The television can act as a center to communicate and unwind after a long day of work. Since the information is quick and resourceful, it will encourage people to make connections and establish relationships. People will gather around the television and it provides entertainment for the group that way conversation and social meetings can be casual and concise. When people discover that they like the same television shows, they will be able to make connections with one another. This makes television a positive outlet for people to come together. The golden age for the television came in the 1950s along with the golden age for families. One of the major positive aspects that came out of this era was the news stations. It has been said that, the golden age of television news gave a large majority of otherwise diverse Americans a unified, seamless and clear-cut image of their nation, central players and its agenda (Blondheim). This was a good resource to have because it kept people up to date with the current events and properly informed them about the news. Since this was readily available to almost everyone, it greatly altered the way people were able to communicate. When news

Masterson 4 stations give certain stories a lot of power, the American society is able to be shaped in a positive way. Although this can also be used to negatively impact the American people, the news is overall a good resource to have access to. Without the news educating and informing the people, much would be lost in translation. In this regard the television provided a positive way to communicate with the country and the rest of the world. Another thing television does in order to help improve American culture is increase complexity and importance. When examining the positive impacts of television, it is important to note that it does not actually alter ones way of thinking. In fact, for at least two decades television has provided the cultural glue which has held our highly pluralistic society together by providing a unified national culture with which the majority of Americans are familiar (Macdonald). This meaning, without the use of television, people would not be able to relate with other cultures and provide people with similarities. A lot of this was discovered people are focused too much on what is being said rather than what is being seen. The picture the television is showing is simply there for entertainment purposes but the words are meant to make an impact on the people. The television is far more complex than the image that is seen on screen and once people recognize that it will stop getting such harsh criticism. This is part of the problem that needs to be fixed when it comes to television. Focusing more on the positive impacts will create more attention and help fix the negative stereotypes that surround the idea of television. Despite hearing about all the positive impacts television has on the American people and culture, there are also negative research that surrounds the topic. For instance, the idea of body image, for women specifically, can be tarnished by what is being portrayed on the television. In todays society there is a strong opinion based on appearance and body image that is hard for most to live up to. This can affect young children early on because the idea of perfection is

Masterson 5 exposed to them early on through the use of television. One particular study found that, television content directly affects the young students when it comes to body image (Anderson). Since the children see celebrities on the television that encourage the perfect, slim body, it can tarnish the way they see themselves. The body image standard in todays culture is nearly impossible to withhold. When this is unachievable and the children do not see perfection looking back at them in the mirror, it will affect their self-esteem. Without television providing a platform for the young and beautiful, these issues in young children might not occur. Although this is a problem seen in a lot of cultures, television impacts the American society greatly. Since the idea of having a negative body image was just discussed, it is important to turn attention to how television can affect health. The act of watching television involves no physical activity and encourages sitting at home. This can influence children in their youth because they make watching television after school a habit. When television takes the place of sports and other activities, weight will become an issue. Although the television should be restricted, it is inviting people to participate in the bad behavior. Research has been done that shows that, as childhood obesity has drastically increased, so too has the ubiquity of television and other screen media in childrens lives (Jordan 120). Since it has been found that television and childhood obesity are both increasing, it can suggest that the two are related. If this is the case, something must be improved about the television that will stop this bad behavior. Children are encouraged to take the easy way out instead of exerting themselves, which will cause even more issues further down the line. This negative impact television may have on children will become a problem because the influence of this technology is seen everywhere. When things are more readily made available to the public, it has a bigger chance of influencing the American culture. For instance, the violence that is seen on TV may encourage

Masterson 6 bad behavior in society. When violent television shows show ruthless murders occurring, it sends the wrong idea out to the general public. The violent acts can directly correlate with violence in society. Television programs are sending the wrong message to the American public because it glorifies bad behavior and encourages disaster. When people look up to these fictional characters it is common for them to want to imitate their actions. Experts on this topic say, Adolescents that perceive violence on their favorite television show and those who perceive it as effective would report more violent behavior than adolescents who do not perceive their favorite shows in these terms (Hartnagel 341). This meaning that when people develop a strong connection to violent characters on TV, they are more likely to want to recreate these acts. Violence in this manner would be troublesome because it would affect more than just one individual, it would affect the entire society. Violence cannot just be inflicted upon oneself but also upon an entire population. Television can affect more than just the individual when it comes to a strong family dynamic as well. Since TV can be time consuming, often times family members can be neglected. When an individual is completely consumed with a specific show, some things will be put aside because of it. In order to make room for a different aspect of life, you must neglect another part of it. However, when it comes to family, this can be a dangerous thing to play with. This can especially be problematic to children because parents may unintentionally neglect their children because of the amount of time that is spent simply watching a television program. Television provides the audience with a place to escape for a while which can put their actual real life and family problems at home. It is important to see that, the operation of the television could be associated with troubled family life because it produces tension and creates an escape that is unprecedented (Rosenblatt 107). Although it is sometimes good to distract the mind

Masterson 7 from underlying issues, it is not always the right way to solve problems. Little by little the TV encourages these negative behaviors and impacts family life. Whether the argument thought that television had a negative or positive impact on the American culture, extensive research was done to prove their point. The research that was discovered overall did a good job in explaining and supporting their side of the argument. When research is constructed this way it is helpful in writing about any given topic. Since all the information was nicely developed, it is easy to put together a website about the television and American culture. A general homepage is first required to draw the audience in and relay what the topic of the website is without giving it much thought. After making a homepage, it is best to pick out the most important arguments and make them into an organized list. This will leave little room for confusion and help create an effective website. Another important aspect would be providing the viewers with some background information on the creator of the webpage. This would be helpful because it will describe the type of person and validate that it is a reliable narrator. Also, making sure the website is ascetically pleasing will encourage more people to look at the site once it is constructed. After all is said and done, a successful website requires good reliable information and a positive appeal.