Television Impact on Society introduction

 Television Impact on Society

Introduction

TV is a constant presence in most Americans' lives. With its fast-moving, visually interesting, highly entertaining style, it commands many people's attention for several hours each day. Studies have shown that television competes with other sources of human interaction—such as family, friends, church, and school—in helping young people develop values and form ideas about the world around them. It also influences viewers' attitudes and beliefs about themselves, as well as about people from other social, ethnic, and cultural backgrounds. Between the 1940s and 2000s, commercial television had a profound and wide-ranging impact on American society and culture. It influenced the way that people think about such important social issues as race, gender, and class. It played an important role in the political process, particularly in shaping national election campaigns. TV programs and commercials have also been mentioned as major factors contributing to increased American materialism (a view that places more value on acquiring material possessions than on developing in other ways). Finally, television helped to spread American culture around the world. Some critics argue that outright racism (unfair treatment of people because of their race) was the reason that so few minorities appeared on television. But television industry analysts offered several other explanations as well. In the 1950s and 1960s, for instance, the broadcast networks tried to create programs that would attract a wide audience. Before research tools became available to gather information about the race and gender of people watching, network programmers assumed that the audience was made up mostly of white viewers. They also assumed that many white viewers would not be interested in watching shows about minorities. In addition, the networks did not want to risk offending viewers—or potential advertisers—in the South who supported segregation (the forced separation of people by race). Whatever the reason, prime-time television programming largely ignored the real-life concerns and contributions of America's racial minorities for many years. In the early years of television broadcasting, commercial sponsors created many of the programs that appeared on the air. Large companies, like the consumer products giant Procter and Gamble, would purchase an hour of airtime on a network. Then they would hire an advertising agency to develop an entertainment program to fill that time. The sponsor's name was often made part of the title, as in the Texaco Star Theater (sponsored by the Texaco oil company) or the Camel News Caravan (sponsored by Camel cigarettes). Advertising messages about the sponsor's products would appear throughout the programs. Most of these early commercials lasted sixty seconds. They typically explained how the product worked and made statements, which may or may not have been true, about the many ways in which viewers might improve their lives by buying it. The broadcast networks then took over the production of programs—building sets and hiring writers, directors, actors, and camera operators. Advertisers had less control over program content, but they could still choose which programs to sponsor. Many advertisers avoided programs that featured unusual characters or hotly debated subjects that might upset their customers, the viewers. As a result, the networks became less likely to produce this sort of program, because they did not want to risk losing potential sponsors. During the 1970s, TV advertising began to grow more creative. Instead of providing a straightforward explanation of a product and its benefits, commercials began using the power of television to associate products with more general feelings or moods. Several new commercials attracted positive attention during this time. One example is the classic 1971 Coca-Cola "Hilltop" ad, in which a diverse crowd of people comes together for a chorus of "I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing." The beverage in this ad was associated with peaceful interaction between different kinds of people. This era also saw the rise of public service advertising. These commercial messages encouraged viewers to take some worthwhile action, such as donate money to charity or quit smoking. By the 1980s television had made the American advertising industry more powerful than ever before. Companies spent lots of money to develop and test TV commercials in hopes of influencing viewers' attitudes toward their products. Newspapers and magazines began reviewing the latest trends in advertising and presenting awards for the most creative or effective commercials. There were even special TV programs dedicated to showcasing the year's best or funniest commercials.