Media Analysis Project - Final Paper

Television has become a major form of communication in the world. The role of the television is airing information to the viewers. The information aired on television has a certain impact on the viewer as they understand it differently. There are many opinions on how the TV information affects people, and this paper gives an insight into the topic as analyzed using personal, historical, technical, ethical, cultural and critical perspectives.

Thesis statement

The content of television can be harmful to the viewers because the TV information and programs jeopardize the personal principles. This is because of imitation of pop stars and bad behaviors. The sex talk on TV may also influence pornography. The TV programs affect society through increasing crimes and other antisocial behaviors spread through the content of the television.

Personal Perspective

I am a Television fanatic, and I love watching various TV programs. However, the TV does affect me negatively at times since I tend to forget about the most important things I am supposed to do. I find myself watching the television for a lengthy time in which I tend to forget about other home chores I am supposed to do. Also, I would find myself in school discussing a movie series with my colleagues instead of reading. I have therefore seen the need to come up with an analysis that outlines a transparent understanding of effects of the content displayed on TV. The primary role of television is to deliver news in addition to creating content for discussion (Christine, 2013). Various opinions and thoughts on the TV are subject to consensual discussions. The analysis should ideally consider the stand of the viewers and the favorite entertainment pattern of the viewers. The new trend is to make a relative comparison to what is seen on television to what is happening in the people’s real life.

Historical Perspective

The TV has been seen to influence bad behaviors over the history since some television information is misleading. There are cases of crime and violence that have been caused by TV. Some violent programs have been found to create gender violence in many homes. The television is a visual medium in which the viewers freely watch their preferred programs. However, their thinking is open-minded to television behaviors to benefit fully from them. According to Dr. Victor B. Cline, families have been faced with significant challenges in controlling the television use in their homes. Convinced by his vast amount of research over the history, Dr. Victor B. Cline agrees that the fantasies, models, and images that people are repeatedly exposed negatively affect the self-image. Historically the TV has affected our society in various negative ways. Imitation of famous TV stars like Kardashian spread worldwide. Many teens were affected through a tendency to want expensive things, attitude and more sex appeal leading to less individuality. Also, the MTV show Teen Mom, gave many people the thought that teenagers were irresponsible and stupid.

Ethical Perspective

In ethical perspective, the TV spreads the unethical practices. The TV series called Arrows, for example, is about corruption, and this exposure may encourage the behavior to some people. Oliver Queen is the main actor who returns home after getting stuck on an island for five years to fight crime and corruption rampant in his hometown of Sterling City. Dressed in a hood and face painted, he forms a team of three to help him with tracking and making the suspects own up to the police over their criminal activities. According to research, people tend to do what they see on TV. When a rule is established for a certain proposed action or idea, behavior and opinions must be consistently and always applied by it, and many people tend to copy. Similarly, Jersey Shore, an MTV favorite, made a reputation for New Jersey. It is that Jersey has many crazy partiers drinking all the time. These TV shows are putting a lot of negativity on people even though they are favorites of many.

Technical Perspective

Technically the TV can negatively modify the behavior of children as they grow because their mind is strongly affected. According to the Brain development research, the overuse of TV among children can result in adversely affecting the impulse control and executive functioning. The viewer must be in the position to know how the medium of the presentation will affect him/ her. Knowledge of behavior change will make a viewer be in a position to know whether the TV will be healthy or not, whether little or great care will need to be taken, or whether little or more time will be spent in watching TV.

Cultural Perspective

The watching of TV has led to the erosion of morals that are critical in our cultures. The access to sex talk on the TV has increased pornography. For example, the Television and Your Child program were found to encourage pornography. Also, this incredible and effective propaganda vehicle has influenced culture negatively as depicted by Schultze, in Redeeming Television. Many communication professionals like Schultze have lamented most people are remarkably naive about the ultimate consequences of TV information in within a society. According to the Media Assault on the American Values, the report has revealed a striking correlation between permissive moral views and the exposure to television. It found that heavy television viewers are more permissive about sex, homosexuality and abortion. Also, they are likely to attend to religious services and less committed to character virtues like charity and honesty.

Critical Perspective

The commercial television usually broadcast the information that would bring profit without which can harm the viewers. The research has found that different people blame the TV for some harm caused to them. The critical perspective has provided all-round analysis of the program that draws on the ability to study a particular video and draw general conclusions about the medium, the culture in which it was produced and the effect it has on a viewer. The viewer is likely to use the information learned from a medium to postulate general comments concerning society that accepts or rejects the video and images. Therefore, the critical perspectives re-define a person's initial personal perspectives with regards to universal conclusions among human nature. The TV programs reflect on what happens in the society, and a person may imitate some negative things. Sometimes, accidents do happen, and it takes more than our skill to survive to ensure successful maneuver. The society we live is tainted by social evils such as corruption, drug trafficking, discrimination, crime and political gimmicks. There is a need for people to stand up for all the disadvantaged groups within the society and deliver them from oppression. In as much as the savior might face resistance from well-armed cartels and individual elements, strategy and the spirit of persistence will make sure that one day all the right deeds prevail over the bad.

Conclusion

Television has proved to be an important tool for analyzing the society as it displays events happening in real life (Shepherd, 2012). We have seen that there are various ways in which watching of the television affects people negatively. The viewer must, therefore, take the time to reflect on the impact that such information is going to have on his immediate environment. In summary, the thesis statement can be concluded that the content of television can be harmful to the viewers.

REFERENCES

Shepherd, R. (2012). Elementary Media Education: The Perfect Curriculum. English Quarterly, 25, 2-3

Christine, D. (2013). Putting the ME in Media Literacy. Middle Ground: The Magazine of Middle Level Education, 6, 15-21

Luke, C. (2009). Media and Cultural Studies in America. Journal of Adolescent and Cultural Literacy, 42, 623-645

Glen, M. (2009) Television Analysis, California, University of California