Thousands of
laboratory studies, field experiments, as well
as co-rational experiments all reveal that though
there is no credible evidence which may suggest
that there exist a direct cause and effect relationship
of television on our lives. However the single
largest common factor to emerge from these numerous
studies is that watching television is one of
the many vital factors affecting aggressive behavior
amongst our lives. One may also observe that today,
television is not a source of information, as
was commonly conceived since television was first
launched. On the contrary, television is used
as a background noise, a substitute for babysitter,
an excellent alternative to protect our children
from the somewhat mean activities on the streets,
as well as an excellent means to avoid social
interaction by members of the same family.
Cause and Effect of Television - Violence
As also reiterated in the opening
lines, one of the numerous factors that have very
strongly influenced the live of our youth and
children alike is the cause and effect relationship
between viewing violence on television and violent
behavior. To give some credence to such studies,
findings have proven that people watching television
become more fearful of their surroundings, become
desensitized to real violence, and are also affected
with respect to their creative capacity.
An insight to violence too reveals that media
and scholars have differently interpreted it,
with each group ever in search of a decisive meaning.
For example, the media views and presents violence
through the television as something very normal,
such as disasters, verbal threats, coercion or
intimidation, car accidents, and destruction of
property. On the other hand, the scholar's view
of violence is more than different, as they perceive
it as an invisible behavior with a tendency to
build over a given period of time (such as the
hours spent in front of television). This invisible
nature of violence allows the general viewers
of television and makes violence appear as something
perfectly normal, in turn making them desensitizes
to its impacts.
Positive Aspects of the Cause and Effect
of Television in Our Lives
Though violence is indeed one of the numerous
ills as a byproduct of watching television, yet
one cannot ignore the tremendous opportunities
and potential provided though the medium of television.
As also mentioned in the above paragraphs, television
may be used a source of background music, a substitute
for avoiding social contact (such as a conversation
between a tired husband and his wife, or their
children). It is also used as a mere excuse for
ignoring the more important social responsibilities
of a family life. Yet, most of us have grown amidst
an environment where television has been just
another piece of furniture, without realizing
the true impacts on our lives.
These may include, for example the vast flow of
information through news flashes, movies, dramas,
and real life events occurring in practically
every corner of the globe, and all this is available
with the touch of a single button on the remote.
Thus, one may acknowledge that a single source
of television has opened doors to education without
the need to be physically present at an academic
institution. It has also made us aware of the
cultures of the world, as well as introduced commerce
and business, so that we may avail the tremendous
opportunities around the world, from the comfort
of our living rooms.
Though all the above is provided right at the
ease and facility of our living rooms, the cause
and effect of watching television also allows
one to ponder at the thousands of places one may
never visit even during his or her entire life.
The same also allows us to question whether what
we watch on television is indeed true, and whether
it is indeed happening. Or the fact that an average
television viewer may ever be involved in such
a real-life situation, such as a catastrophe,
and that one should be glad that we are not involved
or part of the same catastrophe, with the television
serving as a barrier between what is really happening.
Perhaps the strongest set of evidences of cause
and effect of watching television may be observed
in the changing nature of television programs.
For example, television in the beginning was conceived
as a medium of education and sharing information,
yet with the passage of time, this has undergone
significant changes. Today, the same television
is a vibrant medium of cultural expression, one
that has significantly changed the views about
the world around us, 'metamorphosized it, as well
as adapted it according to the realities of life
which surround us, and of which we are an integral
part.
What could be more convincing than to find that
today there are more than one billion television
sets around the world, perhaps more than the number
of homes with access to running water. So much
so that televisions are found at places where
there is no electricity at all such as the villages
of most of the Asian countries, which are duly
powered by car batteries. For good or evil, television
is said to have changed the ways we think, act,
and believe about the same world, and is rightly
placed as the single largest revolution in human
history, the first being the World War II.
Ideas excerpted from following Readings
Macdonald, G. F, President and Chief Executive
Officer, written for the Canadian Museum of Civilization,
accessed on 10.24.2004, and available at
http://www.mztv.com/newframe.asp?content=http://www.mztv.com/george.html
Federman, National Television Violence Study,
3rd ed. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications,
Inc, 1998
Unknown author, The American Academy of Child
and Adolescent Psychiatry. (1999, April). Children
and TV Violence. Retrieved October 22, 2004
Unknown author, “Youth Violence: A Report
of the Surgeon General:, Appendix4b accessed February
10, 2004 from http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/library/youthviolence/chapter4/appendix4b.html
Unknown author, “Youth Violence: A Report
of the Surgeon General”: Media violence:
Exposure and Content. Accessed on October 23,
2004 from http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/library/youthviolence/chapter4/appendix4bsec2.html#TelevisionFilm
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