The main inspiration behind the making of TV programs can be considered to a very small extent to be in the best interests of the viewers.
The fact that Stephen Johnson does not even account for the sixteen minutes of commercial breaks per every episode of ‘24’ is a clear indication that his article is basically aimed at luring more and more people to watch TV for the benefit of the producers and the broadcasters. It is only the millions that are made through the adverts that interrupt highly rated shows like ‘24’, which matter to the producers and nothing like improving the minds of the viewers.
To me there is no way that dedicating a number of hours to sit and watch TV is going to be of any intellectual benefit to an individual. In this paper, I will give provide impeccable evidence as to why watching TV as argued by Johnson will not improve anyone’s thinking capacity or knowledge for that matter.
Why Watching TV Cannot Make You Smarter
Johnson takes time to clear the controversies that arose after a given episode of the ‘24’ show, which brought heated debates on how Muslims were portrayed as terrorists. After this he proceeds to try and show us how the show helps in improving our thinking through being able to conceptualize the many story threads that are intertwined in the plot.
This is a clear indication that Johnson makes an assumption that the content that makes the story is not as important as the manner in which the story is told. To me, fiction makes sense if it has a clear connection with reality. Johnson tends to assume that the world as portrayed in the ‘24’ has no connection with the real world.
What kind of knowledge then are we compelled to consume if the content we see on prime time TV highlights the endorsement of immoral practices such as the use of torture? With most of the content on television being majorly violence and obscenity, I beg to disagree with Johnson’s arguments.
As in the case of the ‘24’ in relation to how it can make me smarter, I believe that the complexities of plot lines and the quick paced action is an effort to make viewers concentrate less on the content of the show. To me, it is like comparing of worded music and no-worded music in passing some information.
As Dana Stephens puts it, “Johnson’s claim for television as a tool for brain enhancement is deeply, hilariously bogus” (296). There is no way that by watching the numerous confusions presented in most highly rated TV shows you will increase your thinking capacity.
If anything, what watching a lot of TV can do to you is implanting the confusions into your mind. The confusing explanations that Stephen Johnson give about the intertwined story lines in TV shows reflect just how confused you can end up while trying to enhance your brain by watching shows such as the ‘24’ or even ‘The sopranos.’
Johnson (280), talks of there being a pleasure in solving the puzzles, detecting patterns or even unpacking a complex narrative system. I completely disagree with this assumption for a number of reasons. First, it is a mere assumption that has not been backed with any empirical evidence or research.
Secondly, I believe that the reason why a person would want to watch TV is mainly because they need some pleasure as a result of the entertainment they get. One will not watch a show such as ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ to get any medical related knowledge, but to find it entertaining how the seemingly serious medical environment can provide comic relief while the same time addressing serious concerns.
Johnson posits the TV show that does not compel the viewer into thinking a lot about what is happening is relatively uninteresting. He actually states that “not having to think is boring” as effectively follow the plot of the “interesting show he/she has to focus on exercising the parts of the brain that map social networks, that fill in missing information, that connect multiple narrative threads…”(281).
Considering the nature of the audience that watches a show like the ‘24’, what percentage will get anything out of the show if all those requirements as put forth by Johnson hold? As a matter of fact, most of the people are lost in the process of trying to figure out what is happening and the level of knowledge they had in their brains goes down as most of the substantial information they had is replaced by uncertainty and confusion.
Only a small number of viewers are capable of substantiating the happenings and as far as I am concerned, this does not add any new information to them as they already had enough to enable them make meaning out of such shows. As far as the fact that different people perceive meaning s out of a particular TV show differently holds, a particular show can engage the mind s of some people and sedates those of others.
Johnson’s argument that audiences happily embrace the complexity posed by shows such as ‘24’because they have been trained by two decades of multi- threaded drama (279) is unrealistic to me. In fact he should see me watching some of these shows. It is torturous to try and follow the stories that are structured in this manner.
The twists are okay to maintain the suspense but if overdone it makes it hard to achieve any intended meaning if it is there. It is therefore true to conclude from this that such TV shows are generally watched by many people not because they appeal to them intellectually, but because they are trending at a given time.
Some people in certain age groups such as teenagers are easily carried by multitudes into wanting to attach themselves to particular things that are trending not because they are learning anything new but because it is the in thing at the given time.
Conclusion
Watching television just fills the mind with irrelevant things that could otherwise be avoided by engaging the brain with relevant things such as reading appropriate literature. As a matter of fact, relying on the TV to improve your mind can only make one lazier, dumper and confused.
This explains why kids end up performing poorly in academics after dedicating a lot of their time to watch TV rather than reading their books. Johnson’s arguments in support of watching TV be smarter do not put into consideration what kind of smartness a nine year old gets after being exposed to obscene materials on TV.
As a result I totally disagree with them since he pays no concern to explaining the content of the shows and instead chooses to bluff on the structure and form. If the content is at times controversial, then the structure and form in which it is conveyed cannot be a way of adding knowledge.
Works Cited
Johnson, Steven. “Watching TV Makes You Smarter.” In Graff, Gerald, Cathy
Birkenstein, and Russell Durst. They Say-I Say. New York: Norton Publishers. 2008. Print.
Good Times is a 1974-1979 comedy about an impoverished African-American household in Chicago’s housing projects. Despite being heralded as the first US comedy film with an all-black cast, it is filled with hazardous and damaging stereotypes about African-American culture and promotes a narrative of contempt for the welfare system. The Evans family does not receive welfare; nevertheless, in the third episode of season one, titled “Getting Up the Rent,” Florida attempts to get emergency monetary aid from the regional welfare office (Monte et al., 1974). This study concludes, based on data, that it is extremely probable they are applying for Aid to Families with Dependent Children. This paper demonstrates that welfare is portrayed as an undesired charity, Florida is depicted as an amalgamation of various racially and gendered stereotypes, and poverty exerts a significant strain on black livelihood.
Welfare as Undesired Charity
Welfare is portrayed as an unwanted charity because it is their only last choice before the E-day (Eviction day). Although they do not receive government assistance, they are represented as poor: a huge family of five with just $32 to their name (Monte et al., 1974). In this episode, the Evans family is on the edge of eviction and needs $72 immediately to avert this (Monte et al., 1974). One approach offered is to seek immediate monetary assistance at the welfare office. Even though welfare might be the basic step for them to legally get the funds, it is devalued and neglected in favor of gambling on a pool game. This demonstrates the degree to which an anti-welfare narrative is promoted since gaming, an unreliable means of acquiring money, is preferred over emergency cash assistance from the government. This exemplifies the distinctly American “pull yourself up by the bootstraps” mentality, which is steeped in “conservative rhetoric” (Bologna, 2018, para. 1). Given that the majority of the show’s writers are white, it is not surprising that they contribute to this narrative by portraying the characters as anti-welfare and pro-American principles of individuality and self-reliance.
Welfare is shown as an undesirable charity due to the harsh nature of U.S. welfare, as seen by the denial of emergency monetary aid to Evan’s family. Florida and Willona decided to go to the welfare office since they were in desperate need. However, their application for emergency monetary assistance is declined because James earned $100 more than was allowed the year before (Monte et al., 1974). This highlights both the stringent, demanding structure of the U.S. assistance system and the difficulty experienced by individuals living on the edge of poverty. Moreover, their interactions with welfare illustrate the structural issue of families cutting through the gaps of a system that purports to assist them. The contrast between self-sufficiency and the inadequacy of the U.S. assistance system is illustrative of the latter’s glaring insufficiency in this regard. While fueling anti-poverty sentiment in favor of individualistic principles, the show’s creators also refer to the shortcomings of the U.S. assistance system, which denies genuinely poor families the funding they need to live.
Verbal and/or Nonverbal Communication in the Media Text
As seen by her unattractive attire, Florida is portrayed as a combination of anti-black and misogynistic tropes. Florida is a dark-skinned, overweight woman who devotedly cares for her family, fulfilling the “mammy” stereotype quite flawlessly. According to Gamsakhurdia and Huseynova (2020), “mammy” is a historical stereotype in the United States representing black women who labor for and care for the children of white families. The mythical mammy figure is often pictured as a huge, dark-skinned woman with a maternal disposition. This is shown by the lack of exertion and attractiveness in the character’s attire. She is presented wearing an unappealing robe that contrasts with the white female audience. Consequently, the white female audience may view her as the family’s nurse. The robe also represents the African slave women who donned it while performing domestic and childrearing duties in white American slaveholding families (Gamsakhurdia & Huseynova, 2020). Parents, however, would see the unattractive robe as a piece of clothing worn during any housecleaning obligation, as much as Florida is a mother to the destitute family. In contrast, children would react to the attire with maternal concern, thus the juxtaposition of the mammy stereotype.
Using verbal signals, the story conveys a stereotype of a sassy black woman via Florida’s personality through speech. While portrayed as a devoted, caring mother, her discourse is replete with “sassy” one-liners (Spates et al., 2020). This is evident when JJ declares he was born as a result of an “act of passion,” and Florida answers, “Settle down James Junior, or you gonna have me believing you were born out of an act of madness” (Monte et al., 1974). Florida is also portrayed as the strong black woman stereotype. She is supposed to be resting after undergoing appendix removal surgery; nevertheless, she trivializes the difficulty imposed by surgery, perpetuating the negative notion that black women have decreased pain thresholds. All the following caricatures are replete with anti-black racism and sexism.
Impact of the Messages on the Audiences
This message has a negative impact on African-American audiences because, in this manner, “Good Times” dehumanizes black female welfare users, reducing them to parodies. In spite of the fact that research shows that strong black women who embrace the principles of strength (sufficiency, emotional restraint, and identity) receive some psychosocial advantages, strength is connected to a number of negative psychological effects (Jones et al., 2021). For instance, it promotes a detrimental narrative about how white Americans see a black woman living below the poverty level. This gives her, the underprivileged black woman, suitable fodder for laughter among white audiences. Furthermore, the idea that being “strong” would provide black females with a psychological method of resistance to the oppression that is pervasive in American culture is ingrained in them from a young age as part of the socialization process (Jones et al., 2021). As such, black women are at a crossroads as a result of the rising knowledge of these implications, as they are required to find a way to balance the wisdom of matriarchs with the drawbacks of being powerful. As a result of this conflict, black women, particularly young women, have been forced to reevaluate their relationship with strength and rethink what it means to them personally.
Application and Synthesis of Two Course Materials
Power Feminism Concept
The concepts expressed in this episode are supported by power feminism, which asserts that the continual demand for money puts a tremendous burden on black household life. According to Sawicki (2020), power feminism focuses on the power that women may exercise while being cognizant of the constraints that limit this. In this instance, power feminism aims to utilize power responsibly. As a result, the theory recognizes that aggressiveness, competitiveness, and violence are just as much a part of female personality as they are of male and views women, like men, as morally mature adults. In addition, it is physically diverse and overtly sexual. For instance, when Florida tells JJ, “…you gonna have me believing you were born out of an act of madness,” she portrays an unashamed sexual persona, as stated by the power feminist theory, with a sassy stereotype (Monte et al., 1974; Onwuamaegbu, 2018). The stereotype of the sassy black woman is emboldened by power feminisms in this instance, as seen by Florida representing Evans’ family at U.S. Welfare offices for emergency welfare cash assistance rather than Mr. Evan himself.
Power feminism justifies the usage of the unattractive robe by presenting Florida as a resilient black woman facing a struggle. Florida is supposed to be recuperating after undergoing appendectomy surgery. Nevertheless, she wears a robe, which, according to the mammy stereotype, signifies that she is prepared for any work; thus, she trivializes the hardship imposed by surgery, contributing to the negative assumption that black women have lower pain tolerances. Consequently, despite the fact that power feminism gives women from poor societies a voice, the aforementioned stereotypes are riddled with anti-black racism and sexism. In this manner, ‘Good Times’ dehumanizes black female welfare users, reducing them to caricatures. This promotes a very detrimental narrative on how white America views a black woman living below the poverty level. She is not depicted as the welfare queen, but what the white audience perceives is just as insidious: she is deprived of any humanity in the same manner as the instantly identifiable caricature of welfare recipients. This gives her, an underprivileged black woman, suitable fodder for laughter among white audiences.
Transphobia Concept
The behavior of Florida toward JJ also illustrates gendered transphobia. Transphobia is the irrational phobia of gender non-conformity or gendered transgressions, such as dislike for masculine women, feminine men, and those who do not comply with current gender norms about their natal gender (Cooper et al., 2020). Based on her unappealing attire, Florida represents a confident, masculine woman in opposition to the transphobia idea. In one instance, despite having just had appendectomy surgery, she donned her robe to demonstrate her preparedness for work. Power feminism and transphobia concepts are connected by the virtue that they both advocate for a voice of reason as indicated in strong women in a society such as Florida. The strength of women in current civilization is seen when Florida applies for emergency monetary help from the US Welfare System even though Mr. Evans, the man of the house, is present. Thus, power feminism and transphobia notions show that, amidst the stressful, traumatic effects of poverty on black home life, strong women are a source of motivation in poor African-American society.
Conclusion
In conclusion, this episode of ‘Good Times’ portrays welfare not just as unwanted assistance that destroys the American ideal of individuality but also as a broken system that allows black families to tumble between the gaps. It also portrays Florida as a mixture of numerous racialized and gendered tropes, which makes it possible for her position as a black woman living below the poverty line to become a source of humor for some of the white audience’s more racist members. As a result, this episode depicts the effects of poverty as a great, painful load that is placed on black family life. However, this burden may be overcome by empowered women, as portrayed in power feminism and transphobic beliefs.
Monte, E., & Evans, M. (Writers), & Keith, G., Kenwith, H., LaHendro, B., McKayle, D., & Rosemond, P. (Directors). (1974). Getting up the rent (Season 1, episode 3) [TV series episode]. In M. Lear., A. Manings., & N. Paul (Executive Producers), Good times. Tandem Productions. Web.
Are people dangerously disillusioned with their livelihoods such that they have to keep watching others on TV? This is a question that many scientific papers try to unravel as these programs continue to undo our civilized society. The shows are continuously attracting a large audience every new day. There are mixed reactions that explain such a rise.
The great quantity of the programs looks like they are as reliable as the seasons, with shows like the “American Idol” and some Soap Operas being more popular than any other time ever. Their imitations are proliferating the cable channels at an alarming rate. In the entire world, people are fascinated by the rising popularity of reality TV programs. This paper explores the reasons behind the popularity of reality TV programs.
Advantages of reality TV programs
To understand the reason why many people watch reality TV, it is imperative to analyze the advantages of these programs. Firstly, these programs can be informative and thought provoking (Hill, 2005). For instance, programs that deal with crime can educate people on the dangers that policemen deal with on a daily basis.
Other programs that deal with health issues can help people, especially pregnant women, depict early signs of complications. It is possible for viewers to learn of the disease symptoms through the information gotten from some of the reality programs like Dr. OZ, for example. In these programs, viewers also identify themselves with the celebrities in the view that they will one day become ones. These programs provide people with an opportunity to showcase their natural gifts and make people aware of social causes.
What is so appealing about reality TV programs?
The greatest appeal that makes these programs so popular is that viewers feel as though they are real participants. Secondly, the suspense created by these programs makes viewers anticipate the next episodes.
Especially the Soap Operas create a high level of suspense that makes viewers remain glued to their TV sets wishing to see the next move. Other programs, such as the American Idol, give their viewers toll-free numbers to participate by making their remarks. This has a great appeal to the viewers who would always want to make recommendations.
Thirdly, most of these programs deal with the real life situations that people are facing. Thus, other individuals watch them as a way of trying to find means to come out of their flabbergasting circumstances in life (Hill, 2005). For instance, married men may watch reality programs that deal with cheating to find out tactics to deal with their cheating wives. Another appeal is that viewers are given a chance to compare their lives with those of the shows’ protagonists (they are able to blend fantasy with reality).
However, some reality shows promote poor behavior such as emphasizing just sexual aspects of dating as opposed to developing mature and loving relationships. This is a detrimental effect of the programs. At times such detrimental aspects can contribute to some social problems in the society.
Conclusion
Different people watch reality programs for various reasons, but the greatest of all seems to be the fact that these programs make the viewers feel as if they are part of the action. The above article explores the people’s behavior and the manner in which the programs affect their livelihoods, either positively or negatively.
Reference
Hill, A. (2005). Reality TV: Factual Entertainment and Television Audiences. London: Tailor & Francis group.
Watching television occupies most of children time. Watching television comes second after sleeping in most of children’s lives (Nary, 2004). Research has also showed that television influences significantly the growth and development of children. The main areas that are significantly affected are the morals and lifestyle of the children.
It is due to this effect that researchers have established theories to explain the influence of television viewing on children. The first theory that the researchers came up with is the stimulation hypothesis. According to Nary (2004), this theory emphasizes that if children watch well-structured programs, the programs may help them to grow well and achieve success in their studies.
The second theory that the researchers came up with is the reduction hypothesis theory that emphasizes that television can act as a medium that limits children’s achievement in their education and social life. The effects however depend on the amount of regulation i.e. how the parents of the children regulate TV watching.
Thesis Statement
It is therefore evident that watching television has different impacts on children as they grow. The effects may be either positive or negative as illustrated from the above theories.
Being the primary regulators, parents are at a dilemma on how much is too much television and how much is enough or too little. To be able to deal with the situation, it is vital to conduct a study that may help in identifying the impact of television viewing on children. This paper will therefore examine the effects that the television has on children and how they can be mitigated.
Positive Impacts
According to Worthington (2010), watching the television helps some students to develop language skills. By watching and listening, the children are able to develop their language skills if they were not coherent. Research also indicates that children who watch well structured content on the television perform well in their studies. It is however subject to how much “destructive content” they are exposed to while watching the television.
This is because most of the children tend to watch harmful material as compared to useful content. This therefore calls for parental control. The second notable benefit is that watching television helps to improve the brain muscles of children. This is due to the visual experience that is created while watching television.
As the children struggle to remember what they watched on television, their brain memory power improves significantly. If this process continues for a period, the resulting effect will be that the child will have excellent brain control especially with regard to remembering.
Some programs aired on television helps children to relax and educate them as well. For instance, some programs aired on Disney channel, expose children to new content that helps them to improve academically while at the same time relaxing. Some programs aired by some channels also provide useful tips on matters such as health, religion and education.
These tips may help the children positively if they implement them in their lives. Moreover, some careers may be modeled through watching television. For instance, a child may decide to become a news anchor or actor by watching their favorite news anchor or actor on television. By continuously watching what their favorite person is doing on television, the child may do it even better if given a chance to try the same.
Negative Impacts
Failure by parents to control the content children watch on television may expose them to harmful content. Harmful content in this case may refer to pornographic content , content with violence or programs which encourage drug use and or abuse. Some of the effects of watching such content detailed below;
Violence and aggressive behavior
Most of the content aired on most television channels is suitable for viewing by adults only. These programs are not be suitable for viewing by children since they may contain average to high level of violence. A typical movie or program revolves around a ‘good guy or guys’ taking on the villains.
Continuous watching of such movies creates an illusion that violence is the excellent means to solve a problem. The resulting effect is violence as evidenced by the increasing number of violence cases in schools especially in the United States of America. This is worsened by the fact that children tend to like aggressive characters that unfortunately in this case; are extremely violent.
Daytime sleepiness
As indicated earlier, watching television is the second highest consumer of children’s time after sleep. This means that most children at night will prefer to sleep or watch a television program rather than do their homework. The effect of spending too much time watching television at night leads to attention difficulties during the day especially when in class.
The combination of lack of sleep and the emotional stress resulting from watching some programs results in sleeping disorders characterized by nightmares i.e. if the children manage to sleep. Attention disorders are the major causes of poor grades among school going children. Parents should therefore attempt to control the amount of time children spend on television sets at night. They should set the maximum number of hours to be spent by the children on television.
Sexual Influence
Children being adventurous creatures, they will rarely watch children programs the whole day and they consider news as boring. This leads them to watch music videos, soap operas and action movies that unfortunately, contain high sexual content. Watching the content leads them to get the urge to try what they have watched.
Most of them will try whatever they were watching if the situation is worsened by the fact that most of parents rarely talk about sex with their children. Sex among teenagers is dangerous as it may lead to early pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections. These consequences may have adverse effects on the education of the teenagers (Evra, 2008).
School Performance
Sleep is critical especially to school going children. School performance is severely affected if the children spend most of their time watching television at night. Furthermore, if children become television fanatics, they will spend most of their time at school thinking or discussing their favorite television program. Parents should mitigate this by regulating the amount of time children spend watching television (Evert, 2011).
Health
Too much television increases the chances of children developing obesity and couch potato syndrome (Worthington, 2010). This occurs when they spend most of their time watching television especially during holidays. This is done at the expense of playing which is vital to their health.
Furthermore, the body systems get used to the indolent nature resulting in the children becoming inactive in sports and other activities. Too much time on the screen also causes eye disorders that may be either temporary or permanent (Pecora, Murray & Wartella, 2007).
Some fast food and drug companies worsen the situation by creating adverts that target such children. The children who watch these adverts may end up consuming too much fast foods and alcohol at their young age. Research has showed that alcohol is dangerous to brain development especially in young people. Another effect is the danger of liver cirrhosis at an early age.
Another health hazardous behavior children learn from watching television programs is smoking. Even though cigarette and related advertisements have been banned in most countries, smoking is still evident in most movies and soap operas. Children will definitely copy the behavior if their favorite actor is doing the same on television.
The effect will be lung diseases at an early age (Evra, 2008). In this case, parents can only mitigate by giving sound advice to their children on the effects of drug use and abuse. This is due to their inability to fully control what their children are viewing and due to their inability to control on what is being aired by the television channels.
Social life
Children need to interact with each other in their early stages of life in order to develop social behavior (Worthington 2010). Children who spend most of their time watching television may end up developing anti social behavior due to lack of physical people to interact with. This is facilitated by watching anti-social content.
The result is that they may not fit in the society due to their lack of social skills. Learning social skills requires constant physical interaction with people. Interaction with other people has various benefits. It helps in exchanging ideas therefore the child may gain more information by interacting with others. If this does not occur, the outcome would be tragic.
Recommendations
Parents are the bearers of the burden posed by television channels. They are therefore charged with the highest responsibility in ensuring that children are not severely affected by what they watch. The channels may defend themselves that they are business entities therefore they should adapt to the trends in the market if they are to remain relevant.
Parents should give advice the young viewers on the effects of what they are watching then regulate the activity physically. Media regulatory councils in different countries should provide strict guidelines on what is to be aired on television at different times. The media companies should not also be blinded by profit motives. They should consider the young viewers by airing content that will not harm them (Evra, 2008).
Conclusion
It is imperative to note that children are influenced greatly by what they watch on television. As indicated in the study, there are both positive and negative impacts. The negatives however outweigh the positives with a large margin. This means that television watching among children – especially unregulated watching – is a destructive element to the life of the young television enthusiasts.
Furthermore, it is also vital to conclude that parents are the ones who are charged with the responsibility of controlling their children with regard to watching television. The respective authorities that govern television channels should also put in place policies that control the content being aired by the channels.
References
Evert, C. (2011). PBS Kids Launches Its First Educational Augmented reality App. Web.
Evra, J. (2008). Television and Child development. New Jersey, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Nary, S. (2004). Exploring Pathways from Television Viewing to Academic Achievement in School Age Children. The Journal of Genetic Psychology, 165(4), 367–371.
Pecora, N., Murray, J. & Wartella, E. (2007). Children and Television: Fifty Years of Research. New Jersey, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Worthington, B. (2010). Television Programming on Young Children’s Acquisition of Basic Concepts and Social Interaction Skills. Arkansas: Arkansas State University.
When the original version of Cosmos first came out it at once caught the interest of public. During thirteen episodic series, Carl Sagan told about the Universe and an origin of life on the Earth. The project was very popular. Its popularity was predetermined by the fact that having a scientific nature the things revealed in the movie were easy for understanding. Carl Sagan managed to create a successful project, which aim was to shed a light on novel scientific achievements in the sphere of astronomy. He told about different aspects of this science from the evolution theory and to the geology of Mars.
More than thirty years later, there appeared a new version of the project with the new name Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey. The new anchorman of the scientific TV series is Neil deGrasse Tyson, who is a famous American astrophysicist. In spite of numerous cases of criticism, especially from religious organizations that are frustrated by the mere scientific approach of the Universe creation revealed in the project, the new series may be considered as a success.
It goes without saying that the modern information technologies and technical abilities in cinema industry have given a lot of opportunities to the authors of the new project. From the very beginning of this scientific film, it is possible to observe beautiful visual effects. We can see different variations of space landscapes, the shining of the rings of Saturn and circulatory galaxies. In comparison with the original version, the use of the modern technologies in Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey makes it brighter and more persuasive. At the same time, the general narrative style of the project is saved.
The difference between the two versions may be illustrated by the way of explanation of such phenomenon as natural and artificial selection. In the original version, Carl Sagan tells a dramatic story of a war between two samurai clans in ancient Japan. From the very beginning, it may seem that this legend has nothing to do with the notion of the artificial selection. Nevertheless, Sagan manages to connect these ancient events with this phenomenon and to find the scientific explanation of it. The existence of crabs with crusts looking like human faces he explains from the point of view of the artificial selection. Then he broadens this rather specific example and to all the existing surrounding. Sagan states that all domestic animals as well as cultivated plants have been created artificially due to the processes of human activity (Sagan).
In order to explain the same notion Tyson uses the example of wolves and the origin of dogs. The main activity of ancient people was hunting. During a process of hunting, a primitive man needed an assistant, which had to be quick and strong. The best choice for such a role was a wolf.
However, as Tyson explains it wolves have natural aptitude to avoid human beings. Those species of wolves who were smart enough to understand the benefits of the coexistence with humans later on were evolved into dogs (Tyson). The behavior of these wolves, who were able to relinquish their nature, was explained by a definite set of genes. Later on in the process of human activity, those species who corresponded to the demands of a person were bred, while other animals were killed. In such a way, the wolves with the necessary set of gens had the advantage of the wild ones.
It seems to me that the example provided by Tyson is more vivid and demonstrative. It gives a viewer the better understanding of the nature of the artificial selection. On the example of wolves, Tyson explains the processes of the domestication of wild animals.
The diversity of species is explained by Sagan and Tyson as a process of the natural selection and evolution. Both of them sound rather convincing. At the same time Sagans explanations have a definite resemblance with a scientific lecture, while the Tysons arguments are provided with picturesque illustrations. This fact makes Tysons version more interesting and easily perceptible.
Both version have scientific character of narration. At the same time, the usage of such fantastic things as the cosmic calendar or the spaceship, in which the journey is realized, are saved in both versions. In order to recall mind to a subject both Sagan and Tyson use different interesting facts which may seem strange and surprising for an audience. For instance, Tyson emphasizes the fact of the resemblance between a set of genes of a human and a gene pattern of any other organism on the planet.
In spite of the critic of the new version of Cosmos, it must be admitted that its authors have made a good attempt to popularize science. Cosmos is a good example of a scientific film, in which bare facts are represented in an interesting and fascinating manner. Every version of the film has its own benefits, but it seems to me that the mere attempt to renew the project is worthy of respect.
Surveys have become an indispensable tool for making decisions, especially when they are scientific and comprehensive in addressing the research objectives. For instance, before creating a TV campaign ad, it is imperative to survey to ensure that the expected feedback is aligned with real data. This essay attempts to review the strengths and weaknesses of the research questionnaire, panel studies, lab experiments, and field experiments. Also, the paper examines the steps a political strategist might take to maximize voter choice in terms of reinforcement and crystallization effects on a target constituency.
Strengths and Weaknesses of Different Survey Instruments
Research Questionnaire
A research questionnaire is a very cost-effective, especially mobile or online survey. This instrument is also practical and simple to execute since the questions can be adjusted for any data set or subject. Other strengths of the questionnaire are its scalability in scientific analysis, the anonymity of the respondents, and flexibility in timing, irrespective of the aspect of a research topic or its complexity (Fowler, 2013).
The research questionnaire has weaknesses such as the inability to avoid dishonesty from a respondent and limited conscientious feedback, especially when the participant decides to give false information. Due to variances in the level of interpretation and understanding of the research questions, it might be an uphill task to establish a trend. Also, some respondents might skip some questions (Fowler, 2013).
Panel Studies
Panel studies capture the shifts and variations when different sets of data are cross-examined. Panel studies are also known to present a clear picture of variations in data collected on the same subject at different intervals to provide an insight into the dynamics behind the trends. Lastly, panel studies provide deep and voluminous data from a single subject. Therefore, it is easy to capture the aspects of emotions, opinions, and unique behavior in the subject at different intervals (Fowler, 2013).
Panel studies have several weaknesses. To begin with, losing any panel member would distort the data set at any given time, especially when the panelist is a primary participant of a study that has stretched over a long period. Secondly, since human beings are programmed to socialize into a critical set, their behavior might seize to represent the general public (Fowler, 2013).
Lab Experiments
Since lab experiments are carried out in a controlled environment, the results on effect and cause are very accurate. Moreover, it is easy to replicate the results, especially when complex equipment is used. Lastly, the lab experiment saves time and is relatively cheaper than other complex tools (Fowler, 2013).
Lab experiment has weaknesses such as low realism since it is done in an artificial environment. Moreover, the study may suffer from low ecological reality as it is hard to generalize in other similar situations. Lastly, there is a likelihood of biasness when the expectations of the experiment reprogram the behavior of the respondent (Fowler, 2013).
Field Experiments
Field experiments are known to have good external validity since they are carried out in social settings. Also, the large scale setting in field experiments enables a researcher to use multiple variables without any fear of limitation to the research environment (Fowler, 2013).
Due to their social setting, it is difficult to control the variables unlike the case with lab experiments. The experimental effect in field experiments may reduce the result validity. Moreover, field experiments are very expensive to conduct in terms of permits that might be required (Fowler, 2013).
Steps a Political Strategist Might Take to Maximize Voter Choice
In the current media-savvy political engagement of the 21st century, shaping and crafting a candidate as a brand is a serious affair to capture the attention of a constituency of voters. As a political strategy, the maximization of voter choice is achievable through crystallization, which involves focusing on vague or subconscious beliefs. Also, reinforcement has become a tactical tool since it facilitates strengthening and validation of the current opinions on a candidate or a political party (Blunenthal-Barby, 2013).
As a political TV campaign strategist, the first step involved in reinforcement would be to identify an issue that members of the candidate’s political party hold dear in their hearts. For instance, if members of candidate A cherish improved pay grade for local teachers, rather talking about the attributes of the politician, the campaign ad will be pro this issue and mention that it is endorsed by the said candidate. This will be followed by summarizing these interests and associating them with the candidate.
In the same measure, the focus under crystallization involves twisting the same agenda into a social question. For instance, the need for increased pay grade can be romanticized around the future of teachers and the need for better living standards because teachers are the backbone of the society. In the end, voters will be destructed and ignore the misgivings of this candidate (Blunenthal-Barby, 2013).
Conclusion
Before engaging in a TV campaign ad, it is important to carry out the survey using tools such as research questionnaires, panel studies, lab experiments, and field experiments. The aspects of cost implication, validity, reliability, repeatability should determine the best tool. Also, the principles of crystallization and reinforcement are vital in transforming the collected data into an effective political TV campaign advert.
References
Blunenthal-Barby, M. (2013). Inconceivable effects: Ethics through twentieth-century German literature, thought, and films. Berlin, Germany: Cornell University Press.
Fowler, F. (2013). Survey research methods (5th ed.). New York, NY: SAGE Publications.
For many years now, television has been a part of every household not only in America but all over the world. Some consider television as the thing that binds a family because watching TV is a time for everyone to gather around after a day’s work and school. Weekends are spent watching and snacking while watching. It has become a routine. The way a family member thinks, his values, attitude towards his surroundings, and how he deals with people signifies a great deal and how they are inside their homes. The effect of watching too much TV and not talk anymore with folks and avoid emotional interaction would indicate how the youth would shape the future.
CyberCollege/Internet Campus (2007) cites that television weakens the tastes of the society for the arts. They are stooping down to a lower-level form of art. Before people would go to theaters and exhibits to appreciate art, they were more sophisticated back then. In connection with this, television also weakens moral standards. It makes casual sex and drugs look “cool” for young people. Crooks and thieves are portrayed by “heroes” that they end up getting the loot happily ever after. People of all ages are urged to be escapists the moment they fix their eyes on TV. It is a bit scary because there is some kind of hypnotism or drug that comes along with it. Like alcohol that relaxes and soothes pain and trouble brought by the day’s harsh reality. Consumers are also easy prey on the lure of television advertisements. Viewers become impulsive when they see a very appealing commercial and will not hesitate to buy a particular product. They lose their sense of practicality and spend money on something just because it looks good on TV. With regards to the issue that television ‘exhibits a liberal bias ‘, Conservatives blame the media for the social change. Television opened its doors to “taboos” like homosexuality, civil rights abuses, women’s rights, anti-war advocacies, and the legalization of marijuana, etc. There are sensitive issues regarding the statement that television sets up false images of reality. Some shows depict criminals or the bad guys as “colored”. It sets standards or stereotypes which could be demeaning to colored people in America like Asians, Blacks, Italians, Mexicans, etc. It somewhat generalizes people according to their color, physical appearance, and way of life. On the other hand, television also distorts reality thru emission, in the opinion of critics. It edits out other matters when they should be heard or seen. Viewers should have the right to know the facts concerning things about their everyday lives. Some are at a loss as to what the truth is and end up looking stupid. It only strengthens the truth that television makes people dumb.
Then there is a bigger issue: violence. It should be taken note that violence on TV causes harm to an individual and society. Violence on TV has an effect on the state of mind of a person. There are observations that a person that watches too many killings on TV tends to become paranoid and be distrustful of people around him and worse feels unsafe all the time.
We lost our sensibilities and became dictated by this invention that has taken up all the right values and individuality. It made us look ignorant and dense. People end up paranoids and feel incomplete and empty inside. Depression steps in because of emotional imbalance. We ignore how important it is to interact with other people and to get a life.
Ever since the invention of the television, the world has become accustomed to it as a basic fixture of human life. Television has influenced many generations in the past and those yet to come. Its influence has been primarily defined by the fact that television programs are an indispensable form of entertainment for many people. In this regard, many children have grown up watching television programs that have a positive or negative impact on their cognitive development.
Because of this fact, many parents, children advocates and educationists are already raising concerns over the amount of time children spend watching television and the kind of materials they watch in the first place.
In the developed world, children have been known to spend more than five hours a day staring at television screens and even more time is feared to be lost watching television programs instead of engaging in more productive activities. The Kaiser Foundation cited in (Nemours Foundation, 2010) affirms that:
“two-thirds of infants and toddlers watch a screen an average of 2 hours a day; kids under age 6 watch an average of about 2 hours of screen media a day (primarily TV and videos or DVDs). Kids and teens 8 to 18 years spend nearly 4 hours a day in front of a TV screen and almost 2 additional hours on the computer (outside of schoolwork) and playing video games”. (p. 1)
With such statistics in mind, proponents and critics of television exposure have often clashed about the possible advantages and disadvantages of watching television.
Currently, there are numerous volumes of literature on the subject and more are still being developed. However, this study seeks to comprehensively cover all the functional areas of a child’s growth which are affected by television exposure. From this understanding, this study will encompass aspects such as lifestyle, appetite, health, the learning process and such like factors. These elements will primarily encompass the overall growth of children.
From this perspective, this study will carry out a comprehensive analysis of the effects of television programming on children development and since television programming is an unavoidable element in the society, this study will seek to establish whether television programming generally compliments children growth or not.
Literature Review
Usually, most people are unaware that children are hooked onto television programs even before they enter schools. Since children are already hooked to television at an early age, many concerned individuals and institutions have tried to strike a balance to try and minimize the negative effects of television (Nemours Foundation, 2010, p. 3).
According to the American Department of Pediatrics (cited in Nemours Foundation, 2010, p. 4), children under 2 years should not be allowed to watch television at all. However, children above the age of two should only be required to watch only one hour of constructive television programs (Nemours Foundation, 2010, p. 1).
This recommendation is upheld by many researchers because the first two years of a human being’s life is usually important in a child’s growth and television can come in the way of a child’s ability to explore, play and interact with children, parents or objects in the natural environment (Lee, 2010, p. 2). Researchers note that if children are allowed to watch TV at an early age, they may develop some form of impairment in their social, psychological or physical development (Amin, 2000, p. 200).
For children above the age of two, researchers have pointed out that television normally affects their ability to develop health wise, socially and through similar parameters. Many have however recommended that television ought to be watched in moderation to avert any detrimental effects brought about by prolonged exposures to television. Nemours Foundation (2010) affirms that:
“Preschoolers can get help learning the alphabet on public television, grade schoolers can learn about wildlife on nature shows, and parents can keep up with current events on the evening news. No doubt about it — TV can be an excellent educator and entertainers”. (p. 4).
This therefore implies that television has its pros and cons.
Discussion
Even though television has its positive side, research studies are skewed to depict that it has more negative than positive effects. It is no doubt therefore that children who watch too much television develop health problems like being overweight or ultimately develop complications such as high blood pressure, heart complications and the likes.
Such conditions are known to lead to increased chances of children being obese because as they are watching television, they are essentially inactive and most often than not, a good number eat snacks while staring at the screens. Health experts have warned that this kind of trend is likely to cause significant health problems for children in future (Nemours Foundation, 2010, p. 2).
Some television programs make the situation much worse because they promote the consumption of junk foods such as Sodas and the likes through the casual depiction of actors consuming such produce. To affirm the negative effects of television, research studies have shown that decreased exposure to television leads to decreased instances of weight gain and an emergence of a population group with a lower Body Mass Index (BMI) (Nemours Foundation, 2010, p. 2).
It is also confirmed that children who watch too much television (especially violent programs) are likely to be more aggressive and develop psychological problems in future. Violence for example is often exposed as a fun way of getting what one wants and therefore when faced with tricky life situations, children are bound to be insensitive to the vice; thereby perpetrating the wrong perceptions often exhibited by the media (Nevid, 2008, p. 361).
It is even more unfortunate that children often develop a liking for certain characters in television programs and are therefore likely to think that whatever their star characters do is the appropriate way of handling conflicts. Nemours Foundation (2010) affirms that:
“Even though kids are taught by their parents that it’s not right to hit, television says it’s OK to bite, hit, or kick if you’re the good guy. This can lead to confusion when kids try to understand the difference between right and wrong. And even the “bad guys” on TV aren’t always held responsible or punished for their actions”. (p. 4)
For very young children, violent images are often scary but television shoves it up their faces but either way, it doesn’t do much justice to them because at tender ages, children cannot distinguish what is fiction and what is real. Certain behavioral problems associated with children such as lack of sleep can sometimes be associated with frequent exposure to violence in television. In such cases, children are often seen to have nightmares, panic attacks (and the likes) because of the images they see in the media.
The effects of violent images from television are however not any milder for older children because older children have also been observed to be frightened by violence in certain television programs; regardless of whether it happens in real life (like on the news) or in fiction (like in horror movies). For instance, most good guys in most drama series are never free from violent acts and this may pass as an appropriate thing to do for children.
For example, it is affirmed that children who watch violent movies are likely to either view the world as a dangerous place or be aggressive on the same grounds (Nevid, 2008, p. 361). This fact therefore affects the psychological development of children and their ability to properly blend in with the society.
Television characters can also been faulted to exhibit poor social behaviors which affect the perception of children as they grow up. Such perceptions are affected especially with regards to risky social behaviors like smoking, drinking, risky sexual habits and the likes. To some extent, television programs are identified to perpetrate wrong gender and racial perceptions in the way television programs are produced (Kavoori, 2006, p. 32).
In fact television programs today tend to exaggerate certain gender and racial stereotypes and children who grow up seeing such misconceived ideas tend to assume they are the true representation of the real world. For Instance, Amin (2000) notes that Arabs are often depicted as terrorists and most white children hold this belief as true.
Children who watch a lot of television often tend to depict adverse social behaviors because television tends to promote bad behaviors like alcohol abuse as cool and fun. Such perceptions are further reinforced because television fails to show everyone the consequences of such habits.
In fact, most movies never miss a smoker, raunchy sexual scene or an alcoholic. Such issues majorly affect teens. In sexual scenes for example, actors are never shown protecting themselves from the consequences of sex such as sexually transmitted diseases and infections or pregnancy and many may think such acts are natural.
This kind of misconceived perceptions makes viewers adopt a much-relaxed attitude towards sex or any other vice that is being promoted. The effects of such attitudes are affirmed by Nemours Foundation (2010, p. 2) who notes that “studies have shown that teens who watch lots of sexual content on TV are more likely to initiate intercourse or participate in other sexual activities earlier than peers who don’t watch sexually explicit shows”.
Alcohol abuse has also increased over recent years in various television programs and its effects have been more widespread than ever before because of increased exposure of children to such programs. Recent studies done by alcohol agencies have shown that the exposure of children to alcohol commercials have increased by more than thirty percent in the first five years preceding the year 2006 (Nemours Foundation, 2010, p. 1).
Some proponents of television viewing have however proposed the banning of such retrogressive adverts (such as the banning of cigarette adverts) but their effects can still not be eliminated because the use of alcohol and cigarettes is still being promoted in movies.
Television commercials have also become a common feature in prime time television and they affect the way most children perceive certain products and services. For instance, most television programs promote the consumption of wrong foods (in form of junk) and children are unable to differentiate the health benefits from the disadvantages of such foods. It is therefore not uncommon for children to often demand certain products just because they saw a catchy advertisement in mainstream television.
Comprehensively, these negative effects of television affect children development in many ways than one. Children being at a strategic age of developing their social skills, they ought to be doing more constructive things than just watch television. This will improve their level of emotional development and help them integrate better with other people in the real world.
Children therefore need to play more with other children of their age and learn more social skills because there is no substitution to such development stages. Certain common problems associated with today’s children like myopic complications will therefore be avoided if such measures are observed. This is true because it is almost impossible to isolate television watching from such like complications if children are wasting up to five hours a day watching television.
Other small complications like inappropriate use of language will also be avoided with reduced exposure to television (at least when children are at a young age). This is especially important for young children because they have a very limited capability of differentiating what language is good or bad. The situation becomes much worse when inappropriate use of language affects a child’s academic development because children tend to assume what they hear through television as the correct way to speak.
For instance Lee (2010) explains that “There was one point of time, the local sitcom Phua Chu Kang got so popular that children started using phrases like “Don’t pray pray”, and “I look you no up”. It got into such frenzy that we had a Speak Good English Campaign, remember?” (p. 4). This exposes the level of bad television influence on children.
Limitations of Study
This study was limited to the extent that it could not be easily generalized to all groups of children. Specifically, it was limited to the fact that children hail from different societies and therefore not all of them face the same type of television effects.
External validity of the research findings was also another limitation to the study, considering existing volumes of research are hard to verify and may sometimes reflect personal opinions. Finally, the research’s findings were limited to specific social classes because it is an almost undeniable fact that various respondents from different social classes behave differently in terms of lifestyle habits.
Conclusion
The appropriateness of television is a matter of weighing the pros and cons associated with it. There is no doubt that television has its advantages but it is important to note that the disadvantages of watching television (for young children) outweigh its advantages.
One of the best way of rectifying retrogressive attributes associated with television is limiting the hours spent watching it and restricting the wrongful watch of adult movies and programs. The kind of limitation to be applied however depends on the type of parents, their children’s’ age and such like variables.
Conventionally, children have often been limited to around 30 minutes or an hour a day of television programming but each parent today has the ability of determining the correct number of hours their children can watch television. Family sitcoms and other educational programs should however be allowed for children to watch because in addition to offering entertainment, such programs are educative.
Parents should also watch television with their children so that they ensure their children are not exposed to inappropriate programming. Other measures such as banning eating while watching television should also be applied by some parents as part of their efforts to control the adverse effects of television. These are the best measures to prevent children from being exposed to the adverse effects of television.
References
Amin, H. (2000). Civic Discourse and Digital Age Communications in the Middle East. London: Greenwood Publishing Group.
Kavoori, A. (2006). Media, Terrorism, and Theory: A Reader. London: Rowman & Littlefield.
Lee, J. (2010). How TV Affects Children. Web.
Nemours Foundation. (2010). How TV Affects Your Child. Web.
Nevid, J. (2008). Psychology: Concepts and Applications. London: Cengage Learning.
The research report investigates if the background television with adult content interrupts a child’s behavior during a play. The researchers review literature, conduct an experiment on children and obtain answers from questionnaires given to parents to obtain the information.
The children are 1, 2, and 3 years old. The results reveal that children’s behavior is influenced by the background television. Although children pay little attention to incomprehensible adult content, their play is interrupted by the background television.
The cognitive development and language development are affected by interruptions during child’s play. This essay summarizes the research report in part 1, and gives suggestion on possible areas for research in part 2.
The article examines how background television showing adult content affects young children’s behavior when they are playing with toys. The research conducted literature review and thereafter an experiment. Literature review indicates that young children pay little attention to adult television content and pay additional attention to children television programs.
The attention of the child on the play object is reduced when there is audiovisual disturbance. The kind of television programs that a child is exposed to repeatedly affects the development in language. According to Schmidt et al. (1138), uninterrupted play will result in healthy cognitive development and increased social skills.
The research assessed the level of maturity in a child’s play, the length of time spent in a play and the devoted attention given to a specific object in a play. Short period spent while playing a toy is an indication of a developmental disorder.
Attention on a specific object is associated with the motivation of the child. A child’s attention on an object increases with age. Younger children have a limited ability to sort out unwanted stimuli and sustain attention on a specific play object.
Development of attention requires focused and continued attention when the child was playing. The child abandons play to view the television for a while. After the interruption, the child may abandon play and move on to another playing object.
If they resume, their motivation and attention are reduced, hence they will lose the ability to return to same cognition level. After literature review, the researchers conducted an experiment.
The experiment included children of 12, 24 and 36 months old. The children were observed for one hour as they played. During the first 30 minutes, the television showing adult content was left on.
In the next 30 minutes, the children played with toys when the television was switched off. Besides being observed, the children were also videotaped. The participants were selected from the birth records of the state. The participants did not have earring and visual impairment.
The results of the experiment revealed that the young children were affected by the background television showing adult content. When the television was on, the children were not involved in intensive play. They gave the toys less attention and played for a short period.
The maturity in play was affected little when compared with focused attention. Relational play was also reduced when the television was on. Besides, the children were able to continue with complex plays when the television was off.
After the television was on, children tended to view the television many times in the first six minutes, and few times after six minutes. The parents were asked to avoid initiating a play or suggesting toys for a play.
This implies that parents pay attention to television and only give attention to the children when they demand it. The parents also filled questionnaires. The questionnaires enquired the child’s interaction with the media.
The level of interruption increased with the number of times the child looked at the television. Reduced involvement in a play was associated with a dislocation of attention to the television. For younger children, the scheme of the play was interrupted and after looking at the television, the child cannot recall hence they move on to another toy.
Moreover, there was no distinct difference in background interruption shown between children of different ages. Background television interrupts cognitive process in children. Background television can also be associated with noise, which interrupts the attention of the child during a play.
Background television may also be associated with positive effects such as multitasking. Children may be able to tap multitasking skills from the destructive background television.
The study observed the participant for a long time, had numerous toys for playing during the experiment and selected the general ages for the participant. Consequently, the television has an impact on the relationship between the care giver and child when the parent is watching television.
Chaotic home environment characterized by the noise may affect the child’s development due to the frequent interruptions at the time of a play. The study assumed that children are exposed in their homes and that care givers do not get involved in a child’s play. Lack of the development in cognition reduces a child’s readiness to go to school.
The study concluded that cumulative impacts of the interruptions caused by background television may cause poor development in cognition. The impacts may also include poor language development and the attention disorders. Therefore, Schmidt et al. (1149) suggest that background television is a potential environmental risk in the development of a child.
To follow up on the investigation on the effects of background television on the toy play behavior of very young children, it is necessary to establish the impact of media exposure in the home environment to the young children’s cognitive development. Subsequent research will answer the question: Is media exposure in the home environment a risk factor for the poor cognitive development in young children?
Cognitive development shows the healthy growth of a child memory, language skills, recognition, problem solving skills and thinking. The question will provide a guideline for the study to establish the degree of media exposure for children in the home environment and areas in child development that are affected.
In line with the article, the study will increase information on other areas other than attention, maturity in play and length of play. The study will investigate problem language skill, problem solving ability, memory and thinking process.
The sample to be selected for the study will include children who are two to three years old. The children will be given instructions when playing to assess their ability to sustain attention when playing with and without instructions.
The number of toys for each child will be equal and all the children will be allowed to play without instruction for 15 minutes. Thereafter, they will be given few instructions that are to be followed when playing for another period of 15 minutes.
Finally, the children will be given full instructions to play with toys for 15 minutes. The children will have audiovisual programs run in the first eight minutes of every session. The observers will record the child’s behavior as they play.
The hypothesis to be tested is that under less destruction, comprehensive instructions enable one to remain on task. Many instructions make the child pay attention to the playful activities. Attention is given if the child has been able to understand and master the art of attentiveness.
Those with attentive skills remain on a task for a long time. A child with a good development in memory, language skills, recognition and problem solving skills will be able to take many instructions.
When the instructions are few and the media program is interruptive, the child is likely to lose attention and move on to other tasks. The research will also reveal the degree in which the media affect a child cognitive development in the home environment.
Conclusion
Schmidt et al. (1137) engages in study to establish how background television showing adult content affects young children’s behavior when they are playing with toys. Their study which involved studying the behavior of 12, 24 and 36 months old revealed that background television had an impact on the cognitive development of a child.
A child’s attention on toys was reduced when the television was on. Time spent with a toy was reduced since destruction caused the child to abandon a toy and proceeded with another toy. Play was continuous and comprehensive when the television was off. The results did not show any distinctive feature of behavior that is inclined to age during the experiment.
Work Cited
Schmidt, Evans, Tiffany Pempe, Heather Kirkorian, Frankenfield Lund, & Daniel Anderson. “The effect of Background Television on the toy plays behavior of very young children.” Child Development 79. 4 (2008): 1137- 1151.
The objective of this study is to explore the concept of media and its application in child development. The study will therefore highlight some of the effects that accompany the use of televisions and other forms of media in homes and other areas of resident. For better understanding of how televisions and other forms of media such as radios, news papers, letters, posters, emails and public meetings contribute to child development, the study will examine the positive and negative effects or impacts of media in child development.
However, people have different understanding of what media is, for instance, many people argue that media use radios and televisions only. Ignoring other forms of media that influence children during their early ages and as they advance in ages is not good especially when a child is about to be negatively influenced (CardWell, 2000). Media is a means of communication used daily by people to pass and receive information.
Moreover, media in computerized world refers to the different forms of data storage options include the removable drives such as DVDs, USB drives, CD-R discs, Flash Memory, CD-ROM and Floppy disks among others (CardWell, 2000).
In addition to this, a computer takes the form of media since it serves as a Multimedia integration of other types of media for instance, graphics, sounds (Audios) and texts. All these forms of media have different impacts on child development (CardWell, 2000).
Discussion
Traditional society differs greatly from the modern society based on the types of media used. For instance, in traditional society letters and newspapers were a popular means through which people communicated with each other. The flow of information was therefore slow as compared in modern society.
However, technology advancement resulted to the introduction of new means of communications that are faster (of high speed). Therefore, information in modern society spreads from one place to another within a short duration of time because of increased use of high-speed media (Singer, 2001).
This explains the reason why the use of media leads to different levels of impact on child development in both traditional and modern society. The absence of various media in traditional society affected child development severely compared to modern society whereby a child exposes to different ways of communication.
The study will examine the effects posed by media on child development by analyzing both the positive and the negative sides of the Media (Singer, 2001).
Positive Effects of Media in child development
Usefulness of Television in child development
As mentioned within the context of the study, television is among the modern means or type of media that has come along with advanced technology. Back in traditional society, it was very rare to come across a homestead whereby people watch news from the television meaning that children had no exposure to the positive and negative impacts of television in their development.
However, at ancient times (traditional society), people relied on letters as the only means of communication. The other means of communication include the use of word of mouth, which in our case is a type of media rarely used. It bases on the level of understanding and interpretation (Van-Evra, 2004).
Entertainment
The use of television as a form of media in modern society has contributed greatly on child development for instance, televisions have offers a wide range of entertainment to the children, which is of much help or use in their development.
Moreover, there are varieties of programs that provide entertainment centers for children for instant the cartoon program mostly presented by many television channels have captured the attention of many children. As young people, children enjoy watching cartoons because they belief that the cartoons are children like them. Many of such children addict to the use of television because they only think that the sole use of television is to watch cartoons but not the news (Van-Evra, 2004).
The most affected children are those brought up in urban areas whereby each house has a television. The music presented in television has converted many children into watching channels that present music. Television plays an important role in socializing of the children.
As it is known that socialization is the major part in children development, parents have been freed from actively participating in the socialization process though their role is still deemed necessary because if they fail to control the interaction of children and the television, many children will lose their way. This means that they will adapt other forms of behaviors contrary to the societal norms (Van-Evra, 2004).
Still on the issue of entertainment, television gives children the opportunity to familiarize with the real world by watching programs for instant watching animals on the television gives them highlights on the different types of animals existing on the earth.
In so doing children grow up knowing different types and characteristics of animals. They recognize animals that are dangerous and friendly to human beings for instance lions, cheaters, buffalos, elephants, tigers among others kill hence they aware not to interact with them (Van-Evra, 2004).
Educative
As the saying goes where there is entertainment there must be education or something that people can learn from, television serves a resourceful role of educating children contributing to their development. Children learn many things when they watch cartoons from the television for instance; the cartoons portray certain situation such as children in school.
Through watching cartoons relate to their teachers and other pupils, the child learns to relate with his or her friends and teachers in the school. This offers the child an opportunity to learn the moral roles and school norms becoming a good student or pupil. A child may contemn caning by the teachers without knowing that caning is a control mechanism for teachers to the pupils.
When such child sees a cartoon showing teachers caning pupils in school, the child understands the importance of the cane to the teacher. He realizes that a came guides the behaviors of pupils (Van-Evra, 2004).
However, televisions acts as a fertile ground through which the process of socialization becomes effective to the child. Watching of television enables the child to learn to communicate by imitating words either coming from the television or listening to different people such as presenters as they air news to the public.
In addition, children learn many languages as they continue watching and listening to different television channels. English, French and Kiswahili are example of national languages widely used almost by every nation in the world. Television news presents using national languages that all people understand.
Based on this issue, the child will be in apposition to learn the national language enabling communication with other students of diverse communities. This simply indicates how the use of television plays crucial roles in child development (Van-Evra, 2004).
Elimination of idleness
A Child is a complex creature whose concentration attaches to a particular thing understanding the whole meaning because of idleness. A child can think of many things that have no use in his or her development. Based on this issue, watching of television keeps the child busy hence being able to learn useful things or activities in future, for instance, through media socialization, the child can learn how to read and write among others.
Local programs have captured the attention of many children hence developing interest in watching of television as an activity that makes them avoid boredom associated with their idleness (Calvert & Wilson, 2011).
Negative effects of the use of television on Child development
Bad socialization
Earlier on in the study it has been mentioned that though different types of media have positive impacts on child development, they also possess negative effects for instance, despite the entertainment, educative, socialization, and elimination of idleness role played by the use of television, other uses bring about negative effects to the child development.
For instance, some television programs interfere with the child development by altering their personalities and interests. Programs such as videos of gangsters and their operations make a child to develop interest in stealing. Such programs portray how gangsters break into banks and succeed to steal millions of money without the track of the police.
A child may think that the best way through which an individual can become rich or wealthier in short duration of period is through stealing. That child grows up knowing that stealing is not bad because is a way of getting money. This evidences television interferes with mental development of the child (Calvert & Wilson, 2011).
Other programs may present sexually implicit programs whereby a man and a woman falling in love and are indulging in sex. This affects the child negatively because he or she comes to learn sexual behaviors that are not in line with his or her age of development.
Such a child indulges in sexual activities in early age that may interfere with his or her education due to lack of the required concentration in school. Sex is for mature people meaning that children have no right to practice sex until they attain their maturity stage. At that time, they plan for their lives and are in a position to protect them from contacting terminality diseases such as HIV/Aids among others (Calvert & Wilson, 2011).
Deviance
Some television programs turn children into deviants for instance channels that advocates for deviance activities such as stealing. Deviance is the manner through which individuals’ acts against the societal norms meaning that Media can also result into deviance among children.
For instance, media can highlight sex as an important activity in people’s lives by arguing that sex results to health. In conjunction to this, a child indulges in sexual behavior with the aim of attaining health as presented in the television. By so doing the child will be deviating from the norms of the society by ignoring the sinful part of sex (Calvert & Wilson, 2011).
Discouragement
Television is the commonly used media in the modern society meaning that many people use it to pass or receive information. The message and pictures in televisions are in form of signals meaning that people all over the world receive the same message or pictures at the same time.
This implicates high speed of modern media particularly the television. Some news may bring about discouragement to the child or children for instance, if the news reports the alarming increase in unemployment levels more-so up on the graduates, the child’s dream would have been cut-off.
For instance if the child wanted to become a doctor in future and came to realize that through the television news, many students who have studied medicine are unemployed the child may decide either to forgo his or her dream and terminate school because learning will be of no use in future life. Others realize that only children from loyal families go to better secondary school since children from poor families end-up studying in local schools and chances of joining a good college are minima (Calvert & Wilson, 2011).
Health problem
Watching of television for long periods may interfere with development of the area of a brain that is responsible for organizing, planning and ordering behavior for attention, self-control and judgment in children (Anderson, Huston, Linebarger & Wright, 2001). The part of the brain altered by watching of television for long periods is the pre-frontal cortex.
Watching television for quite long periods can also lead to attention disorder in child development. In addition to this, that part of the brain that is responsible for development of language in a child is interfered by prolonged watching of television and thus why children who watch television for long have difficulties in listening and paying attention when it come to comprehend language (Anderson, Huston, Linebarger & Wright, 2001).
Newspapers
Newspapers just like the television plays critical role in entertaining, educating and socializing of the child. Newspapers are entertaining in that they highlight humorous incidences that make people happy and have animal chapters that cover the most interesting animals and their means of survival such at the cheater, kangaroo, and lions among others.
Stories on animals, for instance, why a certain animal appears the way it is on the earth and why some animals lack horns among others attract the attention of children very much. Such stories will act as center of entertainment to the child hence impact his or her development positively.
Educating comes in line with entertainment meaning that as the child read the story on animals he or she will learn more about animals as well as enjoying the story (Anderson, Huston, Linebarger & Wright, 2001).
Negative effects of the use of Newspapers as a media
Addictive
Reading of newspapers is addictive to some extend and that is why many children used to reading newspapers find it difficult to quit the behavior. Such addiction may result to negative impacts on the child development for instance; the reading of the newspaper interrupts the part of brain that is responsible for listening and attention. The development of this part encourages reading of newspapers hence influencing child development in totality (Anderson, Huston, Linebarger & Wright, 2001).
Computers/Internet/Radios
In ancient times, the use of radio as media was common in many parts of the world. In conjunction to this, the emergent of television has taken a large portion in the urban areas whereby signals are readily available (Singer, 2001). Nowadays, the advancement in technology has led to the introduction of computers that are incorporated with radios.
This is to mean that a person can use a computer to listen to radio news and access television news. These features have made computers a multimedia device that is widely used in places such as in offices, working places and in learning institutions. The current curriculum has incorporated the use of computers in teaching or learning process (Singer, 2001).
Effects of computers/internet/radios on child development
The positive uses of computers/ internet/ radios as media on child development include entertainment, educative, socializing among others. Through interaction with computer, child can access music and video clips that are more entertaining meaning that internet is a useful source of entertainment.
Sport sites in computers have become centers for many children who are lovers or soccer fans. It is a kind of recreation source liked by many people both young and adult. Based on the issue of child development, many children are able to realize their talents through interact with various sport centers and others forms of entertainment (Singer, 2001).
Educative
The information got through internet plays important role in educating different categories of people that include the young and adult. Computers or internet contributes to the development of that part of the brain responsible for organizing and planning of individual behavior.
The video clips and music contained in computers are of much important in child development because they carry with them an aspect of education meaning that a child learns much from interacting with the internet (Calvert & Wilson, 2011).
Socialization
Internet as a form of media provide child with an opportunity to interact with wide community for instance, the social sites such as Twitter, Yahoo, Google and Facebook whereby child can chat with others online. The online chats bring people from different destinations together and through this child can learn more from interacting with other children (Calvert & Wilson, 2011).
Negative effects
Internet provides a child with avenues through which he or she can access prohibited sites such as phonographic sites. These are illegal sites because they expose child into evil world at early age. When child become addicted in phonographic sites on internet, he or she looses the attention deemed necessary in school.
Listening of music and video from the internet has negative effects on the child development because it molds the behavior of the child. Through research carried by many specialized in California, it is evident that children who interact with internet for long periods have difficulties in attention and listening when it comes to comprehend language. Such children learn dirty language that offensive and discouraged by the public (Calvert & Wilson, 2011).
Conclusion/Recommendations
The study interests in that it explores the concept of media as it applies to the child development. As mentioned within the context of the study different forms of media are influential to child development. For instance, prolonged watching of television hinders the development of pre-frontal cortex, which is an important part of the brain responsible for organizing, planning and sequencing behavior in child development.
All forms of media discussed in the study have common roles, for instance, they bring about entertainment, education and socialization. The only difference is their negative impacts on child development. Parents should ensure that children spend less time watching television since this affects their concentration leading to difficulties of attentiveness and listening to comprehended language.
References
Anderson, D.R., Huston, A.C., Linebarger, K.l. & Wright, J.C. (2001). Early childhood television viewing and adolescent behavior: Monographs of the society for research in child development. London: Wiley-Blackwell.
Calvert, S.L & Wilson, B.J. (2011).The handbook of children, media, and development. New Jersey, NJ: Wiley and Sons.
CardWell, S. (2000). Studying media. London: Crimson Publishing.
Singer, D.G. & Singer, J.L. (2001). Handbook of children and the media. London: SAGE.
Van Evra, J.P. (2004). Television and child development. New York, NY: Routledge.