Introduction
Behaviors can be learnt and practiced. Increase in attention over the impact of television shows on family values and individuals has drawn attention amongst academicians with some viewing that it has negative impacts on viewers, while others hold a differing opinion. The most fair position however is that there are positive and negative impacts of viewing programs over the television, especially with the consideration that some are educative and encourage positive values, while others are violent, inclined on the negative behavior such as sexual irresponsibility and thus encourage negative attitudes.
Impacts of Television Shows
Impacts of television shows and programs, like other mass media, may vary among the viewers and listeners because the individuals have different backgrounds, intelligence, interests and attitudes, and hence their perceptions and interpretations about the broadcast information may vary (ANI, 2008).
Television shows and programs have positive and negative impacts on the viewers and listeners. The most important roles of television over years have been a source of entertainment and for creating awareness in the society of which family is a component. Entertainment can be used to bring family members together during leisure time in addition to adding value to the time spent together. Creation of awareness of the surrounding by bringing the most current news has aided in decision –making such as those decisions related to the participation of the family unit to issues affecting the society such as issues of governance, education and healthy and safety issues. Although it may be hard to quantify the benefits of such awareness, its impacts can be felt through actions such as increased carefulness for concern over road safety, good diet leading to more healthy individuals, and family unity through participation in societal programs. A good example is the television shows sponsored by the non-governmental organizations to create awareness of HIV and Aids. Through the television, people have been able to learn or at least have exposure to people of different cultures and practices around the world and positive aspects of cultures such as dressing and others have been transferred amongst cultures. People have been able to acquire better ideas and perceptions by considering other cultures around the world. More importantly, television has aided in preservation of cultural heritages and lifestyles which are vanishing, through popularizing them, as well as bringing to the activities and styles of the past to the present (Pluntsho, 2000). Transference of cultures may be beneficial where the viewers are exposed to better lifestyles that add value to their lives as individuals or family lives. Family lives include eating habits, means of communication and encouraging courtesy. Through the change of tastes and preferences of cultures, families have been changed to the better because the members may end up abandoning the former lifestyles to better ones. Through the television, families have been able to achieve transformation via teaching carried out through television shows and programs. These programs include how families can have good health, teachings on family relationships, education on sex life and bringing up of children. The television has been used as a channel for advertisement of consumer goods, and through this, can introduce a variety of consumer goods into the family, and therefore impacting their lifestyles.
Negative impacts of television shows on family values have received an enormous interest even among researchers. Evidence exists as to why this type of media may be blamed for segregated, separated and even broken families. Consumption of some type of television programs has been blamed for exposing particularly the youth and the young people to risky behaviors such as irresponsible sex and violence. Watching of these programs and shows may cause the negative behaviors to be emulated. In addition to influencing the behavior of youths, television shows and programs may be blamed for making people, whether young or old to accept global culture and values and ignore or undermine indigenous culture and practices. The youths have been caught up in the increasing demand for consumption of other cultures especially the western cultures in the developing world. The cultures manifest in changing dressing styles, speech and other lifestyles. This may in turn lead to extinction of cultures and cancel out the role of television in supporting the dominance of vanishing cultures (Pluntsho, 2000). This is especially the case where certain television channels focus on particular cultures by supporting certain programs more than others, for example western in favor of the local programs. Unfortunately, television has been misused as a major source of information by young people and in situations where parents neglect the role of teaching and guiding them on some issues in which they may acquire biased or misleading information. This may lead to problems of behavior among youths within the family through reinforcement of negative behaviors.
Role of Individual Responsibility and Accountability in Responding to Popular Culture
A level of individual accountability and responsibility in consumption of popular culture may affect the consumption of this culture. The greatest challenge is how to acquire this accountability and responsibility amongst the consumers. This is the case especially with the addictive programs and shows broadcast over the television. Individual responsibility and accountability can be used to minimize negative impacts of television shows while capitalizing on the programs encouraging positive impacts.
People among the risky groups are those who need to be more careful in the consumption of television shows. Awareness that one is among these groups is important because it may help in the taking of precautions. It is important that people should be taught on how to control watching of television programs or to capitalize on watching those that encourage positive impacts. Families need be aware of individual responsibility and accountability especially among youths and teenagers towards consumption of television programs and train them to do so. There is some level of responsibility on the part of the parents towards their children towards consumption of television shows and programs to make sure that they capitalize on the programs encouraging positive impacts.
It is true to say that those who spend more time watching television are likely to be influenced by what they see. According to Bandura (2001), there has been found high saturation of TV programming with sexual content and risky sexual behavior. Some theory has segregated viewers who are likely to be more affected by what they view than others depending on characteristics such as their previous direct experience with the behaviors for example. Research has shown that viewers with direct experience with sexual (even risky) behavior are not influenced by its portrayal on TV unlike those without this experience, who are more likely to participate in this unsafe behavior in the future (ANI, 2008). It has been indicated that emerging adults may have characters experiencing positive outcomes after being exposed to countless portrays of sex throughout their lives (Eyal, Keren^Kunkel & Dale, 2008). Negative consequences of such sexual portrays was likely to be lesser than positive ones because those programs which had positive outcomes were more common in the research that found out this (Cope-Farrar & Kunkel, 2002; Kunkel et al., 1999; cited in Eyal, Keren^Kunkel & Dale, 2008). Some research has been concerned with the length of impacts of TV program or shows on viewers. According to Kaiser Family Foundation (2002; cited in Eyal, Keren^Kunkel & Dale, 2008), effects of healthy-related TV shows transmitting information about such sexual transmitted Human Papilloma Virus 1 and emergency contraception information to adult viewers, did not persist (the effects) six to eight weeks latter. Contrary findings on adolescents watching a program where condom efficacy was discussed, indicate that knowledge was retained 6 months latter (Collins, Elliott, Berry, Kanouse, & Hunter, 2003; cited in Eyal, Keren^Kunkel & Dale, 2008). According to Bryant & Rockwell (1994; cited in Eyal, Keren^Kunkel & Dale, 2008), research indicates adolescents whose moral judgment was affected by exposure to sexual content was observed between 3 and 7 days. According to Bandura (2001; cited in Eyal, Keren^Kunkel & Dale, 2008), exposure to mediated sexual behavior may impact on moral perceptions.
Ethical approach to consumption of popular culture and minimizing negative consequences
Consumer’s society, role of consumption in identity making and the meaning of goods are what contemporary studies focus on while investigating consumption. There has been a focus on the theory on conspicuous consumption but theory has moved to a focus to the cultural and economic factors constraining consumption. This later theory view consumers as victims of producers and their social situation. There has been a hit-back theory that consumers use products in a way that is not intended. Cultural studies have focused on how people do things such as watching television, by for example using various objects such as ipods. However, there is no particular practical ethical approach to consumption of television programs among consumers in the modern society.
Adolescents show a trend of being impacted by television shows and programs and must be trained as early as possible to assume responsible and accountable watching of television programs. Children can be trained to assume individual responsibility and accountability while young because some programs encourage positive while others encourage negative impacts. Parents must make sure that this remains their duty and give direction on watching television to make sure preference is shifted towards programs encouraging positive impacts.
References List
- ANI. (2008). Inexperienced viewers more likely to indulge in TV-inspired risky sex.
- Bandura, A. (2001). Social cognitive theory: An agentic perspective. In S. T. Fiske, D. L. Schacter, & C. Zahn-Waxler (Eds.), Annual review of psychology (Vol. 52, pp. 1-26). Palo Alto, CA: Annual Reviews
- Eyal, Keren^Kunkel &Dale. (2008). Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media.
- Pluntsho, R. (2000). Mass Media: Its consumption and impacts on residents of Thimphu and rural areas. The Centre for Bhutan Studies, Thimphu.