Television - Research Paper Example

Thus, for example, Steven Johnson strongly believes that TV, or some shows on TV might give its viewers “a good cognitive workout” (169). Such a mental workload can be activated through the shows that offer to its viewers the dialogues among various characters supplied with intersecting threads to follow, and to solve puzzles and mysteries, hidden in scenario. Current reality makes people to integrate massive amount of various information and this skill could be developed through TV shows that make its viewers to pay attention, track shifting social relationships and make inferences (Johnson 170).

Despite the fact that there are some positive arguments for media and TV in particular, there are some obvious negative arguments as well. In addition to potential cognitive workout that can be obtained through the TV, children and adolescents can easily get an impressive portion of violent behavior. This threat is critical for children before age of 8, when they are not capable yet to discriminate between fantasy and real life (Introduction to Media Violence, n.p.). According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, on-screen violence is as real to this category of children as violence that they witness either at home or in their environment (Introduction to Media Violence, n.p.). . In addition to the threat of violence perception through the media, excessive Internet use also might result in some negative consequences, including: cyber bullying, sexualization of children, dependence, and other harm to psychological function (Impact of Media on children 43).

In addition to the threat of violence setting among children and young adolescents, media has impact on young people through the images and popularization of sex and drug use. Besides violence scenes, there is an abundant language referencing sex, sexual insinuation and sexual behavior reflected through both cable television and Internet. According to the study of 2002, the primetime television featured tobacco in 22%, alcohol in 77%, and illicit drug use in 20%. (Larson 169). Thus, continuous promotion (either active or passive) of sex, alcohol, and drug use causes desensitization to those behaviors among young adolescents.

In addition to the all above stated threats, media also causes higher body and appearance dissatisfaction, especially among young girls who tend to emulate the appearance of models (Bell and Dittmar 478). In addition to the above stated arguments, there is an opinion that the pervasiveness of television, radio, film, the World Wide Web and publishing works a harmful trigger of globalization impact (Introduction to Mass Media: Opposing Viewpoints n.p.). There is a strong belief that some of the far-reaching mass media act as catalysts for violence and protest against the West.

While all we believe in freedom of speech and ethics of journalism, it is obvious that majority of the mass media sources are the tactical instruments in hands of politicians, national, international and local corporations/businesses. People can choose to hear or to see only