The Perception of Reality through the Influence of Television - Essay Example

The perception of reality through the influence of television: How we see our lives in comparison to our actual realities Television viewing has become a dialogue between viewers and programmers that sets society on different courses that are defined by the associations that the audience makes with the ideal lifestyles that they view in programming. Since the beginning of television, the public identities of the performers have been representative of goods and services that advertisers wished to promote. As a television viewer and part of the American experience, I have found that I too have been affected by what I watch on television. What I desire, in the way of my material identity, is often defined by what I see on television. Even my ideal car seems to represent the care of the person I admire from television. Through an examination of the consumerist society that has been constructed by the infusion of the constructed reality of television into the real world, I can look at the way that my own life has been affected by the goals and ambitions put into motion through desires to emulate certain characters and lifestyles that I am attracted to on television. The entertainment world has been significantly affecting the lives of American’s since the 1950’s. When Donna Reed and June Cleaver wore their petticoat circle skirt dresses with a strand of pearls as they participated in their television role as the ‘average’ middle class mother and wife, millions of women across the United States began to feel the pressure. While this was not the beginning of the media pressure on the public to perceive a happy life from a particular set of social structures as films and periodicals had been in place for many decades before this time, it was the first time when the pressure to see a successful life from a certain point of view would be a part of daily life. Television brought these moving images into the home, cranking up the pressure on a developing consumer public. Early television did not focus merely on the promotion of an ideal. The concept of selling the products that advertised to support the program budgets was clearly evident, but selling the ‘lifestyle’ was not necessarily the focus. Early television stars that were the most popular were the ‘vaudeo’ these stars were vaudeville based comedians who translated their skills to the small screen. Stars that fit into this category include Milton Berle, Sid Caesar, Burns and Benny, and Ed Wynn. According to Murray (2002), the post-war Hollywood screen hero tended to be the virile, but psychologically tormented detective. On television, however, the main male stars were older comedians without a sense of the ideal that was promoted in motion pictures. The public was given male figures that represented “coherence and authenticity in gender identity” (p. 99-101). However, these stars did have the essence of ’celebrity’ and with that came a public persona. In order to sell the goods that advertisers promoted, they were required to create an on-stage identity that appeared genuine and sincere, and most of all trustworthy. As they developed characters for skits, they were still involved in monologues that would put on their ’real identity’ that they would wear between skits. Within the skits, they would direct asides to the audience that would step them back into their ’core identity’ for a moment, thus reinforcing that sense of who they ’really’ were, and in turn, reinforcing their perceived character in order to promote the goods and services that the advertisers were selling (Murray, 2002, p. 102). The perception of reality would develop an opinion from the viewer who would take this into their own experience as a real representation. The development of the consumerism culture created a dynamic and symbiosis between the entertainment of watching television and the development of the social identity. Who a person is can now be affected by the way in which they are attracted to a certain life that they see on television programming. In order to become the ’identity’ that they now select, materialistic desires need to be fulfilled (Stearns, 2008, p. 112). As an example, say a certain character in a television show drives a certain car. The sales of that car may be affected by the desires of those individuals who most closely identify with that character. There is a sense that in order to have the desired identity, the materialistic culture around that character must be emulated. McCarthy (2001) describes the television set as “both a thing and a conduit for electronic signals, both a piece of furniture in a room and a window to an imaged elsewhere, both a commodity and a way of looking at commodities” (p. 93). A television represents a fixture of consumerism in which the promotion of materialistic values is the prime intention. In order to promote the materialism, reality becomes distorted into what is most conducive to consumerism. McCarthy (2001) considers the social differentiation of the ’real’ and the ’derealization’ that occurs from the social relationship between reality and the construction of reality through television programming (p. 98). True social reality is distorted into the shape that benefit’s the advertisers. Television programming has gone so far as to create a genre of programming called ’reality television’ that is intended to suggest to the viewer that instead of a scripted type of program, this is real life events that are a part of life fulfilling a voyeuristic need within the viewing audience. Rose and Wood (2005) quote Boorstin (1961) who said that “life has become stagecraft - a blending of reality and mass mediated experience that evokes life as a movie in which people play themselves (p. 284). In reality television, ’real’ life becomes a stage from which the public defines social experiences through the actions of the ’actors’ within the productions. Rose and Wood (2005) theorize that television is contributing to the social construction of the American culture, defining and imposing upon it the consumerist ideals that promote the acquisition of material signifiers of identity (p. 295). My personal point of view on reality television is that there is nothing real about it. Logistically speaking, if one notices the convenient locations of camera’s where ’surprises’ and events that are pivotal are located, one can surmise that those events were set into motion without a the legitimacy that they intend to portray. In other words, the events are set up. However, when people don’t realize that these events do not reflect reality, they tend to think that life is like that: a series of adventures and events that are exciting and unexpected. The issue with reality television is that it needs to hold the attention of the viewer, and let’s face it. If real life held the attention of the viewer, his eyes would not be focused on the television. The effect of television viewing on the individual identity does have some limitations. Before discussing the potential affect of the phenomenon on the identity, it is important to recognize that the moral and ethical identity has a much deeper foundation and will be affected in direct relationship to the strength of that foundation. The moral and ethical identity, according to Monroe (2003), is not defined by affiliations with political, religious, or social groups, but is defined by the development of character within an individual. She states that the identity is the way in which an individual sees the social self (p. 418). However, to discuss the identity in regard to morals and ethics, looking at the Aristotelian concepts of virtue ethics is useful. Virtue ethics is defined by a sense that a person is moral or immoral because of his character, not because of his actions. Therefore, his actions are moral or immorally defined because of his character (Monroe 2003, p. 419). Therefore, the way in which television will affect the morals and ethics of an individual is limited by the extent to which the character will allow those influences to affect the identity. It is interesting, however, to consider how those influences will nudge the direction of the character of an individual. It is encouraging to note that the research of Smith Speck and Roy (2008) indicates that while there is a fear that the consumerist culture that is promoted through media outlets is pushing us to a globally homogenous culture in which one culture shows little difference to another, in truth the materialism and consumerism is still finding defined cultures in different areas of the world. The fear of a ’hybridization’ of the global community into a singular culture is not being fulfilled. Rather, the world is still developing individuated consumerist habits that are defined by the core culture of a region (p. 1213). The phenomenon of the television social construction does seem affect the way in which social behavior develops. While it is clear that what a person will do is defined by the type of character he or she develops, it is also clear that decades of television viewing has created a culture that defines itself by the materialistic environment that surrounds itself. The individual can choose to identify with the aspect of the materialistic culture that most appeals to him or her, even if that means that they might be identified with an anti-materialism. The irony of an anti-materialism stance can sometimes be that the individual associates themselves with musicians, actors, and or literary figures that represent those ideals, thus actually participating in the consumerism culture through support of those ideals. What does this mean for the culture within America? Well, one of the problems that I have experienced is that there is an underlying disappointment that exists within my life because my experience never quite meets my expectation in comparison to the experiences that I have seen on television. Because I cannot predict an outcome to an event, I am often disappointed that the ’thrill’ that I expect isn’t quite as exciting as the ’script’ that I had written in my imagination of the event. When I design an outing with friends, I often expect that I will meet someone new or that some wild event will happen that I never expected. Most often, I spend the evening in good conversation and end it by going home after a merely pleasant evening. While I enjoy my evening, it doesn’t quite meet the expectations that I have in the back of my mind of something exciting and new, a turn in the story of my life that leads to something bigger and better. This is not to suggest that I spend my life expecting it to read like a movie script. My expectations are no greater or less than anyone else’s might be within their own social sphere. However, I think I am not alone in the desire to see my life turn into a story for a time that has a three act structure. The end of the story, of course, would not be the end of my life, but a movement towards the next adventure. It is unrealistic, of course, to think that life is a series of stories that have adventure and excitement and defined by the things that I put into it to define my own identity. There is something sad, though, about the idea that life will never quite meet up to the expectations of the social experience. Just like most people, I would like to think that I am not moved by expectations that my life will be something that is based on unrealistic expectations. However, I am also not immune to the idea that I would like to look at my life and be excited by the events that occur within it. When Rose and Wood (2005) quoted Boorstin (1961) saying that “life has become stagecraft”, I understood from a personal point of view (p. 284). When I get ready to go out into the world, I spend time in front of a mirror making sure that what I am wearing and how I look reflects the identity, or “character” that I show to the world. When I plan my time out in the world, I create scenarios within my mind at the potential for that time period. I have designed my life through the expectations from experiences I have had through my favorite television programs. I do not believe that is as strange as it may sound. I have known of many women who have wished to have their household run with the efficiency that Martha Stewart displayed or with the kitchen culinary creativity that Rachel Ray has exhibited. I have known men who desired to have the car collection that Jay Leno has or the ingenuity with tools that Bob Vila. The sales of purses, shoes, and fashions increase the minute a star that young women want to emulate wears them and the sales of cars, music, and games increase as young men see their idols use them. Teenagers, in particular, can be affected by the desire to emulate their favorite stars and celebrities. Television shows are dedicated to promoting the lifestyles and the materialistic details of those lives to viewers. Viewers respond by emulating those lifestyles to the level that they can through consumerist behavior. I doubt that there are many people in the United States who are not affected by this symbiotic relationship. Even my grandmother does her best to still emulate the lifestyle that she discovered through Martha Stewart. Her intention is to put her house in order, drying flowers and making detailed baked goods on such a regular basis that her friends and family see her as an accomplished and well situated woman within her home. Her intention is not to be merely seen as perfect, but her desire is to be the perfect homemaker. It is the identity that she strives towards. I’ve spent a great deal of my life trying to emulate the perfection of life that my family and I have been convinced it is possible. My family has always tried to spend quality time together, creating the Hallmark card, picturesque popular culture point of view on what an American family should reflect. However, rarely does the reality match the image. As I stand in the isle of a store, choosing my purchases so that they reflect my life, my style, and my desires, I am aware somewhere in the back of my mind that those ideals were developed through my viewing a similar environment in which a character lived and that the choices I make somewhat reflect my version of that identity. The American experience is filled with the ideals that have been developed through the images of American life that have promoted in television programs. The ‘derealization’ that McCarthy(2001) discussed is evident in the way in which we dress, we speak, and act. People live in a real world in which they have expectations of a world that is slightly more than what reality can offer. This can be seen in the types of consumerism that is experienced. Look at the costs of the items that we must have in our lives. In this world, people buy things they cannot afford. In my parents world, a pair of shoes would never cost two weeks pay, but in the world created by Carrie Bradshaw in Sex in the City, buying a pair of shoes that cost more than a month’s rent is not that unusual. Owning a Louis Vitton purse defines a person as does wearing a pair of Jimmy Choos. The problem with buying a pair of shoes that cost more than a months rent is that rent must come from somewhere. Reality will intervene to bring someone back down to the ground As shown through the discussion of the development of the identity, the way in which television will affect an individual is defined more by the existing character of that individual (Monroe, 2003). I believe it is folly to say that a television program can be responsible for the violent actions of an individual. That individual was more than likely already developed towards those actions. However, the television might inspire a higher level of creativity within the ways in which that violence is expressed. I don’t believe that my character has been formed through my television viewing habits. However, I do think that the desires and sparks of creative spirit that I already possessed in the way in which my identity has been formed have been influenced towards directions that were already in place. I desire great experiences and a great future, full of all the materialistic desires that I aspire to achieve. However, I am fully aware that life is not ’scripted’ and that my life will be what I make it, not what a writer has envisioned for me. References Boorstin, D. (1961). The image: A guide to pseudo-events in America. New York: Harper. Kellner, D. (1992). Popular culture and the construction of postmodern identities, in Modernity and identity. ed. S. Lash and J. Friedman. Oxford: Blackwell, 141-77. McCarthy, A. (Autumn 2001). Screen to site: Television’s material culture, and its place. The MIT Press. 98, pp. 93-111. Monroe, K. (October 2003). How identity and perspective constrain moral choice. International Political science review. 25(4), pp. 405-425. Murray, S. (Autumn 2002). Ethnic masculinity and early television’s vaudeo star. Cinema Journal. 42(1), pp. 97-119. Rose, R. L. & Wood, S.L. (September 2005). Paradox and the consumption of authenticity through reality television. Journal of Consumer Research. 32, pp. 284-296. Smith Speck, S. K. & Roy, A. (2008). The interrelationships between television viewing, values, and perceived well-being: A global perspective. Journal of International Business Studies. 39, pp. 1197-1219. Stearns, P. N. (2006). Consumerism in world history: The global transformation of desire. New York: Taylor & Francis, Inc. Read More