Television & Cultural Change - Essay Example

And we somehow should count if not for it then for its influence on the members of our families. We got used to it and its absence in our lives would leave a blank space. But is it so What if this habit is really a harmful, soul killing addiction, and a brain-dumbing drug A lot of studies were devoted to television influence on the human. We will try to analyse if television has any influence on the viewer and if it does, is it negative or positive. Some claim that it is harmful and destructive for our senses, health and mind.

Others point out a lot of positive sides for an individual and for the society as whole. We will try to pay due attention to both points of views. Firstly, far from everything broadcasted is fit for watching even for adults let alone children. In average one hour of broadcast contains 5,5 scenes of violence and sex. Some analyses show that movies prevail over other television genres as per violence and sex - 57,0% of total number of scenes. Almost a quarter (23,3%) is commercials. Each eighth scene (12,6%) is shown in documentaries.

And news bulletins make 4,9%. Another interesting fact that "cartoons, the favourite television fare of most young children contain roughly eighteen acts of aggression every hour. The most recent evidence suggests that by the time he or she is twelve years old the average child will have witnessed 100,000 acts of violence on TV" (Aronson 1995). And this abundance of cruelty cannot pass from record. A lot of studies show that acts of violence, witnessed on TV screens, are then displayed by children in real life as they live what they learn.

And this aggression is not always directed on the objects they play with but also at peers and sometimes at adults. Officials report that 35 % of arrested are teenagers.Secondly, TV show can also prevent understanding between parents and children. For example, "Nanny 911" is a series that follows a team of nannies armed with the dos and don'ts of child-rearing. Each nanny has a specific area of expertise, ranging from proper etiquette to controlling temper tantrums, and all are ready to help exhausted parents tackle the issues creating chaos in their home and whip their families into tip-top shape.

"Nanny 911" convince children that nanny can be better than parents.Furthermore, human brain somewhat resembles a muscle in a sense that it needs constant training to perform well. And if not trained it looses some if its capacities. "The left hemisphere dominates when we read, write and speak. It specializes in analytical and sequential thinking and step-by-step logical reasoning. It analyses the sound and meaning of language (e.g., phonic skills of matching sound to letters of the alphabet).

It manages fine muscle skills and is concerned with order, routine and details. The ability to comprehend science, religion, math (especially geometry) and philosophy relies on abstract thinking characteristic of the left hemisphere" (Susan R. Johnson). And television only acts on sight and hearing, which deprives of work other senses and the better part of the