The Television - Report Example

Television Name Course Lecture Date Introduction The Television (TV) is an electronic system for sending images and sounds through space on wire onto a viewable screen. It is also defined as piece of technology that receives television broadcast signals. The first inventors of the TV had a hard time convincing their funders that the idea would be a commercial success. It took decades of hard work to produce the first TV set. Less than one hundred years later the TV set can be said to be one of the devices that has profoundly changed human life. With the exception of the internet, The TV is arguably the most influential communication media in modern society. In this paper we trace breakthroughs of early inventors of that led to the present age TV. As we trace the development of TV technology we mention the contribution of several early inventors including Philo T. Farnsworth, C. Francis Jenkins, Paul Gottlieb Nipkow and Vladimir Zworykin. Secondly, we analyze the advantages of Television to human society. Like everything else that is beneficial TV also has several drawback and their analysis form the third section of this paper. In the fourth section, a discussion of the impacts of TV on media society is presented. In the closing section we analyze the profound effect that TV has on the lives of young children. Finally, we conclude that the TV has positively transformed humanity and has made the lives of billions across the globe happier. Television Development Timeline The Invention of the TV set cannot be owned to one single inventor. In the contrary, it is the combination of the inventions and ideas of many different scientists (Monaghan n.d). The work of Michael Faraday and Joseph Henry in electromagnetism in 1831 made it possible for electronic communication to occur. Thirty years later in 1862, Abbe Giovanna Caselli was able to transmit images over wires (Mclean 2000). May and Smith in 1873 experimented with light and Selenium opened the door for the transformation of images into electronic signals (McLean 2000, p18). In 1884, Paul Nipkow was able to transmit images through wires using metal disk technology an invention called the electric telescope. The development of the TV set in the 1900s took the two paths; Mechanical TV and the Electronic TV. In 1906, Lee De Forest invented the Audion vacuum tube that was able to amplify signals (Adams 2012, p. 145). The Audion was a combination of the cathode ray tube and Nipkow’s Disk and was the first mechanical TV. Mechanical TV systems where later advanced by Charles Jenkins and John Baird. Vladimir Zworkin and Philo Farnsworth on the other hand contributed immensely to the development of the electric TV (Mclean 2000, p. 265) 2003). In 1923, Zworkin developed the Iconscope or the electric eye a TV camera tube that relied on Campbell Switon’s’ ideas (Mclean 2000, p. 266). Between 1924 and 1925 Baird and Jenkins were able to show how the mechanical transmission of images occurs (Mclean 2000, p. 224). In 1927, collaboration between the US department of Commerce and Bell Telephone achieves the first long distance transmission of TV signal between New York City and Washington (Monaghan n.d). The same year Phil Farnsworth patented the Image Dissector a complete electronic TV system. In 1929, John Baird was able to open the First TV studio but the images he broadcast were of very poor quality (Mclean 2000, p. 177). In the 1930s several Television station set up operations and after 1939 commercial television became widely available (Monaghan n.d). In the 1940s the development of TV technology was impended by the Second World War. Colour television was also introduced in the 1940s. The 1950s began the Golden era of TV production supported by the 1950s economic boom in the United States, by 1951 more than 8 million Americans owned a TV set (Mclean 2000) 2003). Lone ranger, Father knows Best and I love Lucy are the 1950s most popular programs (Monaghan n.d). The remote control was also invented in the 1950s. In the 1960s, television audience increased rapidly with 75 million viewers watching the Ed Sullivan show when he hosted the Beatles (Monaghan n.d). It is estimated there are over 78 million TV sets in the United States. In 1973, Night-time television was introduced, while the popular video game Pong was also introduced (Monaghan n.d). TVs were affordable at only $400 were the average salary was $7,500 (Monaghan n.d). In 1972, the first the first TV satellite broadcast is made. In the 1980, the VCR a 1970s invention becomes very popular in homes and allowed people to record and replay television programs later. Huge technological advancements were made in the 1990s. The popularity of cable TV with popular series and Sitcoms attracting billion of viewers rose exponentially (Monaghan n.d). The 1990s also saw the internet come into wide usage. The Plasma and LCD technology were introduced as a possible replacement to the CRT TV (Monaghan n.d) 2003). TV sets come with features like sleepers and parental control. In the 2000s, DVDs become the most popular media for storage of recorded TV programs and movies (Monaghan n.d). Both Plasma and LCD technology began to dominate TV sales with slimmer devices, clear pictures and screen sizes TV pictures now looked incredibly realistic. Reality TV was also introduced enabling audiences to participate in voting for competitors. In the present decade, TV has gone online and viewers are able to stream content to their web browsers (Monaghan n.d). Since 2012, all Analog broadcasts in the UK have ceased and broadcast is now through digital signals. The popular DVDs is now threatened by USB storage devices which store TV programs on small handheld devices. Major events around the world attract billion of viewers with the sporting events like the World Cup and the Super bowl final being very popular. Advantages and Disadvantages of TV Arguably, the ability of the TV to bring information to viewers in their homes is the most important (Philo 2014, p. 196). Prime time news is one of the most popular TV programs and it brings a snapshot of what is happening across the globe to viewers. TV also provides entertainment to viewers making them happy and relaxed. Viewers can watch their favourite Movies, Series and documentaries from the comfort of their homes. Sporting events and other live events are televised to sitting rooms leaving television viewers spoilt for choice. TV is also a learning tool, people can obtain knowledge about their natural world, healthy living, diet, personal safety and even some stations provide lessons for kids. Thirdly, TV is an indispensible tool for advertisers who are able to show how consumption of their products makes a consumers life better. The disadvantages of TV include wastage of time. People spend hundreds of hours watching TV without getting useful information (Philo 2014, p. 195). The time wasted on TV is better used for more productive activities. TV is also a leading cause of weight problems, most TV addicts cannot find time for exercising and end up becoming overweight. Thirdly, TV is seen as a tool that promotes consumerism culture. Advertisers and producers use the TV to suggest a way of life where people have to over consume to be happy. Furthermore, not all TV programming is suitable for children and teenagers. Scenes of violence and pornography have been found to promote violent and deviant sexual behaviours among children TV’s Effects of Society The content that is broadcast on TV has a profound effect on the values, beliefs and decisions that are made and held by individuals and the society as a whole. TV greatly shapes the decisions, values and beliefs of its audiences across the globe. It is major a shaper of public opinion and perceptions (Philo 2014, p. 194). In the months after the September 9/11 terrorist attacks the US government accused Bin Laden Al Qaeda network of carrying out the attack. TV coverage of the issue greatly influenced public opinion on terrorism and the support for the war on terror was overwhelming. Here in Britain the kind of coverage a political candidate receives plays a great role in determining whether they are re-elected or elected to hold public office (Druckman 2005, p. 477). TV advertising also shapes the beliefs and value of viewers profoundly. Most of the revenue collected by TV stations comes from advertising. Adverts proclaim the advertisers products to be the best in the market and persuades us to purchase the advertised goods even when we clearly do not need them. TV influences people to buy what their favourite celebrities have. TV also profoundly influences the perception of what is acceptable and fashionable in society. Effects of TV on children TV exposes children to content that should only be viewed by adult audiences. TV programs may influence children to start retrogressive behaviours such as cigarette smoking, alcohol abuse and consumption of junk food. Since children are easily influenced they will want to do what they see their favourite celebrities do on TV. Constant exposure to violent content and violent video games has been found to result in increased aggressiveness in young children (Gunter and McAleer 2005, p.104). While inappropriate sexual content may lead to children developing deviant sexual behaviours (Browne and Hamilton-Giachritsis 2005, p.702). TV also promotes idealized concepts of beauty which profoundly affect the self-concept of children. Children who do not possess the handsome or beautiful feature idealized by TV grow up with a low self esteem (Hackley 2010, p.282). This depiction is deliberate as it tries to hook children to the consumption of products that will make them look beautiful or handsome (Hackley 2010, p.282). TV has been identified as a major cause of obesity and anorexia in young children. Many young girls become malnourished as they attempt to maintain or gain the slim figures of their TV celebrities. On the other hand, advertisement of Junk food using the images of successful people leads children to overconsumption and consequently obesity (Chou, Rashad and Grossman 2005, p. 2). Conclusion TV continues to make profound contribution in modern society as it had done for most of the last century. Thanks to the effort of early inventors and their successors, viewers can enjoy almost unlimited TV content. TV informs, entertains and teaches its audience and can therefore be regarded as an indispensible part of modern society. TV is the tool used by politicians and media owners to shape public opinion and gain support for their points of view. However, the use of TV as an advertising tool has led to many social ills. As seen earlier, TV has led to the development of consumerism culture where individual self-esteem relies on living the way our TV celebrities live. Children remain particularly vulnerable to the negative impacts of TV content. Unless monitored, Young people adopt the deviant behaviours depicted as ideal by the Television content they view. References Gunter, B. McAleer, J 2005, Children and television. Psychology Press, New York. Browne, KD, & Hamilton-Giachritsis, C 2005, The influence of violent media on children and adolescents: a public-health approach, The Lancet, Vol. 365, no. 9460, pp. 702-710. Chou, SY , Rashad, I, & Grossman, M 2005, Fast-food restaurant advertising on television and its influence on childhood obesity (No. w11879), National Bureau of Economic Research, New York. Druckman, JN 2005, Media matter: How newspapers and television news cover campaigns and influence voters, Political Communication, vol. 22, no. 4, pp. 463-481. Adams, M 2011, Lee de Forest: King of Radio, Television, and Film, Springer, New York. Monaghan, E n.d, Television Through the Decades and the Ways It Changed Our World, Accessed 3rd July 2014, http://tv.toptenreviews.com/standard/television-through-the-decades-and-the-ways-it-changed-our-world.htm Hackley, C 2010, Advertising and promotion: an integrated marketing communications approach, Sage Publications, New York Philo, G 2014, Seeing and believing: the influence of television, Routledge, New York. McLean, DF 2000, Restoring Baird's image, IEE, New York. Read More

In the 1930s several Television station set up operations and after 1939 commercial television became widely available (Monaghan n.d). In the 1940s the development of TV technology was impended by the Second World War. Colour television was also introduced in the 1940s. The 1950s began the Golden era of TV production supported by the 1950s economic boom in the United States, by 1951 more than 8 million Americans owned a TV set (Mclean 2000) 2003). Lone ranger, Father knows Best and I love Lucy are the 1950s most popular programs (Monaghan n.d). The remote control was also invented in the 1950s.

In the 1960s, television audience increased rapidly with 75 million viewers watching the Ed Sullivan show when he hosted the Beatles (Monaghan n.d). It is estimated there are over 78 million TV sets in the United States. In 1973, Night-time television was introduced, while the popular video game Pong was also introduced (Monaghan n.d). TVs were affordable at only $400 were the average salary was $7,500 (Monaghan n.d). In 1972, the first the first TV satellite broadcast is made. In the 1980, the VCR a 1970s invention becomes very popular in homes and allowed people to record and replay television programs later.

Huge technological advancements were made in the 1990s. The popularity of cable TV with popular series and Sitcoms attracting billion of viewers rose exponentially (Monaghan n.d). The 1990s also saw the internet come into wide usage. The Plasma and LCD technology were introduced as a possible replacement to the CRT TV (Monaghan n.d) 2003). TV sets come with features like sleepers and parental control. In the 2000s, DVDs become the most popular media for storage of recorded TV programs and movies (Monaghan n.d). Both Plasma and LCD technology began to dominate TV sales with slimmer devices, clear pictures and screen sizes TV pictures now looked incredibly realistic.

Reality TV was also introduced enabling audiences to participate in voting for competitors. In the present decade, TV has gone online and viewers are able to stream content to their web browsers (Monaghan n.d). Since 2012, all Analog broadcasts in the UK have ceased and broadcast is now through digital signals. The popular DVDs is now threatened by USB storage devices which store TV programs on small handheld devices. Major events around the world attract billion of viewers with the sporting events like the World Cup and the Super bowl final being very popular.

Advantages and Disadvantages of TV Arguably, the ability of the TV to bring information to viewers in their homes is the most important (Philo 2014, p. 196). Prime time news is one of the most popular TV programs and it brings a snapshot of what is happening across the globe to viewers. TV also provides entertainment to viewers making them happy and relaxed. Viewers can watch their favourite Movies, Series and documentaries from the comfort of their homes. Sporting events and other live events are televised to sitting rooms leaving television viewers spoilt for choice.

TV is also a learning tool, people can obtain knowledge about their natural world, healthy living, diet, personal safety and even some stations provide lessons for kids. Thirdly, TV is an indispensible tool for advertisers who are able to show how consumption of their products makes a consumers life better. The disadvantages of TV include wastage of time. People spend hundreds of hours watching TV without getting useful information (Philo 2014, p. 195). The time wasted on TV is better used for more productive activities.

TV is also a leading cause of weight problems, most TV addicts cannot find time for exercising and end up becoming overweight. Thirdly, TV is seen as a tool that promotes consumerism culture. Advertisers and producers use the TV to suggest a way of life where people have to over consume to be happy. Furthermore, not all TV programming is suitable for children and teenagers. Scenes of violence and pornography have been found to promote violent and deviant sexual behaviours among children TV’s Effects of Society The content that is broadcast on TV has a profound effect on the values, beliefs and decisions that are made and held by individuals and the society as a whole.

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