Television is impacting the perception and actions of the American public in an enormous way. Watching television doesn't only influence buying behavior, but it also has influence on how people think and perceive life. The U.S. Department of Commerce recently reported that 99.5 of U.S. households that had electricity, also had a television set. This statistic indicates that an overwhelming amount of Americans have the potential to be influenced by television programming.
Developed by George Gerbner and Larry Gross, the Cultivation Theory is the product of a study to examine the effects of television on American culture. After discussing the topic in class, I not only thought about how television impacts the American public, but I also thought about how television impacts the way other countries view America. Some foreigners will never visit America in their lifetime. So if they never encounter American life, how are their perceptions developed? A recent Christian Science Monitor poll found that 47 percent of Americans thought television portrayed the country in a positive light, whereas 43 percent had mixed feelings or thought the influence was negative.
I think it's fascinating that television and technology overall, gives anybody the opportunity
to have influence. With the rise of Youtube, American television is being made more accessible
to the world. This means that other countries have more of an opportunity to engage American life.
Globalization and the impact of television are interconnected. If the United States is
serious about diplomacy and spreading cultural influence, more emphasis must be placed on balance in television programming. The Cultivation Theory is a perfect example of how the media and particularly television can help influence change and sharpen perspectives if used correctly.
I think you make a great point about how television shapes perceptions of America/ Americans all over the world. In my experience living in Kenya, I found that a lot of Kenyans had a negative perceptions of African Americans based on what they saw on TV, as studies http://www.yale.edu/ypq/articles/oct99/oct99b.htmlhave shown that the mass media still influences racist attitudes.
ReplyDeleteA lot of content for television abroad is American programming, imagine the misunderstandings that can occur if your only perception of Americans was of the Kardashians!
Although I see the the potential problems of these misunderstandings, I don't feel the government should step in and control content. You suggested "more emphasis must be placed on balance in television programming" and I wonder who should be controlling content, and if so how would this be possible?
Calvin, you definitely raise an important point about the content of television and the unprecedented impact it has had on the United States and around the world.
ReplyDeleteThere was an interesting article on the BBC recently about the pervasiveness of American culture on British television and internet: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/14130942.
The article discusses how language in Britain is changing and including new terminology and slang that has no context in the United Kingdom.
Terms like "ideas coming out of left field" mean nothing in England, because baseball is nonexistent as a sport there, yet it is almost universally understood in the context of something being unexpected.
It is something that "irritates" the author of the article in question, but, as Ginnie says, has the potential for more dangerous consequences as well.