American consciousness with regard to ethnic groups who have immigrated, it is necessary to first explore a brief history of communication, how images impact viewers, the impact of television specifically, and then move to a discussion about to what extent immigrant ethnic groups are represented, what kinds of storylines and stereotypes exist, and finally, the impact of these storylines and stereotypes on society.
The history of communication has evolved over three distinct periods: oral storytelling, text-based, and image-centered. For generations, learning and traditions were passed on only by words. Oral cultures used the primary form of storytelling to teach younger generations and it was not until the invention of writing that instruction, traditions and events could be told beyond the capacity of memory. Even still, the limited circulation of hand-written books meant that only an elite few had access to them (Davis, para.3).
The invention of the printing press was a turning point for all of humankind in the ability to relate information to the masses. J. Francis Davis of the Center for Media Literacy, in an article titled, "The Power of Images: Creating the Myths of Our Time," writes, "The Renaissance, the Protestant Reformation and the rise of Western science are just a few of the revolutions spurred by the ability to mass-produce books and newspapers and the growing of common folk to read them" (History of Communication, para.5).
The invention of photography in the mid-nineteenth century also proved to be revolutionary, as it didn't take long for photography to become a significant tool used to communication American social values. The rise of advertising helped facilitate this change as advertisers quickly learned that appealing to consumers' needs and emotions through images was far more effective than through stories or plain facts (Davis, History of Communication, para.4). By the mid-twentieth century, when mo...