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How TV Influences Viewers

This paper will be concerned with the ways in which television manipulates or satisfies the desires and expectations of its viewers. Television is first and foremost a business. Therefore, one of the most important goals of television programming is to keep viewers watching through the commercials. In recent years, television advertisements have sought to become as entertaining as the programs they sponsor. In this way, it is hoped that the viewer will not "zap" the commercials by switching channels (Miller, 1986, p. 189).

Just as television's programmers and advertisers have their agenda for appealing to viewers, the viewers themselves have their own particular desires and expectations for watching TV. Many people watch television because they want to be informed and entertained. However, it can also be seen that television provides feelings of emotional fulfillment for its viewers. For one thing, television helps people to feel that they are connected with the American culture. Most experts agree that television serves the purpose of reflecting popular culture as it exists in modern times. In this regard, both programs and advertisements tend to convey "messages" about society, including those which are related to sex roles and ethnic groups representation (Palmer, 1987, pp. 73-74). Some writers have noted that television tends to perpetuate the cultural beliefs of society while simultaneously updating them for each new generation. Todd Gitlin, for example, has claimed that "television's spectacles have roots in centuries-old myths, just as they recycle and transform them" (Gitlin, 1986, p. 4). Simply stated, the cultural beliefs that television perpetuates are those which are related to the "American dream." For adult viewers, this dream is concerned with such values as individualism and freedom of choice. For children viewers, "the most prominent message is that of fun and acceptance" (Palmer, 1987, p. 73). In terms...

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How TV Influences Viewers. (1969, December 31). In LotsofEssays.com. Retrieved 11:04, March 28, 2024, from https://www.lotsofessays.com/viewpaper/1705111.html