How TV Influences Viewers

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

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excellent example of the way in which the "American dream" is manipulated as an emotional appeal to viewers. Such advertisements reinforce the American dream of status and success by indicating the values which are inherent in owning a shiny new car. Many automobile commercials also reinforce the American ideal of individualism by showing a single person driving. According to Todd Gitlin, "the Lone Driver of the commercials embodies a common fantasy: the high-performance manager or professional who succeeds in taking on the persona, the aura, the power, the very body of the boss" (Gitlin, "We Build Excitement," 1986, pp. 143-144). Furthermore, many automobile ads emphasize the excitement of owning a new car. In such commercials, the timing and editing is as important as the images in conveying a sense of excitement (p. 137). Other automobile advertisements are geared more toward women drivers, and as such they tend to emphasize practicality and reliability rather than excitement and individualism. At any rate, "the car thus advertised is not only a means of transportation, it is a carrier of popular feeling" (pp. 139-140). TV ads geared toward children also make emotional appeals which are designed to encourage increased c
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Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page)