The Effect of Television on the American Culture

ENGL 101-B33
February 19, 2013
The Effect of Television in American Culture
The television has positioned various issues pertaining to the lives of the general public in a number of ways. Undoubtedly, views and opinions of the public may be easily controlled and influenced through content of various commodities of television. People opinions may perhaps form by their views on certain subjects. Starting slightly beyond infanthood, children learn to engage in, duplicate, and imitate the accessories and fashions from movies, sitcoms, commercials, and television. Additionally, apart from producing awareness for adults, television activates certain images of ideas and factors into the minds of children. For example, television stereotype groups, in which various movies and sitcoms display how model youths act in educational institutions and individuals with turbans and beards must be terrorists. Stereotypes embed in the minds of children, and they become persuaded to pursue them in real life. Furthermore, celebrities accepting characters with nudity and cussing, creating the opinion of children and adults that it is acceptable to compromise roles and broadcast Christ. The Bible says, “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”
Television is significant to the media. Currently, television inundated a massive amount of communication that has an enormous effect in the lives of American culture. The American culture has a vast amount of information through television; it becomes very difficult to distinguish between right and wrong, or to decipher vital information from true and false.

It is apparent that television has significant effect on young people, and these days practically all of them have access to television because of easy accessibility and it presents the highest degree of simulation. Visually being simulated inclines that television has an assorted kind of effect on attitudes and lives of people. It is debatable what people watch on television might shape their attitudes and behaviors that individuals holds in contradiction of or in favor of numerous issues. Such as, a television show continuously showing youth wearing fashionable clothes with makeup, clearly, a youth that keep viewing the same ideas, views and images imposed on them by the associated media like internet and magazines, it is possible that they will begin to believe and accept similar ideas.
Similarly, television may work in creating a variation of stereotypes, for instance, in high school, popular girls that are fashionable and rich, these girls become embedded in the minds of young girls as they are viewing television and its’ likeness. As a result, such images cause young individuals to shape certain stereotypes, attitudes, notions and ideas towards events and people surrounding them through showing what the intellect desires them to view, in which, unsurprisingly reality does not exist. We are to, “Therefore be imitators of God as dear children.”
Still, television has created stereotypes from diverse cultural and social backgrounds. Such programs produces a sense of how an individual represent themselves, how an individuals’ impression in relation to ethnicity, gender and nationality they belong to or about their sexual orientation on themselves and others. Perhaps, the most significant misconception that a person may obtain from television is the description of other ethnicity or customs, which creates confusion and wrong assumptions in the mind of a child concerning people who belong to specified cultures. Studies have confirmed that television is a key influence on how to think, behave, feel, fear and believe of individuals from other ethnicities. For instance, most of action television programs present a female in distress and a male occurs to save her most times. This refers to a typical gender stereotyping, where the female portrayed as the weaker gender or sex always require rescue from a male for protection.
Young people learn to respond to different ethnic groups from the knowledge attained via television programs. Such as, television programs on several occasions have depicted African Americans as generally proficient and skillful sport players. Whenever people view people playing sports, assumptions are that African American athletes are better performers than Caucasians.
Above views does not assert that excellent quality cannot originate from television. A range of television programs disseminate and provide youth with massive meaningful information, for instance documentary films on National Geographic and Discovery channels pertaining to diverse events and issues in the lives of people. This positive side of television shows, usage is a responsible, factual, and focused methodology. Society has the insight in evaluating the facts provided. These are popular television shows, which incorporate world stimulated views and opinions into the minds of people. Educational programs provide a unique amount of facts and information on diverse cultures across the world, and are beneficial in enhancing knowledge and eradicating the misconception about cultures and diverse people.
In conclusion, television possibly has several significant effects on the lives of American people, for example the influence of attitude and belief of people, especially young people. Children watch television programs that could create a positive or negative impact on their minds concerning certain opinions and views. Worldwide, youth should be informed and aware of the different viewpoints that penetrate television programs, as well as implications on the different divides and cultures of society. It is apparent that television programs significantly influence the lives of people, especially children. Television programs may possibly shape opinions and views of youth in any direction, because children distinguish directly what is seen on television programs. Programs based on facts and reality may help young people comprehend society in a good manner that eventually directs them to progress. Horror television programs may have a negative influence on development of a child, which could result in long-term anxiety and fear. Altogether, these influences have a major impact on the learning and developments of children, the role of children are the future of all nations. The Bible says to, “Train up a child in the way he should go, [a]nd when he is old he will not depart from it.”