Television and Family: The Social Implications of a Mass Medium

Before the rise of the Internet and the immediacy of streaming platforms like Netflix and Hulu, television dominated the 20^th century as the primary medium of entertainment and communication. Television was – less so than today – the center of Western culture, with blockbuster shows like Seinfeld and Friends dominating the landscape of American entertainment. In 1989, 98% of household in the U.S. own a television set, with those T.Vs being turned on for an average of 7 hours a day (Christopher, 210). Television’s mass dispersion into millions of households has also created intergenerational roots into familial standards of life. As one of the major mediums of advertising, television connects the audience directly with products and services advertisers sell. Coupled with a nation watching T.V. shows for hours on end, television holds a strong arm over consumer activity. In fact, advertising on television has been shown to influence children’s developmental behavior, making them more inclined to buy a product seen on t.v. (Fabes, 338).

Figure 1. Breakdown of television content.

Moreover, television has further implications on the psychological state of an individual and the individual’s relationship with others. In particular, familial relations have shown to be heavily influenced by the presence of television as most family gatherings (i.e. dinner time, leisure) take place around a t.v. set. The content of television shows has influence over family dynamics: drama shows have a tendency to create tension between family members while comedy achieves the opposite (Rosenblatt, 106). This cause-and-effect comes from the notion that “art imitates reality”; shows are designed to mimic and replicate real-life scenarios and even create ideal situations that viewers wish to have. There is an emotional connection that develops from watching a television show because the viewer connects the content that he or she is watching. Television shows are primarily centered around events that have either happened in real life or have the potential to happen. Historical fiction is a genre that is most common on television, with events like world wars, world cups, and commemorative anniversaries coming up frequently as topics to watch (Holdsworth, 138). Their popularity hinges on the idea of nostalgia: people want to relive potent moments of the past, whether good or bad, as a means of self-preservation.

Television is a complex, multi-layered medium that plays heavily into the human psyche. Its revolutionary way of bringing communication to the next level is why out society is heavily grounded in t.v. dictating cultural trends and displaying socioeconomic issues. Advertising has taken note of this from the get-go, and uses television’s non-stop format to consistently bombard viewers with advertisements in a way that engrains the product into our minds and everyday lives.

Works Cited:

• Christopher, F. Scott et al. “Family Television Viewing: Implications for Family Life Education.” Family Relations, vol. 38, no. 2, 1989, pp. 210–214. www.jstor.org/stable/583677.
• Ayers, Jerry B. “Elementary School Teachers’ Attitudes toward Instructional Television.” The Journal of Experimental Education, vol. 41, no. 1, 1972, pp. 1–4. www.jstor.org/stable/20157315.
• Fabes, Richard A. et al. “A Time to Reexamine the Role of Television in Family Life.” Family Relations, vol. 38, no. 3, 1989, pp. 337–341. www.jstor.org/stable/585062.
• Holdsworth, Amy. “‘Television Resurrections’: Television and Memory.” Cinema Journal, vol. 47, no. 3, 2008, pp. 137–144. www.jstor.org/stable/30136121.
• Rosenblatt, Paul C., and Michael R. Cunningham. “Television Watching and Family Tensions.” Journal of Marriage and Family, vol. 38, no. 1, 1976, pp. 105–111. www.jstor.org/stable/350554.