The Media can be a useful or deadly tool. As far as I am concerned, when it is used for the sole purpose of ratings and greed, it can be in fact, a deadly tool.
A study of 9- to 12-year-olds showed nondepressed children are more likely to take satisfaction from pursuing their goals on a day-to-day basis, whereas depressed children are more likely than their nondepressed peers to fixate upon beauty, wealth and popularity as keys to happiness. The study was conducted by Dr. Helen Street of the University of Western Australia in Perth, and was presented in 2003 at the British Psychological Association. More can be found at http://www.mpnnow.com/archive/x317110176
The study goes on to say, "Never mind what we are teaching children about personal dignity. I cringe when I think about how other cultures will view us when they see reality TV. In fact, I’ve interviewed young exchange students from Japan in the past who form opinions about Americans that lead them to believe we are rude, aggressive and dangerous.
I have become increasingly disturbed by how popular reality TV has become, but worse, how it may be affecting the young women in our society. Our daughters; sisters; nieces.
One show in particular has me really concerned. The Bachelor. In this series, twenty something young, pretty, smart and successful young women show the world how insecure and vulnerable they are by vying for the attention of The Bachelor.
The show spans several weeks in which the camera watches the girls going through many fazes of trying to impress him-to the point of turning on each other in bouts of anger and jealousy. They are shown getting drunk and saying and doing ridiculous things that would make the average person think they have very little to no self esteem whatsoever.
In the following blog, http://www.alternet.org/story/14670
bloggers are discussing this very issue.
..."But for them, the show is not about Aaron, it’s about the 25 young women. Female viewers see an array of personas, identifying with some and rejecting others, as they calibrate what kind of woman succeeds in a world where appearance and personality still powerfully determine a woman’s fate."
I realize not every one is affected in the same way, but if the media has in fact found a way into those who can and are affected, then doesn't it become thier obligation to adjust the content of their product?
According to http://www.umext.maine.edu/onlinepubs/htmpubs/4100.htm
Studies show that too much television viewing can have adverse affects, such as more violent and aggressive behavior, poor school performance, obesity, early sexual activity, and drug or alcohol use.
Our book, Media and Culture covered tests and studies that came from a phylosphical point of view. What came first: people being pushed toward violence and aggressive behavior through television because they were already predisposed? Or, television teaching them?
Whatever your thoughts may be, ask yourself this, is this how we want our children depicting thier lives and self worth? Is this how they should be determing thier personal value?
I think not.
Reality TV has always bugged me, particularly because it's not realistic. Everything on those shows is scripted, edited, and presented within a predetermined framework.
ReplyDeleteThe other problem I have with shows like The Bachelor goes hand-in-hand with the self-esteem issues you mention in your post: they perpetuate outdated (and often negative) cultural ideas. Case in point: on the show, women are shown as cat-fighting, the men are portrayed as aloof. The very concept assumes that the highest goal for a woman is to "get the perfect man." It assumes that the man is "in charge" of the relationship. It's really disgusting.
I thought it was insightful of you to mention the day-to-day orientation of goals in the American culture. When I was taking Intercultural Communications, we spent part of the course looking at some studies of various cultural dimensions conducted by Professor Geert Hofstede. The United States scored fairly low on the "long-term orientation" scale, suggesting that "saving face" and fulfilling social obligations are of greater cultural value than perseverence or thrift.
Here's a link to the U.S. chart. You can click on other countries to see their results as well:
http://www.geert-hofstede.com/hofstede_united_states.shtml