According to this article just published, after decades of relative stability, the values typically learned by teenagers from television took a sharp dive, from being high on empathy and kindness to dominated by narcism and fame. Out with Full House and That Seventy's Show, and in with Hannah Montana and American Idol. The first thing that sticks out to me is that these shows don't seem like they could be that bad, though I have never seen either of them. The odd thing about this study is that this phenomenon seemingly affected us overnight. While we all sat around expecting the world to drift into self-centeredness, it didn't really seem to have that effect until after the millenium change - at least according to this. Of course, who's really saying that the world is all that bad, right?

I haven't had a chance to read tomorrow's Monday paper yet, but the news was rather intriguing.

 

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/07/110712094237.htm

Edited July 25, 201114 yr by Realitycheck

Actually, since the subjects in the report were eleven year olds, I can see how the effects could be exaggerated to the levels described. Essentially, the dominant values from the previous 3 or 4 decades have pretty much flip-flopped to a very different set of values. Using a list of 16 behavioral factors influencing kids, over the last ten years, fame went from fifteenth to first, while benevolence went from second to thirteenth.

Edited July 25, 201114 yr by Realitycheck

I usually approach this discussion from another point of view (with similar conclusions though).

 

If you put kids in front of a TV - why not teach them something? Whether you like it or not, kids will absorb information from whatever they watch. Therefore, showing them narcist and fame focussed shows is nothing short of a crime.

 

It's possible to make fun programs that are educational (I always loved Sesamestreet when I was a small kid)... So, my question is simply "Why not make more?".

I'm not suggesting actual study TV shows. It's easy enough to hide useful information in a fun package.

 

Anyway, TV as a whole is suffering from a dumbing down syndrome. Only 10 years ago, Discovery Channel was interesting. Now, all you see are reality shows of people at their jobs...

 

(edited because of a small typo)

Edited July 25, 201114 yr by CaptainPanic

Good point and an interesting question. I was always interested in documentaries and basically anything that was on cable, which wasn't available out in the country, but the whole Power Rangers thing always seemed a bit overdone on the fantasy.

Children don't really to get out much because mom and dad are too busy with work or relaxing from work, so children escape in the form of tv and video games. They learn that the key to love and attention is fame and glory. They have all this time to themselves that they begin to thing that the only way to get attention is to be famous. So, once the parents can stop having to worry about work so much, we can break this cycle. This is my idea of it anyways.

agree with you people ............i just read an essay from a small child who wants t obecome a tv in his future life because tv is so much loved and cared by his family members that he himself wants to be it to get those love and care............i think shows should be watched according to your age ...........parents must block channels which are showing dirty stuffs .........watching tv for sometime is good but dont let your children depend fully on it for entertainment

Children don't really to get out much because mom and dad are too busy with work or relaxing from work, so children escape in the form of tv and video games. They learn that the key to love and attention is fame and glory. They have all this time to themselves that they begin to thing that the only way to get attention is to be famous. So, once the parents can stop having to worry about work so much, we can break this cycle. This is my idea of it anyways.

parents must block channels which are showing dirty stuffs ...

The dirty stuff is only part of a much larger problem. It's impossible to pick out a single TV genre, and put all the blame on that.

 

The core of the problem is: all that matters to the owners of a channel is how many people watch the commercials.

What they show between the commercials (the actual show) is just a matter of attracting the most viewers for the least amount of money.

 

Why do you think that reality shows, sitcoms and talkshows are such a success? Because it's good TV? NO. The reason is because they're cheap to make.

 

You cannot leave the education of children to such a rotten business model. It's ok to expose them for a short time to it, but not 5 hours per day.

And the worst is: you can't blame the TV channels. Their primary responsibility is to their shareholders (not to the viewers!).

right

The dirty stuff is only part of a much larger problem. It's impossible to pick out a single TV genre, and put all the blame on that.

 

The core of the problem is: all that matters to the owners of a channel is how many people watch the commercials.

What they show between the commercials (the actual show) is just a matter of attracting the most viewers for the least amount of money.

 

Why do you think that reality shows, sitcoms and talkshows are such a success? Because it's good TV? NO. The reason is because they're cheap to make.

 

You cannot leave the education of children to such a rotten business model. It's ok to expose them for a short time to it, but not 5 hours per day.

And the worst is: you can't blame the TV channels. Their primary responsibility is to their shareholders (not to the viewers!).

The core of the problem is: all that matters to the owners of a channel is how many people watch the commercials.

What they show between the commercials (the actual show) is just a matter of attracting the most viewers for the least amount of money.

You cannot leave the education of children to such a rotten business model. It's ok to expose them for a short time to it, but not 5 hours per day. And the worst is: you can't blame the TV channels. Their primary responsibility is to their shareholders (not to the viewers!).

 

Exactly! We've built a sort of corporate society where everything depends upon profit. As a society, our goals are "the pursuit of happiness," "liberty and freedom." That has proven ideal for the corporate structure to advertise us into becoming "consumers" dedicated to the collecting of "stuff." We are also dedicated to "freedom." That is what the hippys of the 1960s achieved, total freedom!

 

So, it is not just the fault of TV but the parents, and their parents as well. They let all this happen.