Media and the Family Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Media and the Family - Essay ExamplePerfection is unattainable, unrealistic, and potentially dull and sterile.1 In a dysfunctional family, however, some parents under-function, leaving their children to fend for themselves. Other parents over-function, never allowing their children to grow up and be on their own. Others are inconsistent or demoralise basic boundaries of appropriate behavior.2A number of factors may directly or indirectly affect the functioning of each member or the family as a whole. Parenting styles may be considered a direct factor. One of the factors indirectly affecting its stability and the functioning of its members, on the different hand, is the television. This is based from the fact that among the everyday activities that draw members of the family together is spending time watching the television. Such occur when the perception of the art becomes a perception of the reality. Hence, television is usually secondary to other activities, affecting other acti vities and vice versa.E curiously, nowadays that reality shows such as the titanic Brother has invaded the TV screens where a dramatic increase of surveillance is present. The Big Brother Show showcases individuals from different localities who are chosen to live in a big house (that of Big Brother). Everything that they do is, in effect, seen on worldly concern TV. This is what Yevgeny Zamyatin (2005)3 calls surveillance in the media. Increase in surveillance in the twentieth-century has also been matched by an increase of voyeuristic entertainment, exemplified by the Orwellian titled television crippled show Big Brother. The entertainment value of voyeuristic surveillance has arguably rendered individuals more accepting of regulatory surveillance in their personal lives. This trend towards change magnitude surveillance coupled with a citizenry inured to a constant invasion of its privacy has formed the basis for a number of twentieth-century dystopian novels and films. match to Focus on the Family, television viewing has grown steadily since the first sets were introduced in the late 1920s. American kids aged 2-18 now spend an average of 529 hours using media each day, with the lions share of that attributed to TV.4 This is primarily caused by the number of changes that occurred since the first television sets were developed in the 1920s. The wobbly 24-line picture screens produced by early on applied science have evolved into todays high-definition TVs with nearly flawless picture quality. And there has never been more programming options available than today, thanks to cable and satellite receivers. Advances in technology opened more avenues for life as reflected on TV be made available to a larger and more complex viewers. Studies show large viewing may be to blame for aggressive or violent behavior, poor academic performance, precocious sexuality, obesity and substance abuse. 5FOCUS This base aims to establish that though the immense detrimental effects of television is undeniable, a responsible viewers attitude such as guiding young audience specially when signs of these undesirable effects are present in shows being viewed, may in effect enhance the mental ability of the young viewer by making him more critical of the implications of what is portrayed on TV how he should respond to such manifestations. Such action should,