How Has Television Affected the Concept of Community

How has television affect the concept of "community"?

Television made its first appearance in American living rooms 45 to 50 years ago. It spread so quickly that it became available to virtually all American families. The effects of television on the common household has influenced American pop culture. Television has affected the way we perceive the world and has become the primary source form which Americans receive their news. Television has affected our concept of community by alienating and isolating individuals as opposed to bringing people together in a functional community. Television has been a significant variable in studying gender portrayals.

Television is an important influence on gender role and age. Television can be stereotyped on the behaviors and attitudes and can have an impact on their perception of male and female roles in our society. "Television is an important mirror of the national personality and self-image, reflecting and affecting the tasted and preferences of the people watching". (Podrazik; 1982). Factors that may contribute to the gender-typed behaviors are role models and imitation are extremely influential. Children are exposed to models throughout their environment including those on television.

"Gender stereotypes occur with frequency on daytime soap operas; women are often shown as hopeless individuals, unable to solve problems without assistance". (Basow, 1992). Television often does not reflect reality when it deals with the occupations of men and women. For example "programs depict 75% of women as being in the labor force, compared with the truer figure of about 56% "(Lauer & Lauer, 1994; Basow, 1992). The primary job settings for most women on television is as a professional. Most women in real life, however are in low paying low status jobs.

How women are portrayed in the media disgusts me, especially in the hip-hop culture. When you watch today's hip-hop music videos, all you see is scantily clad women flaunting their goodies and behaving in a way that degrades them. After seeing these videos, one will think that the word "woman" is synonymous with the word "sex." The fact that these women are usually minorities adds fuel to the flame. "It is a one-dimensional view that the media have found easy to promote. In their special vocabulary, advertisers have designated "sizzling" and "smoldering" as the adjectives of choice for describing not only the foods but also the women of Latin America" (Cofer 225).

Minority women's being portrayed and as a result stereotyped as sleazy isn't the only negative effect of hip-hop music videos. Young girls who are bombarded with these images will most likely develop little personal values. Young boys will probably portray the women in their lives as nothing more than a piece of meat. It's disturbing how crime against women has steadily increased as women are degraded in the media.

It's remarkable how the media has an immense effect on today's society. This is due to the fact that millions of people spend hours glued to the television. Unfortunately, the characters portrayed by the media fail to reveal how real people are in the real world. "There are thousands of [people] without the privilege of an education or the entrees into societyÐ'...life for them is a constant struggle against misconceptions perpetuated by [myths]" (Cofer 227). It's important to correct any misconceptions; otherwise people will never know the truth behind a stereotype. Our