Q4

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Television audiences and the culture of Early Television
Ways in which the television was viewed
When the television was introduced, it came as a replacement or an improvement. It inherited the listening practices of the radio. In the 1990’s the average television watching hours increased and the well-educated would spend their weekends indoors watching TV. When introduced to a home, it changed house schedules as people spent most of their time watching. Parents had to monitor the children’s watching schedule not to disrupt their eating and sleeping activities. The television was a significant device of information and entertainment that was graced and accepted into the society. The people’s lives changed to revolve around the TV and watching it became part of their lifestyle.
Influence of the TV on the people’s lives
The television socially influenced people’s lives. They shifted from radio listening to watching television. The young men stopped attending theaters to watch movies and instead, watched television programs. It consumed most of their time than other activities. Activities outside the home reduced and increased privatization. The heavy watching activity raised concerns over the negative impacts of watching television. The thoughtful individuals said that watching TV among children hindered them from doing homework, reading and affected their playing habits. To the adults, it distracted them from performing their duties. These public worries were based on the television’s powerful influence that would alter the people’s culture, leisure, and education (Butsch 237).

Initially, the television acted as a unifying factor. When the television arrived, few people bought it and many would gather at different centers to watch. People thronged public places like bars to watch the fascinating device. The TV also became a tool for improving business. Bar owners reported a drastic increase in the number of customers who enjoyed taking their drinks while watching. A family that owned TV welcomed other guests to join them in watching. However, this communal viewing changed with the adoption of privatization. The welcoming families no longer invited neighbors and preferred watching TV by themselves.
Television watching evidently interrupted the house activities. Unlike the radio, the people had to choose the activities to concentrate on since they couldn’t combine watching with other activities. For instance, children who used to read while listening to radio could not do so with the television. The radio was reduced to random listening and reference listening. The listeners randomly switched on the radio and listen regardless of the program or listening to a specific purpose such as news only (Butsch 245). With time, the radio seemed to be of less importance since the television had more and exciting content.
The TV brought about social and cultural transformation (Butsch 247). Television complemented the changing social roles. The suburbanization that followed the World War promoted the building of shopping malls and related shopping centers. Highways were also built to support the relocation. As a result, there were structural changes that dismantled community institutions and the public areas of socialization. The public socializing centers became few and people had to stay in their homes most of the times. The television supported this move by entertaining people in their homes. After the end of World War 11, families were united and couples had to focus on marriage and their children. Having the TV at homes restricted movements of individuals making easy for couples to fulfill their responsibilities.
Work Cited
BIBLIOGRAPHY l 1033 Butsch, Richard. The making of American audiences: From Stage to Television, 1750-1990. Cambridge University Press, 2000.