Mass Media: Lifestyle Effects

Socialization skills are taught from the beginning of one's life. At some point socialization includes the mass media, and with television the media is introduced at a much earlier age than ever before. According to "The Media of Mass Communication" the average eighteen year old will have spent more time watching television than on anything else except for sleeping. Television programming can have positive and negative impacts on children, with shows like Sesame Street promoting a healthy lifestyle and other shows like Teletubbies negatively effecting speech development in children. The media also affects the living patterns of individuals, as many actions are based upon what the media shows. The production of the television led to many families staying home together. This lifestyle change affected other social actions of families by taking over. Similarly, many housewives began to rely on the evening newspaper to plan the next day's shopping, though this is not the case today. Not only does the media impact adults, but even younger children are being exposed to things considered inappropriate for their age. The violence and sex portrayed on television has created a generation where children see these "grown-up issues" much sooner than previous generations had. While the media as a whole impacts society, it has positive and negative outlets.