Television as a Medium: Characteristics & Impacts

Published by Emil Abraham, September 6th, 2019

Television is a popular and powerful medium which plays a central role in the multimedia environment in the present day world. Amongst all the mass media today, television attracts the largest number of viewers. Its audience is greater in size than any of the other media audiences. This is because television is able to attract the audiences of all age groups, literate and illiterate and of all the strata of the society. There is no doubt about the fact that the technology has given us a major tool in television. It is a very powerful persuasive mass communication medium. How and why we make use of this tool will determine the effectiveness of this tool to enhance the development process.

Characteristics

Audio-visual medium: While radio has sound, television content includes both sound and visuals. This audio visual character of television makes it a magic medium which allows us to watch the world from our drawing rooms. This powerful visual nature helps television to create vivid impressions in our minds which in turn leads to emotional involvement. The audio visual quality also makes television images more memorable. People who cannot read or write may not be able to read a newspaper, but they can watch television. Any one with a television receiver can access the information shown on television. This makes it an ideal medium to transmit messages to a large audience. In a country like ours, with a huge illiterate population, this characteristic of television makes it an ideal instrument for transmitting social messages.

Domestic medium: To watch television, we need not leave your drawing room. No need of going to the movie theater or buying tickets. We can watch television in the comfort of our home with our family. This is why television is generally regarded as a domestic medium. It provides entertainment and information right inside our homes and has become an integral part of our everyday lives. It can actually pattern our daily activities. Even our family makes it a point to watch their favorite serial at a particular time and adjust dinner timings accordingly. This domestic nature of television influences the content also. We have noticed that a newspaper report has an impersonal tone, whereas the television anchor addresses us directly. The domestic nature of television makes it an intimate medium. This makes the viewers experience a sense of closeness to the Television. .

Live medium: The important characteristic of television is that it is capable of being a live medium. This is because the live nature of television allows it to transmit visuals and information almost instantly. The visuals of an earthquake in Indonesia can reach our television set in almost no time. This capacity of the medium makes it ideal for transmitting live visuals of news and sports events. If we are watching a cricket match in a television channel, we can almost instantly see the wicket hit by our favourite player. On the Television allows you to witness events which happen thousands of miles away.

Mass medium: All of us know that there are a large number of people who cannot read or write. Such people may not be able to read a newspaper, but they can watch television. Anyone with a television receiver can access the information shown on television. This makes it an ideal medium to transmit messages to a large audience. In a country like ours, with a huge illiterate population, this characteristic of television Makes it an ideal instrument for transmitting social messages. Television also has a very wide output, range and reach. It is truly a mass medium.

A Transitory medium: Television programmes are not easy to be recorded by viewers. It may be practically impossible to record every programme which appears on your television. Therefore, television is generally identified as a transitory medium.

Expensive medium: There is need to large amount of machinery and expertise needed to run a television station. We can write articles and stories and draw our own pictures. All we need will be paper, pen, drawing instruments and time. However, a television programme can never be made this. However, a television programme can never be made this easily. It requires lots of money, machinery and experienced people. Broadcast media in general and television in particular involves complex technology and organization. We will need crores of rupees to start a television station.

Impact of television in our daily lives

We have seen that television is an immensely popular medium of mass communication. It is very much integrated into our daily lives and has the power to influence our outlooks.

Positive

Can function as a source/channel for

1. Education - SITE experiment, INSAT, HETV by UGC, telecasts by IGNOU, educational channel like Gyan-Darshan educational channel, other educational programs

2. Information - National Geographic, Discovery, BBC Earth, Animal Planet. Documentaries on these channels. Special interest channels on food, travel, cooking, technology, etc.

3. Entertainment - dedicated channels for movies, music, kids, etc.

4. Inspiring creativity - channels/programs that focus on DIY, crafts , adventure, experiments, etc.

Easily digestible medium

1. Even communicate to illiterates

2. Communicates even without the need for active effort (like reading, understanding)

3. Visuals helps communicate and retain information effectively

Bypass Distance and Time

1. Live medium, live sports

2. Access to information from distant places, international news coverages

3. Facilitates cultural exposures/exchanges between cultures that are far off geographically.

Negative

1. Mindless Consumption: Adverts influencing buying decisions; ads targeted at children can have a bad influence on them. Catchy advertisements on television can tempt people to buy various products, even if they do not need them.

2. Creation of stereotypes: serials and programmes that portray a particular gender, race, ethnicity in a particular way can be misleading. Watch some of the women based serials and observe where maximum time is spent by the heroine . You are most likely to find her spending most of the time inside a house. Here the stereotype that women are supposed to spend most of the time at home is subtly re-enforced. You would have come across the portrayal of a "madrasi" in Hindi comedy shows. This depiction may not have any real relation to a South Indian.

3. Obesity: Too much television can distract you from other activities, like reading, sports or helping your parents with household chores. Since television viewing is a sedentary activity, it can also lead to obesity.

4. Inciting Violence: A lot of studies has been conducted on the connection between television violence and violent behaviour in children. The general assumption derived from these studies is that increased exposure to violence make children think that it is an acceptable behaviour. Watching violent programmes have been linked with aggression in both adults and children. These progammes have been found to cause more adverse effects on children who have experienced violence, poverty or neglect in their lives.