We can see more disasters and violence shown on TV .
What are its causes and what effects will they exert on the individual and the society?
It is irrefutable that television news is filled with violence and suffering. Crime and violent world events are among the most frequently covered topics on TV. In the following paragraphs I shall discuss the reasons of this phenomenon and suggest some ways forward.
The most important reason for this is obviously that television channels want to increase their TRP (television rating point). If any channel has high TRP, it gets more adverts and hence more revenue. Therefore the channels have to show such sensational news. Secondly, the news channels have to show what is happening around and disasters and violence have become very common in our surroundings. Finally, people demand that they should be well informed about all things which are prevalent in society. So, media has to show all that to its viewers.
There are many harmful effects on the individuals and society. The most disturbing effect is on children and youth. Media violence can stimulate fear in some children as it frightens them, making the effects long lasting. This can become traumatic in our children as they see it more and more. Children are starting to grow and are shaping their personality, values and beliefs. They can become aggressive or they can lose a sense of reality and fiction of what they are seeing.
Young people imitate what they see and it is logical that they see glamour in what they do when they commit violence. Consequently, the society suffers as the streets are full of violence. Too much portrayal of these also leads to immunity among the people and they are not affected by the disasters any more. Disasters like Tsunami and earthquakes don‘t make people shed a tear any more.
How can we lessen violence? Reducing the amount of violence on TV and in the cinema would certainly be a good start. It is a well-known fact that the media possesses a lot of power to influence people. So, those in the media must be judicious about delivering news in a balanced manner that brings the story to the consumer without showing too much violence. Journalism is a profession like any other and certain standards of quality and professionalism need to be maintained. Moreover, parents should be more vigilant about what children see on TV.
To put it in a nutshell, I pen down saying that there are many reasons why media shows too much violence on TV and some steps should be taken to reduce this as it has a lot of detrimental effects on the individuals and society.
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