A Mass Effect: Television's Impact on American Culture (Stages of Televiewing)

Television has become so intertwined with the American way of life, that an entirely new standard for what is considered rude behavior versus polite behavior has been created. Shorter attention spans become more and more evident as Americans have branched many of the habits formed from watching television into how they conduct themselves in the classroom, the workplace and other public settings. According to Conrad Phillip Kottak, author of Prime-Time Society: An Anthropological Analysis of Television and Culture, there are various stages of televiewing. Different stages correspond to the length of television exposure in a particular society.

The initial stage is one of fascination and focus. When television is first introduced, the viewers are glued to the set in awe. In this stage, the message on the television is less likely to be received, as people are more amazed by the object in front of them than the actual content on the screen. Typically, after about 10-15 years of exposure, viewers move onto ‘Stage II,’ where partial absorption is achieved. As a result of becoming more familiar with the phenomenon of television, people begin understanding more of the content on the screen. They begin accepting certain pieces of information while rejecting others. Understanding increases, and therefore, personal interpretation of the information being delivered becomes more prevalent. The greater the understanding demonstrated by the viewers, the more divided their attention becomes. This may seem counterintuitive at first, but once the novelty of the television wears off, the steadfast gazing fades away as well along with the curiosity. Viewers find themselves more comfortable with doing other things while they watch, and therefore, they pay less attention to the content. ‘Stage III’ occurs once television has reached the majority of homes in a community, causing a further decrease in the statistical measures of TV impact. According to Kottak, (1990: 143) “as a phenomenon pervades a community, its presence differentiates less and less among residents,” leading to less obvious and accurate statistical measurements. Finally, ‘Stage IV’ represents the lifelong effect of growing up in a culture that is constantly exposed to a television world.

Americans are currently in ‘Stage IV.’ Americans live in a culture where television and the effects of mass media surround nearly all of us in our day to day lives. Studies have shown that increased television exposure at a young age can result in an increased chance of having attention problems. According to Dimitri Christakis, a pediatrician at Children’s Hospital and Regional Medical Center in Seattle, “frequent television viewers were most likely to score in the highest 10% for concentration problems, impulsiveness and restlessness. Every hour of watching TV increased a child’s odds of having attention problems by about 10%.” In other words, children who watch television for 4 hours a day will be 40% more likely to have attention problems compared with children who watch no television.