Television programs are made for entertainment purposes. More importantly, it is also the main criteria of the viewers in selecting the programs they wanted to watch. Due to popularity, some people used this media as a way to deliver educational messages and meaningful statements (Nahm et al. 59). Fortunately, this kind of strategy is applicable to several fields as long as the information and the purpose is retained (Bae 20). However, the main problem concerning the use of this strategy is that most of the audiences do not pay attention to the intended messages of the scripts and dialogues. Rather, people tend to focus more on the entertainment value that the programs are being provided to them (Brown & Singhal 269).
Educational television programs often choose a certain type of audience in order to make them easily recognizanle and more appealing for the audience (Wilson 88). In my own experience during my childhood days, educational programs are associated with animated settings and childish environment in order to sustain the interest of its viewers. Furthermore, these programs are believed to appeal more on children because children are believed to be easily influenced by the media (Wilson 89). One example of these educational programs is the now-defunct show entitled Blue’s Clues. Thinking back about the program in my present point of view, I can say that there is really an intended message that the show wanted to deliver into its audiences, and shape them into what the show desired for their viewers (Kennedy et al. 289). As a child before, I am not aware of the intended message of creativity and critical thinking that the show had provided. Rather, I remembered that I only focus on the surroundings, the characters, the music, and repetitive plot of the program., and not entirely on the reason as to why the show always do their routine. Despite the lack of attention to these matters, the show had provided a significant impact on me as a child, particularly in the featured content of the program, which emphasizes on how three different objects can be related and combined to form a single object featuring the collaborative use of its components (Movius et al. 14).
On the other hand, things have been viewed differently in the present time. It is mainly because the thinking ability is now developed and there are now several ways to look into the meaning of the television programs (Brown & Singhal 271). For example, the movie Iron Man 2 not only depicts about a hero and his struggles, but also, the plot also reflects the government’s capitalism, because in the movie, the government wanted take possession of the Iron Man suit, which has been created privately by Tony Stark. This plot reflects the real situation of capitalism, wherein privately-owned properties are highly valued and determine the economic situation of the government. At present, these messages are notable enough and can be reflected given that there is basic knowledge about other related matters reflected in movies or programs (Mares 7). Awareness about real situations has become more prominent since there is an accumulation of knowledge acquired from experiences or in school. Moreover, these models are becoming more significant due to critical thinking development (Brown & Singhal 271).
Prosocial messages that can be reflected in different forms of media are becoming more noticeable as people age. Aside from the primary purpose of the media, people started to view them in different perspectives in order to find out if there were other purposes besides entertainment value. Moreover, the development of critical thinking of people further helps in unraveling these messages, regardless if they are intended or accidentally discovered.
Works Cited
Bae, Hyuhn-Suhck. "Entertainment-Education and Recruitment of Cornea Donors: The Role of Emotion and Issue Involvement." Journal of Health Communication 36 (2008): 13-20. Print.
Brown, William, and Arvind Singhal. "Ethical Dilemmas of Prosocial Television." Communication Quarterly 38.3 (1990): 268-80. Print.
Kennedy, May, Ann O'Leary, Vicki Beck, Katrina Pollard, and Penny Simpson. "Mares, Marie- Louise. "Positive Effects of Television on Social Behavior: A Meta-Analysis." Annenberg Public Policy Center 3 (1996): 2-26. Print." Journal of Communication (2004): 287-301. Print.
Mares, Marie-Louise. "Positive Effects of Television on Social Behavior: A Meta-Analysis." Annenberg Public Policy Center 3 (1996): 2-26. Print.
Movius, Lauren, Michael Cody, Grace Huang, Mandy Berkowitz, and Susan Morgan. "Motivating Television Viewers to Become Organ Donors." Cases Public Health Communication and Marketing (2007): 1-20. Print.
Nahm, Sheena, Kathy Le, Sandra Buffington, Nanci Schiman, Shira Raider, and Susan Resko. "Engaging Youth through Partnerships in Entertainment Education." Cases Public Health Communication and Marketing 4 (2010): 57-78. Print.
Wilson, Barbara. "Media and Chilfren's Aggression, Fear, and Altruism." The Future of Children 18.1 (2008): 87-118. Print.
