How Television Shapes Our Worldview
Media Representations of Social Trends and Change
Contributions by Stylés I. Akira, Lane Clegg, Cindy Conaway, Katherine A. Foss, Charity Fox, Carrie Packwood Freeman, Jennifer Ellen Good, Robert D. Gratz, Chandler Harris, Tim Karis, Katherine J. Lehman, Lauren Lemley, Joy Chavez Mapaye, Gretta Moody, Michelle Napierski-Prancl, Ariadne Alejandra Gonzalez, Larry Ossei-Mensah, Leighton C. Peterson, Ji Yoon Ru, Danielle E. Williams, Susan H. Sarapin Troy University, Glenn G. Sparks, Margaret Tally, Deborah A. Macey, Kathleen M. Ryan, Noah J. Springer, Jack A. Barwind, Philip J. Salem, Edward Janak Edited by Deborah A. Macey, Kathleen M. Ryan, Noah J. Springer
Publication date:
15 May 2014Length of book:
448 pagesPublisher
Lexington BooksDimensions:
237x162mm6x9"
ISBN-13: 9780739187043
Over the last half of the twentieth century, television has become the predominant medium through which the public accesses information about the world. Through the news, situation comedies, police dramas, and commercials, we learn about the world around us, and our role within it. These genres, narratives, and cultural forms are not simply entertainment, but powerful socializing agents that show the world as we might never see it in real life. How Television Shapes Our Worldview brings together a diverse set of scholars, methodologies, and theoretical frameworks to interrogate the ways through which television molds our vision of the outside world. The essays include advertising and public relations analyses, audience interviews, and case studies that touch on genres ranging from science fiction in the 1970s to current “reality” television. Television truly provides a powerful influence over how we learn about the world around us and understand its social processes.
Macey, Ryan, and Springer have compiled essays that examine how television has molded visions of the outside world since the mid-20th century. Since its emergence as a popular form of mass communication, television has served as a primary means of information and cultural storytelling. Through the medium, in all its various genres, narratives, and cultural programs—news, sit coms, police dramas, reality shows—viewers learn about a world they might never see in real life. Pointing to the increasingly fragmented television landscape, the editors organized the essays—all by media scholars—into six main sections: 'Not Necessarily the News,' which considers current affairs; 'Boy (and Girl) Meets World,' the intersection of television with individual lives and social trends; 'America's Most Wanted,' television’s role in perpetuating good and evil; 'The More You Know,' television’s role in social change; 'The Voice,' power and authenticity; and 'Futurama,' which offers a glance at the future. The essays analyze a wide range of shows—Glee, That Girl, Rhoda, Friends, House M.D., M*A*S*H, Welcome Back, Kotter;the numerous theoretical frameworks and methodologies presented suggests that the audience is specialists. The book is a good read. . . .Summing Up: Recommended. Graduate students, researchers, faculty.