Larry D. Lauer

When I first began my studies of media the television set was just coming into our homes.  As we rearranged our furniture and our family communication patterns changed, it was impossible to miss seeing just how dramatically a new technology changes how we live. 

For many of us in middle and upper class homes in the US, the TV set came into the most used living room or den in our home.  It was placed where all the comfortable furniture could be arranged around it.  And from that moment on, when in that room it would be impossible to ignore that screen. It would also be nearly impossible to carry on a conversation. In fact, when walking into that room everyone in the family quickly developed the habit of immediately turning on the TV set, then sitting and staring at the screen for hours… and rarely talking with anyone.

Some speculated that TV actually contributed to families falling apart.  Prior to television many of these families shared dinner conversation together, gathered in “sitting rooms” to read and discuss the issues of the day, and many times even solved basic survival problems. Those that communicated in this way tended to develop a sense of unity, and when they actually faced survival together they developed extremely strong bonds.  But with advances in transportation more people were working some distance from the home, and with the advent of television there was little or no interaction in the evening.  In fact, there often would be more interaction and problem-solving at work than at home! 

And so TV actually became a new problem for many families. And it had nothing to do with its content. People were watching whatever was there, and were watching it all night long. They were using it more for escape than for educational enlightenment.  They would sometimes ask for better programs, but then they still mostly watched action adventure, mindless comedy, and sports. They were using it for escape.

With experience, it became clear to producers that television was a very different medium with its own unique characteristics. It was most powerful when it contained less information and more drama. And when the drama was set in the context of suspense or conflict, it became even more gripping.  So in order to attract larger audiences even news programs would have to contain less detail and more emotion. Producers would soon find new ways to accentuate drama and conflict with camera framing, camera movement, editing, special effects, and scripting.  Now with almost all of TV content favoring drama and violence the question became: What impact will all this violence have on our children?

Was violence on TV going to make children more violent?  Would constant diets of emotion make them more emotional?  Television was now becoming a kind of baby sitter for many parents, taking pressures off them for hours each day. But with what consequences?  Soon there would also be an ever-growing amount of sex on television. Would this make children more promiscuous?   Some journalists reported that by the time a child becomes 18 he or she will have spent more time with TV than in school!

Looking back one might conclude that the world did not come apart as a consequence of  TV.  But most would agree that the world did change in significant ways. Now, how do we yet again deal with the consequences of  even newer technology, i.e. the Internet, websites, social media, blogs, camera phones, and more?  Can we now get even more lost in a virtual world of bits and games?  Do families do anything meaningful as a group any more? Can hours in a digital world reduce our capacity to think or concentrate?   In the final analysis, will “digital children” be able to deal with the incredibly complex problems we face in the world?

It must be noted here that there are many kinds of family settings in the world, and assumptions made for the purpose of this analysis will not apply universally. Some families are in severely challenged urban neighborhoods,  some in primitive rural villages, some in middle class and affluent suburbs, and others are in cultural and religious settings with different values and priorities. But in each of these settings, technology is having its influence on families.  How are all these children being affected? Where children were already at risk, are they now at greater risk? Or will they be connected to better ways of growing and surviving?

Our challenge continues: We must come to know the good and bad of new technology. It is an inevitable and continuous global game-changer. Then, we must learn yet again how to make the most of the good.