First, social changes swept all of the country at the end of World War II, as the country started to see the start of the Baby Boom and suburbanization, and television was able to compliment this transition in the county by proving itself to be a centerpiece of family togetherness. A large number of people returned from the war and they established families and produce children at greater rates than ever before. These families would purchase single family homes and the suburban housing divisions, which created the opening for television to grow. Media Historian Douglas Gomery notes that with the demographic, economic, and social factors created a change from of middle-class and working class families to step away from the attractions of the cities for entertainment, for they rather choose the amusement televise can offer in the privacy in their own homes. There was a desire to invest in a family-focused lifestyle, yet for family to …show more content…
Stronger bonds of affection and shared interests would form whenever the family gathered around the television sets. Media Historian Lynn Spigel states that,” Not only was it shown to restore faith in family togetherness,” Spigel notes, but TV did it “in splendors of consumer capitalism.” (Edgerton, p. 92) Postwar television promoters pushed the new “family togetherness” that TV viewing would generate within the family. The era of viewing TV in public setting did influence stations' early programming decisions and civic discourse about the new medium and its audience but it was brief. As stated by Edgerton, “By 1950, 45 percent of families who lived in those areas in which TV was available had purchased television sets. The camaraderie of watching in a bar was outweighed for many men by the convenience of watching it at home.” (Edgerton, p. 97) This supplements the social change of family togetherness in the early period of
In conclusion, the show Modern Family reveals several of these social issues that can be looked at in a sociologist perspective, like stereotypes represented in the family ideology, gender roles contradicting societal norms through Mitchel and Cam’s relationship, the pressure society puts in order to be accepted, and the impact of technology in our society. There are many social forces in television shows that have the capacity to influences the norms of society. These social forces can be looked at through a sociological perspective, whether that is by examining one’s sociological imagination, relating individual problems to social issues or through gender roles and social class. Although sometimes media can have negative consequences, it
Not only rich, but also the average middle class family was able to afford to buy new amenities like television, dishwasher, modern electrical appliances and many more. The migration from cities to suburbs made parents to believe that it was a safe environment to raise their children and to be friendly with the other families in their community. The joint families became modern nuclear families and maintained compliance with socially accepted standards, conventions, rules and
The television gave much of the country something to do. It reflected the homogenization of the United States. People began to envision a futuristic nuclear world after the start of the Space Race between the United States and Russia to land on the moon. The United States launched Alan Shepard into space after the Soviets launched “Sputnik” in 1957 as we launched our first man in 1961. Meanwhile, computers were developed into large room size machines to do simple computations and made things portable. One of the characteristics of the mass media during the 1950’s, as the T.V., was that the sitcoms was directed to make viewers think about the idea of the perfect family living the American dream. The only problem with those T.V sitcoms was that not every American family fitted into that mold. For example, Jews, Hispanics, African-Americans, Asians, and other minorities were not portrayed as part of that image that most people wanted to imitate because these T.V. families were white-collar, middle class, and Caucasian.
Americans’ everyday life. The Golden Age of television was a period of intense growth and expansion of
Marie Winn claims that television over the years have effected many American family life. Since television is everyday ritual, many American tend to spent more time with television than they do with their family and this result in unhealthy relation in family. She also acknowledge that television destroy family unique quality that they carry, such reading, cooking, games, songs and other special rituals.
In the 1950’s American families went through several changes, some of which were positive and beneficial. There were many new technological breakthroughs. Additionally, new forms of entertainment created a generational divide between young people and adults. Americans entered a period of postwar abundance, with expanding suburbs, growing families, and more white-collar jobs. The average income of American families roughly tripled. Thousands of families rushed to buy the inexpensive homes. New suburbs multiplied throughout the United States. Affordability was the key reason most Americans moved to the suburbs.
As society has continued to evolve socially, politically and culturally, so has the persona of television. Societal transformations have shape and reshaped television throughout its history. Programs ranging from ethical series to variety shows to family sitcoms mirrored not only the audience taste of entertainment, but also the change of values within society during the increase in television use. Gender roles and a strong sense of family intimacy were among the most prominently highlighted transformations reflected in television. Women and family contribute significantly when analyzing the antiquity of the television. Television programming was designed to emphasize family togetherness through illuminating the importance of domestic household maintenance. Domestic sitcoms, such as The Donna Reed Show exhibited these liberal roles in which women were expected to subjugate to subordinate statuses and confine their
Television is something most average American families have in their home. It will often bring families together because they are all in one room
What role does television play in society? For decades we have seen many parts of our world rapidly going through changes in technology. Today’s society has been transformed by means of communication and the available information through mass media. Most Americans rely on television for news, sports, and entertainment. Television is just one of the many examples of how technology has changed our lives. Since the invention of the television in the early 1900’s, it has played a very important role in our lives. Having a television set in the home has become very essential in today’s society. We depend on it to entertain us with its sitcoms and to inform us about current world issues. The
Television sitcoms of the 1950’s through the 1990’s demonstrated the values and structure of the American family by portraying stereotypes. Since television sets became mainstream and entered almost every American home, the content of American sitcoms has reflected the culture of the times. Thus, as the popular American sitcoms of the 1950’s suggest, families living in the 1950’s were very tightly grouped and did everything together with roles of males and females clearly defined. In the 1950,’s women did the housecleaning and child care and men worked, providing for the family. In the sixties, women acquired more freedom in their lives. The 1963 Equal Pay Act and the 1964 Civil Rights Act came into effect. It was the end of the baby boomer
Furthermore, The book by Mares (2006) outlined how TV could have played a profound role within the families and influencing how an interaction between families functioned. As television tries to portrait the exchanges and unrealistic scenarios within the families it does not representative how real working families relationships. It gives the viewers a fabricated interaction,
what a team of archaeologists uncovered about TVs when they examined the daily lives of 32 California families. Tv is important to Americans. In North America tv is so important that we spend money we don't have to advertise things. Television is so important to America that younger people wouldn't be able to imagine what the world would be like without tv. Tv is so important the most Americans have one and the whole room is set by where the tv is. Tv is so important that it’s basically the heart of the room in families. Television is so important that a lot of people have tv in their bedroom. Tv is so important
Televisions became popular in the late 1940’s and it was said to bring families together. It brought families together because before families were not as close as they were when they did not have televisions. According to a quote on the book Major Problems in American Popular Culture, by Kathleen Franz and Susan Smulyan, it said “It keeps us happier. My husband and I get along a lot better.
Establishing a strong sense of community was important; particularly after the years of war that had families torn apart. Moreover, people were looking to enjoy themselves and were willing to spend extra time and money on leisure activities. “By purchasing their detached suburban homes, the young couples of the middle class participated in the construction of a new community of values; in magazines, and on the airwaves they became cultural representatives of the ‘good life’”. (Spigel, 2001, pp.32) In addition, she says that those living in the suburbs secured a position of meaning in the public sphere as private landowners. (Spigel, 2001, pp. 32) This is important culturally because there was an emphasis on creating a distinction between the home space (private space) and the outside space (public space) in America in this decade. This connects to television’s unique ability to bring the spectator’s public world into a private space—an integral part of its rise to cultural significance. “In 1950, only 9 percent of American homes had a television set, by the end of that decade that figure rose to nearly 90 percent, and the average American watched at least five hours a day”. (Spigel, 2001, pp. 33) Connecting the public world into a private space stemmed bigger hopes for television. It hoped to overcome social unrest and to connect communities all
A major research concern for behavioral psychologists and sociologists today circles an integral part of the American family routine and life. Something that has become so inset into homes that it would be rare to find one without it. Research has shown a hidden danger lurking in our homes, and the origin may surprise you. Television has been around since the early 1950’s but behaviorists have just recently begun to start studying the effects these machines may have on children, social interaction and families. Research has begun to show negative consequences of television on children’s development and socialization proving that it does reduce and affect social interaction.