The Relationship Between Television and Culture

Television Reflects Changing Cultural Values

Janet Street-Porter, an English broadcaster, journalist, writer, and media personality, once said, “Television reflects our society in a more accurate way than at any time in the past.”

Her statement could not be more true than today, with diversity of race, gender, and sexuality and sexual orientation being presented on our TV screens everyday through a cable broadcast, or a streaming service, like Netflix or Hulu. Television not reflects our society, but it also reflects our changing cultural values. While some viewers may change the channel or spun hatred on Twitter when a LGBTQ+ character is introduced on a mainstream show, others welcome the sight of representation and wish for more diversity on our screens in our movies, TV shows, and even our commercials. 

But television hasn't always been this welcoming to new faces, and plotlines. Most programs in the 1950s favored family-friendly domestic comedies and avoided political and social issues of that time period. These family-friendly domestic comedies often starred White suburban middle-class families. It wasn't until the 60s, when extreme stress caused by political events such as the Vietnam War and the Cuban Missile Crisis led people to turn to escapist television offered by fantasy sitcoms. Then, the social consciousness during the 1970s prompted television producers to reflect changing social attitudes regarding single parenthood, women’s roles, and divorce, and sitcom families began to reflect the increasing number of non-nuclear families in society. By the 1990s and the 2000s, TV networks were becoming more specialized and were catering to nicher markets to meet the needs of an increasingly fragmented audience.

A fragmented audience shows how television reflects cultural values, and how it can also influence culture. With cable TV news becoming polarized, news is no longer centrist. Now it must cater to a diverse market and individual political tastes. As mention in previous articles, a polarized audience is harmful to not only the viewer trapped in their own echo chamber, but democracy with critics arguing that viewers will become less open to opposing political viewpoints because they are so stuck in their filter bubble. There is a certain power television can hold over culture and society portraying controversial relationships; such as single parents or gay couples as acceptable, TV shows have the power to shape viewers’ attitudes. TV even has the power to make stars from people with no talent as shown by our plethora of reality TV "stars" that populate our magazines and entertainment programs.

Will we ever accept the role TV has on society and its changing cultural values or will the issue of whether television producers have a responsibility to promote particular social values continue to generate heated discussion? 

While you may think you are just turning on your TV with a click of the remote, you are actually watching the changing of the times in primetime. There has been many first regarding diversity and representation as shown by our most diverse Oscars in 2021. Despite this, there will always by naysayers who claim TV causes degenerate family values and blame violence show on TV for the violence in the real world. However, Change is a good thing, and as research shows, inclusion and diversity is the way to go in regards to television and entertainment. When you see yourself on the screen, as I did when I watched the Winx Club, the line between television and culture will blur and it won't matter what the detractors say regarding your favorite show. 

So, yes television reflects changing cultural values, but it is up to society to determine what those values are and how they are presented on our TV screens.