It is well known fact that
television has been one of the most important inventions of mankind. With the changing times televiewing
has seen drastic changes. The tastes of viewers have been changing like changing seasons. But strangely children love to spend most of their time in front of the TV small screen. It has been found that on an average, every child spends about two hours a day relishing his or her favorite programmes. They are mostly in the age group of 12 to 18 years. And this is the most impressionable period in the life of a child.
Perhaps cable TV has become a phenomenon and has become a potent force which tends to bring a hiatus in our age old culturally rich society. It is seriously invading the social and familial values. The programmes telecast on
television are perhaps a cultural invasion and it is the children who show the signs of being affected by it. They have become way-ward and westernized. Many are seen discussing the ‘Bold and the beautiful’ and ‘Desperate housewives’. But more importantly it is the television
advertisements that catch the attention of the children specifically smaller ones.
When a child sees these advertisements on the TV, he begins to feel that they are really worth having and yearns for these products. Whereas all the big buisnesshouses and establishments are familiar with this fact and do their best to capitalize on it. They advertise their products on the TV time and again, many times a day and specially during breaks of important and famous programmes. Interestingly a child is not yet developed enough to decide for himself whether the advertised product is really good and is worth the price tag is displays. He simply must have that particular advertised thing because he has seen it advertised on the TV several times and most of his friends have it already or discuss it over and over again. They fall badly for it and often force their parents for a shopping spree.
Perhaps television has become the most powerful medium of advertisement. Televiewing nowadays is really irritating because of jarring and interspersed ads from various fields. But children just love to watch all these even more carefully and with a lot of interest. They often read the ads as interesting storylines with their favorite characters in it. Advertisements are a real menace for many but surprisingly there is no let up from this waste of time, energy and money.