American television and its effects on culture

            For the longest time, television has been able to influence the American culture; how the people and to a large extend the decisions they make. The American media has the freedom to air anything they feel like; however, in some cases what they air contributes negatively to the society’s culture. An example is violence. In 1975, the medical community was able to establish a link between television violence and child and youth growth development. This link showed that a child brought up watching violence on television ended up showing signs of aggression that a child not exposed to such. The content viewed on television is sufficient not only to instill principals of violence but also to encourage crime in the society.

There is a thin line between the freedom of speech and inciting of violence. Though the American constitution does not expressly state this, the courts in Brandenburg v. Ohio case that

“ . . .we have fashioned the principle that the constitutional guarantees of free speech and free press do not permit a State to forbid or proscribe advocacy of the use of force or of law violation except where such advocacy is directed to inciting or producing imminent lawless action and is likely to incite or produce such action.”

Over the years, the American television has been found to play a major role when it comes to the election of their president. This is because more Americans prefer watching television to reading a newspaper. Important events such as presidential debates and other key issues on politics usually aired on television closely followed by the society. In this case, the media may either influence the cultural influence of the community in either a good way or a bad way

.