Media, Culture and Society Assignment

[ Topic : Choose a genre of television and explain it’s impact on the

audience. ]

“ Television is the triumph of machine over people “

- Fred Allen

An introduction to televised media:

A Television show is any content produced for broadcast via satellite cable or
internet, typically viewed on a television set, excluding breaking news,
advertisements, trailers that are typically placed between shows.

Television shows have been an important part of entertainment and information

since it’s first broadcast in 1929. Since then, the industry of televised media has
grown into a flourishing business wherein, television sets now offer a choice of
200+ channels of several languages with various genres to choose from. Although
the television is an incredible invention of mass media it has taken over many
roles such as that of a tutor, an entertainer, a reporter and a leader.

The genre I have chosen to discuss is the thrilling yet chilling crime genre.

Crime TV
Crime television shows are a cinematic genre often inspired by the crime fiction
literary genre. Shows of this category generally involve various aspects of crime
and detection. As part of the norm, the genre may overlap and combine with
other categories such as drama and the genre itself is divided into sub genres
such as mystery, suspense or noir.

Crime TV often targets popular issues such as sexual harassment or assault,

murders, embezzlement and political fraud. Most crime shows begin with the
crime scene and builds suspense through the investigation of suspects and finally
a plot twist to finding the culprit.

Television crime dramas and shows are popular all over the world and the
popularity is not bound to a particular age group. Some channels telecast these
crime shows at primetime which explains it’s popularity.

Moreover, people watch crime TV shows because they trigger one of the most
well known hormones of the human body – adrenaline. The public is drawn to
true crime because it triggers the most basic and powerful emotion in us all –
fear. The shows often portray grisly enactments of murder and trigger a sense of
fear in us thereby releasing the adrenaline. This may be compared to a child
riding a rollercoaster, repeatedly for the thrill of it despite the fear factor of the
ride.
Research states that people enjoy playing the classic game of ‘whodunit’ and try
and piece together evidence as the show progresses, trying to uncover the plot
before law enforcement authorities catch the actual perpetrator.
NEGATIVE EFFECTS

“Whoever controls the media, controls the mind”

- Jim Morrison

The most common worry with regards to the after effect of watching crime TV
shows is that it will subconsciously effect the audience’s minds. To elaborate,
studies show that areas where there is an increase in the number of people
watching crime TV shows experience an increase in the crime rate. Similarly,
watching this category of television may make the audience more aggressive.
This has been documented more than once by recording the violent behavior of
people after exposing them to violent crime shows.

An uncommon yet important effect may be the resurfacing of repressed

memories. People who may have had a troubled past, upon watching such shows
might experience insomnia and a repeated playback of said events which will
thereby hinder their mental health growth.

Watching your worst fears being brought to life can often leave a heavy imprint
on the brain. It can significantly increase one’s anxiety and stress levels. Mental
health is just as important, if not more important than physical health and in a
modern world marked by terrorism, murder and assault, watching such shows
can play an extreme role in instilling unnecessary fear.

Parents are hesitant to let children watch shows based on true crime. This is
warranted considering the fact that a child’s mind is to be molded and exposing
them to such violent and morbid scenes is not the ideal thing to do. Children who
watch such shows are said to have experienced extreme night terrors and have
high levels of anxiety.

Studies show that it also leads to an increased desensitization or callousness

towards violence. They begin to accept violence as a means to solve most
problems in life and rely on television to teach them how. They become immune
to the horror of violence and downplay the morbidity of events.

It is important to remember that the extent of these effects also depends on

whether the audience is a heavy viewer or a light viewer. Heavy viewers are
those who spend hours on end watching television and rely on it as a medium of
education (in the worst sense). Light viewers limit their time spent in front of the
television to a few hours and view the television as a medium of entertainment
and information.

Television is now accessible to most people despite the difference in economic

standing and this subjects uneducated people to such shows which leads to them
blindly practicing what they see on the television either due to their lack of
values or their affection towards the actor or actress in a particular crime show.

Although the negative aspects prevail, there is a bright side to watching these
dark narratives.
POSITIVE EFFECTS

“Television should be kept in it’s proper place – beside us, before us, but never
between us and the larger life.”
- Robert Fraser

Firstly and most importantly, watching such shows helps us be more aware of
our surroundings. These shows instill the importance of being street smart at all
times. However, being alert and cautious must not be mistaken for being a worry-
wart and blowing small things out of proportion.

Secondly, most true crime TV shows set in today’s day and age tend to revolve
around current issues and help bring awareness regarding the same. They inform
us about the issue at hand and educate us while entertaining us at the same time.
Although, the newspaper and news shows do a similar job, the use of video and
audio along with live action portrayal of events is deemed more effective.

These shows promote security. To elaborate, they inform us on what we can do or

should do in certain situations. Similarly, they use clever anecdotes and educate
us on what not to do in such situations, as well. In episodes of a particular show
involving legal bodies, they often explain our rights and encourage us to do stand
up for what is right and not be afraid to protest against what is wrong.

Crime TV shows are found to be a common guilty pleasure for people who
gravitate towards problem solving or fixing situations. It induces a sense of
satisfaction, as eerie as it may sound, when one watches a play-by-play of a bad
situation end with justice being served.

We, as humans, are psychologically drawn towards the universal story of good
versus evil and/or right versus wrong and hence, by watching crime shows, we
vicariously experience victory over ‘the bad guys’.

The more you tax your brain, the sharper it gets. By watching true crime shows,
you do not blindly watch the show, instead you analyze the clues and mentally
note a list of suspects while carefully watching each scene in search for a clue.

People enjoy watching true crime because although it is a sensitive topic, the
entire episode is controlled. It allows one to experience fear and horror in a
controlled environment where the threat is exciting but not real.

Last but not least – ENTERTAINMENT! The nail biting scenes and the rush of
adrenaline during the climax supported by the utter satisfaction of convicting the
‘bad guy’ and wrapping the case up in a bow all portrayed by popular actors
accompanied by clever screenplay and a well written script is the guilty pleasure
of many people all over the world, including me.

CONCLUSION
As in most cases, each subject has a positive and a negative side. Living in the 21 st
century is not easy, we have to be cautious and make well-informed decisions
and television shows can either send us down the wrong path or help us emerge
victorious. That depends on our perception of the show and the values and
lessons that we have been taught. A literate mind accompanied by discipline can
accomplish anything.

“Television is a populous, derivative, democratic medium.”

- Dan Harmon