Prof. Yusuf Progler

Changing the Character of Society



At the core of understandingis the relationship between television and consumerism. TV has provided a way for people to consume images and ideas that the average person would not have access to in the course of a typical life.



However, while this might sound like a benefit (we are constantly reminded of this alleged benefit bythemselves), TV is not simply about seeing new things. It is primarily about selling.



TV evolved hand in hand with consumerism, with its birthplace in America in the mid 20th century. As such, TV has spread the ethos of consumerism around the globe.



It has also spread a more insidious form of consumerism, namely voyeurism, in the way it reveals for public view what used to be private aspects of human life. However, the public nature of this voyeurism is obscured by the illusion of individuality when we watch TV alone or in small groups of people in our homes.