Individual Topical Paper (Invention of the Television)

The Invention of the Television

Executive Summary

The television has become an integral part of our lives today. Having taken over the radio and the press as the leading source of entertainment and information now, the television has become one of the largest influencers in society. Be it our morals, our ways of thinking or even with regards to our sense of humour, the television has had a huge hand in shaping who we are today. Hence, we will be looking into how we were like before the invention of the television and how the television has impacted society. Furthermore, with the internet developing at a rapid pace, we will also want to look at whether the television will still continue to be the dominant source of entertainment and information in the future.

Background

The television is a device that is able to incorporate moving images with audio sounds, and was a major breakthrough for technology during the 1900’s. The television was traditionally seen as a one-directional mode of communication from the producer of television programs to the masses in society. I use the word traditionally as modern televisions are no longer static but interactive, featuring new applications such as gaming as well as Skype, a programme which allows one to communicate with his or her friends.
According to the International Telecommunication Union (2010), the proportion of households in the world with a television was 79%, as compared to a 30% who have internet access.1This shows that the television is still a dominant force in the telecommunications market today as it reaches out to a much larger proportion of the masses as compared to the internet.

Historical Perspective

Before the invention of the television, the main modes for mass communication were the radio and the press. The radio and press then were the main sources of information and entertainment.
According to Anthony Rudel, (2008), “In 1928, radio networks had newly and broadly changed the dynamics of politics” 2. He also mentioned that the radio was “most families’ primary source of entertainment”. Regardless of what times we are in, mass communication has always been a medium for authorities to achieve political and social objectives. This is as mass communication is the quickest method to relay information to the masses, and hence newspapers and radios were employed to achieve these objectives. Another crucial aspect of mass communication is entertainment. Good entertainment is the key factor which attracts viewers or listeners, and makes the medium well received by the masses.

The first concept for the television according to Neil Postman (1999) was created by Fransworth in 1927 when “they saw the first all-electronic television picture ever transmitted” 3. This invention was a stark contrast to the existing technology then, and drew explosive responses from the public. The television was able to combine the features of both the radio and the press by having moving images and audio.

The television excelled the capabilities of the press as it was a more accessible source of information. Furthermore, it allowed viewers to obtain real-time information, as any changes in information could be readily adjusted and broadcasted over the television. When compared to the radio, the television revolutionized the experience of entertainment as viewers could now not only hear but also see events unfolding in short dramas and sports for example. The masses could also now see historical events, such as the September 9/11 incident and wars unfolding right before their eyes, thus changing the experience in which viewers receive information. This is not to say that the press and radio have no role to play in today’s society, but instead of how they now have to take up roles to support the television which has become the dominant mode of communication.

The television itself has also experienced improvements in technology. The rate of development of television over the past few decades has been exponential. Starting from the development of colour in televisions, the world has seen large improvements in the quality of images with the invention of high-definition television as well as the increase in portability with the new plasma televisions. Furthermore, with the increased efficiency in producing a television, televisions have become much more affordable now as compared to the past. Robert Quigley (2010) in his diagram stated that a normal colour television set in 1979 would have cost $1,650 as compared to a plasma television which only costs $899 in 2010. 4 This shows that with more advanced technology, television prices are driven down instead of up, making them more affordable for the average households.

In the next section, we will go on to see what television we currently have, and how they have changed the role of mass communication.

Current Situation

The television is now an integral part of society. As mentioned earlier, there is a very high usage of televisions in society now and indicates the importance of the television in societies now.
Televisions now are becoming increasingly interactive. The recent development of 3-Dimentional (3D) television immerses viewers in a sort of virtual reality where it is increasingly difficult to differentiate reality from what is not. The integration of communication in televisions such as Skype as changes the way in which people interact with it. As mentioned earlier, the television is no longer isolated but instead, integrated in a whole network of televisions.

Moving on from that, entertainment on television has also undergone a huge revolution. Rather than just screening dramas and comedies, programs that heavily involve viewer participation are also gaining in popularity. Viewers get to participate in quizzes that are flashed in the middle of programs and stand to win prizes as well. Reality television programs such as Singapore and American Idol rely heavily on viewer participation to select the best participant who appeals most to the public. Also, in David Copperfield’s televised magic shows, he not only performed for the audiences in the studio but also dedicated specific tricks for viewers at home. Viewers are no longer seen as just a viewer but instead, a virtual participant in the program itself. Furthermore, features such as 3D television makes what seems like fiction become reality, adding on to value of entertainment one derives from watching the television.

While it can be argued that the value of entertainment has definitely improved due to interactive technology, others have argued that the programs like reality television “are banal to extreme but they also lack the educational value of traditional documentary” Peter McMahon (2003) 5. In order to raise the value of entertainment, some producers have chosen to go with what appeals most to the public over what benefits them the most. Educational content have taken the backseat, with fast-paced action and drama forming the crux of the entertainment industry nowadays. Furthermore, some reality television programs present viewers with an unrealistic view of life. Shows such as American Idol portray ideas of anyone being able to live the dream and become the next big thing. While it is not entirely untrue, it becomes a problem when one is too fixated on that idea and is unable to see the true reality of life where dreams do not come true so easily.

The mass reach of television has also drawn interest from politicians in various countries. As compared to the radio, the television has been the preferred choice of communication for political information in recent times. Many see this medium as a potential platform to share their views with the public, while others also see it as an opportunity to make their competitors lose their footing in the political scene. In the recent elections in Singapore, election speeches were broadcasted over the television and enabled the masses to hear what the election nominees had to say. In addition to that, presidential and wars speeches, just to name a few, have also been broadcasted over the television all around the world. With the assumption that there is no overwhelming censorship in the country, the television provides a platform for the various parties to voice out their views to the masses.

However, the reach of televisions is like a double-edged sword. It could also be used by controversial organizations to achieve their own political agendas in the country. When used inappropriately, it could cause unrest and instigated people to fight in the favour of the organization. In the recent war in Iraq, as sources in the Guardian quote, Saddam Hussein’s speech on television urged citizens to rebel and fight against the United States army. 6 Ultimately, the information that is relayed down to the masses in in the hands of the people who control the medium of mass communication, be it the immediate owners of the broadcasting station or the governing authority of the nation. With increasing access to the television, these controversial organizations will only gain in power and influence over the people.
Lastly, we look at the social impacts of the television. Governing bodies are also turning to the television in order to achieve their social objectives and relay social information. Such social objectives include social security which “accounts for over a third of total government spending in most industrialized countries.” Guido Tabellini (2000). 7 As such, certain programs are specifically designed to improve social security in the country. One example would be the program Crime Watch shown in various countries such as United Kingdom and Singapore. This program raises people’s awareness about crimes that might potentially happen to them, and also teaches people how to avoid being in dangerous situations. Programs such as President’s Star Charity in Singapore aim to raise funds for and awareness about the less privileged people in Singapore. These different programs are beneficial to the society at large as it is educational in nature and would bring about a betterment of society.

However, while programs and news keep viewers updated about the latest societal concerns, an over-reliance on the television might cause one to pick up bad habits which affect one’s health and social life. A term coined to describe one such habit is the “couch potato”. According to Collins English Dictionary, this term is used to describe “a lazy person whose recreation consists chiefly of watching television and videos”. 8 Greg Thom (2011) states in his article that “researchers calculated every hour of TV viewed shortened the viewers’ life expectancy by about 22 minutes.” 9 The impact on health is even greater for “couch potatoes” as much of their time is devoted to watching the television. Furthermore, with a large portion of their time devoted to watching the television, “couch potatoes” inevitably will have less time to engage in social interactions with people outside home. This will have an impact his or her relationship with their friends or family, leaving to problems in their social lives.

We can also see how the television has brought revolutions to the old methods of marketing. Televised marketing have taken over from the traditional methods such as door to door marketing, radio marketing or by placing advertisements on newspapers. Other than just broadcasting programs, specific time slots are also set aside by broadcasting agencies for advertisements, showing how the economic aspect of the television has become just as important as entertainment. Televised advertising has added a whole new dimension to marketing as the television is able to reach out to more people as compared to the press. Furthermore, for the duration of the televised advertisement, there are no other programs broadcasted concurrently, shifting all of the viewers’ attention towards the advertisement. This is in contrast to newspapers where many advertisements, placed side by side, compete with each other for the attention of readers.

However, there is also a cost to using this technology. Advertising and production costs for televised commercials are much more expensive as compared to the radio or the press. The cost is high as companies not only need to pay for the license to broadcast their advertisements on the television, but will also require a large sum of money to film and put together a decent commercial. The large capital needed for this might prove to be a strong deterrent for smaller firms, making the television a less preferred choice as compared to other mediums for these firms.

Future

With the emergence of the internet, the dominance of the television will soon be called into question. The internet is a powerful tool which surpasses the ability of the television as it contains a much greater pool of information. Users are also able to search for specific information pertaining to their needs using the internet whereas compared to the television; information available is limited to the content broadcasted in programs. Television programs are no longer exclusive but are also now accessible from the Internet, further questioning the need for the television.

With regard to economic value, the Internet has also proved to be a much preferred choice as a medium for advertisement. Advertising costs on the Internet is much lower than that of the television. The Internet is also able to reach out to a large pool of people, with millions of people frequenting websites such as Facebook and Twitter each month. Advertisements placed on these websites would then be able to draw a greater amount of response as compared to the television. With all these in mind, the internet could eventually take over as the leading source of entertainment and information unless more innovative features and functions are developed for the television.

One of the positive steps in which the television could be heading towards would be the incorporation of virtual reality into its programs. Virtual reality not only makes use of 3D technology but also allows users to interact with 3D objects projected from the equipment. Such technology is already available in today’s society. Tracy Staedter (2007) wrote about the development of a “computer system that allows shoes shoppers to stand in front of a virtual mirror and try on a variety of styles just by pointing at a computer screen”. 10 By incorporating virtual reality technology with television programs, viewers are able to put themselves in the shoes of other people and experience living in the other parts of the world. This would not only improve the value of entertainment, but could act a powerful source of education as people are now better able to understand the diverse cultural backgrounds from all over the world.
Another direction the television could go towards would be the creation of an interactive news system, where viewers are able to search for specific information that they require. This function would be similar to that of the internet, where users are able to search and locate specific information that they seek. Currently, channels are already divided into different genres such as sports, business news and political news etc. However, if the television could alter the news program to only present news relevant to the individual needs of the different households, this will make the accessing of information much more convenient for users.

It would also be important for the television to maintain its economic value by driving down advertising costs. Instead of having many lengthy advertisements which is costly to produce, firms should instead focus on short, direct and captivating advertisements. New and more innovative methods, such as 3D technology, should be employed to make advertisements more captivating and appealing to the masses.

However in my opinion, I believe that televisions would still be the primary source of information used by governing bodies in the future. This is as compared to the internet, television programs are much easier to regulate. Governments are, to some extent, able to control the type of information being presented, sifting out sensitive information which might cause unrest in society. Internet, on the other hand, is much harder to regulate as every user is seen as a source of information. As such, it is difficult to prevent sensitive and controversial information from being published on the Internet, thus making it a potential threat to societal stability.

Conclusion

The TV has had major impacts on the human race ever since its invention due to its involvement in entertainment, politics and the shaping of society. The television has brought about both positive and negative implications. If we look closer at these implications however, we notice that these are not caused directly by the television, but instead, on how we make use of the television.

Hence, I believe that like many other technologies that are available to humanity, whether or not they positively affect our lives depends on how the technology is being used. The future of the television is also unclear at the moment. The television could potentially be phased out by the invention of the Internet. If the television does not development new and innovative features, further developments to the Internet could very much make that a reality.

References

1. International Telecommunications Union. (2010). ITU Statistics: Proportion of households with a TV/Internet access [data file] Retrieved from http://www.itu.int/ict/statistics
2. Anthony Rudel (2008, October 9) Before TV and the Internet – When Radio was the First Electronic Medium, USNews, Retrieved from http://www.usnews.com/opinion/articles/2008/10/09/before-tv-and-the-internet--when-radio-was-the-first-electronic-medium
3. Postman, Neil (1999, March 29) Electrical Engineer Philo Farnsworth, Time Magazine US, Retrieved from http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,990620-2,00.html
4. Robert Quigley (2010, 17 February) The Cost of Technology over the Decades. Geekosystem. Retrieved from http://www.geekosystem.com/technology-cost-decades/
5. Peter McMahon (2003, 26 November) A Stagnant and meaningless popular culture is a big problem for society, Onlineopinion, Retrieved from http://www.onlineopinion.com.au/view.asp?article=879
6. Guardian.co.uk (2003, 4 April) Excerpt from Saddam Hussein’s speech, The Guardian, Retrieved from http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2003/apr/04/iraq1?INTCMP=ILCNETTXT3487
7. Guido Tabellini (2000) A Positive Theory of Social Security, The Scandinavian Journal of Economics, Vol. 102, No. 3, Social Security in the 21st Century, pp. 523-545. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/pss/3440633
8. Couch potato. (n.d.). Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition. Retrieved September 26, 2011, from Dictionary.com website: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/couch potato
9. Greg Thom (2011, 16 August) Watching too much TV kills couch potatoes. Herald Sun. Retrieved from http://www.heraldsun.com.au/ipad/watching-too-much-tv-kills-couch-potatoes/story-fn6bfm6w-1226115474334
10.Tracy Staedter (2007, 29 March) Next in Virtual Reality: Shoe Shopping. Discovery News. Retrieved from http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2007/03/29/shoes_tec.html?category=animals&guid=20070329101530