Of all the forms of media, television has the strongest influence on public opinion

Of all the forms of media, television has the strongest influence on public opinion

If a picture is worth a thousand words, a video must be worth a million. Since the invention of television, the world has changed dramatically and drastically. People are able to find out and see what is going on around the world without actually having a physical presence. Television has brought in liveliness and energy into everyone’s households because, when compared to other forms of media such as the radio or newspaper it engages and grabs the individual’s attention more. Television has a very strong influence on public opinion because it can appeal to two of the most important human senses. The combination of sound and images can convince the audience that they are witnessing the reality. Television has an influence on people but with newer technologies that trend is changing.

Television has been around since the 1940s, but over a period of two decades it slowly developed into a common household device. People started out watching silent movies,  then as time progressed color and sound were incorporated. This enhanced the viewing experience. Nowadays, with rapid changes in technology, the older generations are not able to keep up with younger generations. Hence they tend to stick to television because to them it is convenient for their style of living and gives them a mental picture. Imagine going into an action thriller movie. The audio and video components make a work of fiction seem like reality. This is the same effect television has viewers in their homes. On the other hand, compare the television to reading an article in the newspaper. Suppose a citizen was reading a paper and tried to share the news with someone else in their community, they would not believe the citizen. Whereas, if the same article on paper was shown on television it engages people more and people will readily believe it. This shows TV has a profound impact on society.

However, access, mobility, preference are major governing factors in determining television is truly influential on the public opinion. Not everyone has access to a television, especially in developing countries, so in these circumstances the radio is a substitute. On the other hand, developed nations have a plethora of media outlets and television is just one of those outlets now. In the recent decade, the introduction and enhancement of internet from dial up to wireless has dramatically increased the access of information in audio and video formats. Younger generations who prefer and know how to use this technology have a different view of the world around them than the older generation. Again, the internet can appeal to the senses, just like television because now websites such as youtube have become a more popular alternative. Also the internet is now more portable than ever, because nanotechnology has skyrocketed resulting in iPods, smart phones and e-readers to name a few. The world is at the viewer’s fingertips and it doesn’t take very long to know or find information. The internet is also more interactive in that, viewers can post comments and ideas on blogs and video responses to share with other viewers. Therefore, the internet has a greater impact on younger generations and influences on public opinion.

While, television and the internet both have impacts on public opinion pubic, influence greatly depends on the literacy of technology amongst citizens. Older generations are traditionally less technologically aware are more comfortable with the television due to its simple operation. Whereas younger generations prefer portable technologies such as the internet, because it is more portable. Therefore, whether the television or the Internet has a stronger influence on public opinion depends largely on the demography of the society. Societies with a big young population tend to be affected greater by the Internet while societies with older population tend to be affected by