TELEVISION AND SOCIAL MEDIA IN REGARD TO CULTURE

 TELEVISION AND SOCIAL MEDIA IN REGARD TO CULTURE

The purpose of this paper is bringing a broad understanding on effects television and social media in relation to peoples believes ethnicity race gender and group. Television has been used for a long time worldwide while social media is growing in everyday life. Television and social media have significant effects on culture.   People’s culture is not easily changed but in this twenty first century many things have changed due to social media. In the early years people invented the art of writing and reading. One of the writer’s Plato denounced that, “writing is inhuman and it weakened the mind and threatens to destroy the memory.  This led to an introduction of the printing press and aftermath the ascendancy of electronic media in particular television was introduced. The influence of this new media influenced culture and also internet and social media.

Television and social media are very powerful instrument that can influence and change people’s behavior. It can also bring resistance and social protests. For example Hong Kong heavily depended on resources to social media to mobilize resistance. Social media mobilizes people together like in a public which is networked. This can be done by posting an advertisement on the television.  This helps to engage everyone and participate publicly with no doubt. Social media helps to radicalize people where they can give ideas, new rituals and also new identities. For instance the jihad youth in the west are confused by the social media to harden and remain jihadist whereas those who interact with encourage them to move into other unexpected radical directions. Social media also helps to create relationships which help people from different cultures interact and relate. People from different cultures communicate through social media and intermarry and this creates cultural ties. Media has also constructive information in different channels which teach different issues for all groups which help especially the kids to boost their self-esteem          in schools.

The evolution of language between the young people has thrown up new rituals and symbols which are of importance to people’s culture. This exchange helps to reinforce and give people identity.  Contrally, there are negatives of social media and television.  There has an emergence of digital bedroom which has relocated children into the indoor rather than outdoor. The behavioral risks which verge on paranoia came as one of the result of this indoor culture and this affects the child’s health while growing.  This bedroom culture creates privatization and the youth can start immoral behaviors while growing.  However there are severe challenges when communicating messages among different cultures.  Certain groups can communicate same thing differently which brings out miscommunication.

Differences in individualistic and collectivistic cultures are apparent in user’s communication and behavioral styles. Rosen, et, al (2010) describes how people from individualistic cultures focus on meeting new people and being seen by many people, rather than maintaining their already existing relationships. On the other hand people from collectivistic cultures utilize social network sites to “maintain close relationship with a small number of tis instead of creating new connection with people “

People from same cultural group communicate easily and are able to understand each other while people from different cultures or the migrants find it difficult to communicate and understand each other easily. Hepp &Couldry , 2009 stated that national territorials can use internet or global news such as BBC to follow global news  contents .similarly people living in different countries can communicate on personal  levels via phone, E-mail, or Skype with members from different cultures.

In conclusion television and social media are very important means of communication between people of different cultures. This amplification of intensification of social trends leads to great impact on each day culture. Social media should be used wisely so as to create good relations hips globally. Understanding of different cultures through social media helps people to interact well and this creates unity and oneness among many people. Therefore television and social media are good in regard to cultural identity.