Big World, Small Screen: The Role of Television in American Society

by Diana Zuckerman, Brian L. Wilcox, Aletha C. Huston

Big World, Small Screen assesses the influence of television on the lives of the most vulnerable and powerless in American children, ethnic and sexual minorities, and women. Many in these groups are addicted to television, although they are not the principal audiences sought by commercial TV distributors because they are not the most lucrative markets for advertisers. This important book illustrates the power of television in stereotyping the elderly, ethnic groups, gays and lesbians, and the institutionalized and, thus, in contributing to the self-image of many viewers. They go on to consider how television affects social interaction, intellectual functioning, emotional development, and attitudes (toward family life, sexuality, and mental and physical health, for example). They illustrate the medium's potential to teach and inform, to communicate across nations and cultures—and to induce violence, callousness, and amorality. Parents will be especially interested in what they say about television viewing and children. Finally, they offer suggestions for research and public policy with the aim of producing programming that will enrich the lives of citizens all across the spectrum. Nine psychologists, members of the Task Force on Television and Society appointed by the American Psychological Association, have collaborated on Big World, Small Screen .

192 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1992

Reviews

[Tim · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an interesting book for the general reader, and it is a good source for media studies research on television. It was produced in 1992 by a task force put together by the American Psychological Assn. to conduct a review of the literature concerning TV and the American audience. It is a clear, concise, and egnaging book which refers to numerous studies and presented many interesting conclusions. It examines several major areas of TV research, including how TV affects younger viewers, how it impacts on learning, and the relationships between TV and gender and TV and race. Each chapter is by a different author, and each of them has their own outlook, so it is a bit lacking in consistency, but a diversity of viewpoints is presented.