LATINA UNIVERSITY OF PANAMA

LINGUISTIC II FINAL PROJECT

IMPACT OF TV PROGRAMS ON PANAMANIAN SOCIETY

STUDENT: VICTOR TEJADA PROFESSOR : RAMÓN GUERRA

PANAMA, NOVEMBER 2014

Nowadays television is one of the major media, at the beginning and up until now, the main objectives of this means of communication have been to entertain, to educate and to inform; but also influence the way we speak. Television has modified the way we communicate verbally, new words and forms of expression have been introduced into our society and culture, transforming on sociolinguistic levels the daily Panamanian routine. Have you analyzed how many times a day you are exposed to TV shows?, there are many variables that affect people’s behavior, such as: what types of programs you watch?, period of time you are exposed to bombardment of information, messages and advertisements, not to mention soup operas and TV music

Here in Panama some of the most important and transcendent broadcast networks have been Telemetro , RPC and TVN which offers a variety of TV programs for a huge audience ,people of all social strata, but how are those people actually speaking ?

programs, each one with its own language but it is adopted and put into practice in your work, on the street, in your home, even with strangers.

IMPACT OF TV PROGRAMS ON PANAMANIAN SOCIETY

A recent study conducted by the National Literary Trust in US, showed the effects of watching television on the child’s linguistic development. The findings showed the children who are constantly exposed to television shows intended for an adult audience displayed sub-par or average language skills during their pre-school years. Results of the research suggest that children who are often shown programs for general audience tend to verbally interact less with adults. In addition to this, these children also displayed lower expressive language skills as well a vocabulary. Experts posit that children who watch adult programs tend to show slow linguistic developments because they are unable to comprehend and understand the information that they are receiving.

This is primarily because the programs are both visually and auditory incomprehensible as their brains and cognition are still not fully developed.

Panama does not escape this reality which is palpable within the public and private elementary schools in which children have notable shortcomings to communicate and express ideas.

In addition, lengthy exposure to television violence increases aggressiveness. Children who repeatedly watch TV shows where violence is the main theme are more likely to imitate violent behavior. They are more likely to think that violence is a part of life and that there is nothing wrong with it. The aggressiveness in their behavior may not become immediately apparent until later on their life. In the other hand, shape people’s behavior stereotypes shown on TV are mental images that shape and influence the language they use. This is the case with foreign TV programs about crime, easy money-making through unlawful acts in which the main characters use language features and expressions that are quickly repeated and easily absorbed by a younger and elder society.

Apparently, we are being controlled by TV programs, they dictate how we live our lives, because watching television seems to be an integral part of our routine, many people believe that it is impossible to think of live without it. It is unimaginable. Also, everything we experience shapes us and molds our personality and behavior, everything that we watch on television programs influences the way we think to some extent.

The influence of TV programs on Panamanian society is getting stronger and stronger as technology advances. These shows, movies and commercials adapted to the society, so while they are being molded according to what the viewers want, the more they will have great influence on how people think and act. For example: Melrose Place: The show that turned into prime time in Panama for a while in the 90’s (adventures of a group of young people living in an apartment complex). The Simpsons: The show that changed how we watch cartoons here in Panama. (Satire of American society about the life and day to day in a middle class family). El Cartel de los Sapos: The program that change the way people do crime in our country.

Recommendations to counteract the impact on child that has been affected by the television programs: Provide your kids with media education. Monitor and supervise on what they are

watching. Discuss the contents of the TV shows in

family. Give them more confidence in

themselves. Families should read with their child and

choose interesting books to foster cognitive and language development.

The evolution of our behavior and our thinking are a result of the advances in the media world, we must be aware of the quality and content of television programs we watch and use television as a means of "healthy" entertainment, in addition to inform and to educate . Our children should be supervised when watching television, even select their programs. The television programs will undoubtedly impact positively or negatively our lives so we must have a critical and analytical sense and know how to choose TV programs.

References

http://mediasmarts.ca/television/televisions-impact-kids

http://www.ukessays.com/essays/media/the-attitude-of-todays-youth-are-affected-by-television-programs.php

http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/128/5/1040.full

https://www.wikipedia.org/

http://www.rpctv.com/parrilla/