Television as a primary tool of socialization: A case study from the movie, “Rich kids of Beverly hill”. With the vast advancement in globalization, mass media has become one of the most powerful tools in educating, changing perception and behaviors of people. From a recent statistic, it has been revealed over 87% of homes in America have TV sets where they spend most of their free time. It is through this platform that the media has been in a position to influence the perception of people and particularly through the TV shows. By socialization, we mean television has become an agent by which people and particularly teens get to learn what they are expected of them in a given society (Gerbner). We are born knowing nothing on how the society expects us to behave and it is by socialization that we get to learn all those rules. Television being the number one gadget that we get in contact with, it, therefore, qualifies to be a good agent of making us learn all those rules.
A reference example to the socialization role of television is the show “Rich kids of Beverly hill.” The show was first aired in the American reality television series back on January 19, 2014, to date. The main focus of the show is a showcase of the lives of a group of young millionaires and billionaires. The main attraction to the movie is the five socialites led by Dorothy Wang with a “Funemployed” occupation and Morgan Stewart, a blogger at BoobsandLoubs.com. The cast is, on the other hand, rounded out by Brendan who acts as Morgan’s boyfriend and the only one who has a job, Roxy and Jonny who is presented as a singer.
The concept of socialization through this show was well brought out through an interview with Jeff Olde, the Executive vice president, also concerned with programming and development of the Rich kids show. It is through the interview we get to learn about the target audience and how the network of the show appeals to the audience desires and values priorities.
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The main question during the interview with Jeff Olde that brought us to the knowledge of the target audience of the show was why he thinks people in their world will watch the show. According to the vice president, the peers who we generally believe to be the target audience are given a 1% audience. Yes, the youths are the main target audience, but the problem with them is they always want to dine and have a great time by living vicariously into a world they might not normally have access to (Comstock). The show, in this case, has a lot to teach the peers and parents for that sake and therefore it is a great medium towards leading to socialization. More to the target audience, the characters in the show explicit it all. They are all teens and therefore all that you should expect to be addressed in the show it all concerns the peer age which is the most sensitive stage where people should be taught about what is expected of them.
This can also be best explained through the target audience of the show. Peers are known to have very many problems generally, and if no attention is given to them, the problems may lead to really high problems (Gerbner). The values priority of the show is therefore well selected to act as a guide for the peers through some of the problems they find themselves in. Through the show, there is an element of exclusivity but not worth being referred to snobbery. They present a life that is equally known to the youths. All this is presented through the use of a beautiful world which makes the entire show full of fun to look at. It helps its audience gain the socialization skill of managing to step into another person’s problems when their problems seem so easy from other people’s perspectives.
Through a close internalization of the show, Rich kids of Beverly hill it is evident on how television can become a centralized system of storytelling along with its primary characteristic as a common source of socialization and everyday information.
First, television and particularly the show, act as a primary source of socialization since parents never require much effort to raise their children (Gerald). All they need is put their children in front of a television set and allow them to watch as they learn the rules of life from the shows. The parents in this case never require much effort and time as it would have been the case when they would be required to sit down with their children and actively teach them the behaviors that are expected of them. In this case, television is, therefore, an important tool of socialization without necessarily requiring one to exert much effort in socializing the child.
Secondly, by watching the shows the television aids in holding people’s attention. Positive and productive shows are the most recommended methods to teach peers and youths since they will be less likely to tune out of these lessons since they are delivered in the form of interesting stories (Comstock).
Finally, by socialization, we look at a media that will be in a position to reach a massive number of people. Television has this capability since it can socialize many people than other agents and in a relatively uniform way (Gerald). Through television, the audiences receive consistent and similar messages unlike when parents would lecture their children where different parents in the society would teach their children different values.
From the above findings, it is evident that television is a primary source of socialization and a source of everyday information. The show “Rich kids of Beverly hill” explains it all how easy and possible it is to teach peers and children on the positive and accepted values in the society. More to be a central source of socialization, it completes all these roles in a more enjoyable, engaging and with some fun, therefore, reducing boredomness.
The findings also justify an analysis of the influence of the media on what is called Cultivation theory by (Gerbner). The theory holds out that electronic media and particularly television has the ability and power to manipulate our view and norms on the society. Gerbner explains that we are who we are due to the dependence of our day today perception on what we entirely learn in our life. The television is accredited as the most and primary source of all this since it has become a significant source of information today and has also become part of our family life. This has all been brought about by the power of globalization making it a central arm of society and an integral part of the American family.
