American Society During The 1950s

In 1950, about 3.8 million American households had a television, as of December 2022, that number has skyrocketed to 122.4 million. We all know about tv, it sits in our living rooms and we watch every once in a while when an actual decent show comes on, but you may not know how influential television has been in our lives. Our social norms and the way we act have all been influenced by what we watch on the big screen. The people we watch in shows and movies become our role models and who we aspire to be. Throughout its years, television has been used as a platform of change and helps bring awareness to different issues. Since its creation, television has been shaping American society, through the new technology itself, and how different shows

By the mid-1950s, tv became a more consistent thing. The sitcom, which pictured a traditional suburban family living a normal life, became extremely popular. Most of the families in these sitcoms were nuclear families, which are the two parents and their children. According to an article written about sitcoms’ popularity says, “Sitcoms were so popular in America during the 1950s because of the way they portrayed American values and culture. The ‘sanitized’ view of American life and emphasis on the family was appealing to many Americans, even though they did not accurately represent American society” (The American Society). Many Americans used these shows to aspire to what their family could be. An article about these effects said, “Following the widespread poverty, political uncertainty, and physical separation of the war years, many Americans wanted to settle down, have children, and enjoy the peace and security that family life appeared to offer. During the booming postwar era, a period of optimism and prosperity, the traditional nuclear family flourished. However, the families and lifestyles presented in domestic comedies did not encompass the overall American experience by any stretch of the imagination” (University of Minnesota). One specific example of a popular show at the time is I Love Lucy, it followed husband and wife, Lucy and Ricky, as they navigated their hectic life. The show

By 1959, 85.9% of families had a television in their homes. Television shows began to target families as their main audiences. The continuing popularity of the sitcom has had a steady stream of viewers. Television became a way for people to escape their lives; most shows did not even acknowledge what was happening in the real world. By the time the 60s were reached, no one was willing to even acknowledge the turmoil with discrimination and civil rights issues going on in the country at the time. Many people enjoyed not seeing all the bad things going on in the world. An article talks about this saying, “None of the 1960s sitcoms mentioned any of the political unease that was taking place in the outside world, providing audiences with a welcome diversion from real life. Other than an occasional documentary, TV programming in the 1960s consisted of a sharp dichotomy between prime-time escapist comedy and other comedies” (University of