Summary Of Vast Wasteland

In the address “Vast Wasteland”, Newton Minow elaborated how television can influence the taste, knowledge, and opinions of all viewers. Minows address elaborates how “The power of instantaneous sight and sound is without precedent in mankind’s history.” (Minow), will have a tremendous amount of responsibility to go with it. Likewise, anything played on television should be to assist in making our nation better instead of advertising bad morals and inappropriate behavior. Minow realized the amount of power television has on people. Television affects people on a conscious and a subconscious level. When an ad or show plays on television, even if visibly fiction, it causes the brain to internalize messages and signals that create scenarios with the same plot line or with the product from the ad. Subsequently, that incites the brain to change depending on whether the

The television stations play what the people wish to view along with what the television stations want people to believe. An example of this is our presidential election. Each candidate has a team to make influential campaigns and ads making themselves look good, while in addition to making the opposing candidate look bad. Many of the accusations made in these ads and campaigns are false, or made up. Another excellent example of opinionated television is the shows. Every television station has a personalized set of morals and values depending on the range of viewers chosen. MTV, Disney Channel, Lifetime, and The Hallmark Channel all appease different viewers depending on the age and assumed values of the station. Disney Channel appeals to the 6 to 18-year-old division and its values are highly respective and installs good morals. MTV appeals to the 18 to 26-year-old division by installing irresponsible and outrageous behavior and disregards all morals. Those are just two of the many examples of how television can change or suggest the change of a person’s