ONE OF THE FAMILY ; TELEVISION
When we adults come home from work and hug our children who have just returned from school or social activities, the hours are mostly between 18.00-19.00. In fact, during this period when the whole family met at home and plans were made to rest, be together or have fun, another sector, namely television broadcasters, engaged in a feverish work.
This hour is the starting hour of a generation that television broadcasters call “prime time”, where “most watched” or more precisely “most watched”.
“Wait, what has happened in the country?” Thinking of your father, “What wound will they be balm for today in this women’s program?” the mother wondering, “I wonder if the children’s program is over?” TV broadcasters have already felt the child’s hands reaching for the television remote control…
Actually, it’s not your fault. Your preferences have been researched so finely with dozens of measurement techniques; TV broadcasters and advertisers already know which program they will serve you at what time and who is in front of the television at that time.
The word “raiting”, which is very familiar to our ears, refers to which channel, or more precisely, which program is watched in which time zone, on the measuring devices installed in a certain number of houses, which are thought to represent all television viewers. It is very likely that you will watch a program with high ratings the next week. Until, of course, his rating drops…
Programs with high ratings are like marketplaces for advertisers where they can market their goods and find their customers together. Even if you change the channel, it will be as if you have changed your market place, as the television broadcasters generally open their advertisement intervals more or less parallel to each other. This is the reason why you sometimes come across the same company’s advertisement on different channels in the same time period.
Most families do not need to learn these concepts. What they need to know is the state of family “raiting”. In other words, it is the opportunity for your spouse who is ready to communicate with you or your child who is ready and willing to play with you, to enter into this relationship with you. And if you do not give them this opportunity, your own life will flow away with you while you watch a life created artificially for you.
Plates Contaminated with TERROR!
Once you have the remote in your hand, you will probably start your union that will last 4-5 hours (Baltaş, Emanetoğlu.2006).
Until 19.00, the control is usually under the control of the children or the lady of the house. Therefore, between 16.00-19.00, it is full of programs served for ladies and children.
Predicting that you come home at 19.00 and that the lady of the house is in a hurry to eat, the television broadcasters begin to serve programs suitable for the father of the house. In other words, between 19.00 and 20.00, the command dominance passed to the father.
The main news bulletins, whose trailers have started to be broadcast 15 minutes before and to gather viewers, are waiting for 19.00.
Meanwhile, the plates placed on the table with care are waiting for the delicious meals and their owners. While the food in the pot is distributed on the plates, each member of the family will tell how their day went, and joys and sorrows will be shared.
However, considering that 81.5% of our homes have two or more televisions and 28% of these televisions are in the kitchen, it turns out that the only thing shared in a substantial part of our families is the elements of the program served to you. The eyes and ears that mostly focus on the program have shelved the priority of our spouse or child sitting next to us.
Imagine that someone who is extremely cultured, knowledgeable, entertaining, aware of everything, meeting the wishes and expectations of all family members, who can be big or big, but very talkative, comes to your house and you sit at the dinner table together. He will probably tell and you will listen. This is the rough expression of the television you put on the dinner table.
In the researches, it was determined that 50% of the students aged 6-14 were watching a TV program while having their dinner (Baltaş, Baltaş, 1991).
In a study conducted in our country, parents were asked, “If there is another activity your child does while watching television, what is it?” The question was asked and 82.5% of the parents answered this question as eating (Baltaş, Emanetoğlu.2006).
In the same research, the children were asked, “Do you watch TV while you eat?” 81% of girls and 90% of boys answered the question positively.
Even if we think that there is more parental control at a young age and this rate will be lower, in fact, the habit of eating in front of the television is taught to children by us, the adults, from a very young age.
Many parents turn on the television for their child, whom they have difficulty in feeding, to create an entertaining environment and try to make him eat his food. The child, who feels the presence of this interesting device, which produces fun, moving images and sounds in the first years of life, is accustomed to a lifelong union by us.
It is possible to multiply such examples and to diversify the mistakes we make unconsciously.
Imagine a mother; Whether she is a housewife or a working woman, she also deals with her child’s wishes and expectations during her chores such as cooking and cleaning that she has to do periodically. Just as he was about to mix his food, a cry comes from the room inside. Either the food will burn or he will respond to his child’s endless requests. The solution is simple, the mother will turn on the television and hope that her child will spend as much time in front of the television as possible so that he can finish his work. prof. Dr. Zuhal Baltaş describes television as “electronic caregivers”.
There are research findings that parents cannot be the focus of control at a young age when it comes to watching television while eating. 78% of children between the ages of 7 and 8 state that they watch television while eating. It is seen that this rate increases to 92% in the 13-14 age group (Baltaş, Emanetoğlu.2006).
These very high rates indicate a great awareness, as well as the ignorance and helplessness of parents.
The results of this research show that, in simple terms, the sounds from the television in many of our homes are mixed with the sounds of cutlery.
News programs are highly appreciated by parents as well as by children to a considerable extent. 59% of mothers, 63.5% of fathers and 18% of children aged 7-14 state that they enjoy watching the news. This rate is 36% for children aged 13-14 (Baltaş, Emanetoğlu.2006)
Although television watching addiction is seen as a choice; When the content analysis of the programs watched is made, it turns out that this action is not very innocent.
It means that if you are in front of the television with your family and continue this for a week, you will witness 800 physical violence contacts during the eating activity, which probably comes to a time zone where “news” programs are broadcast. Moreover, considering that the same image is given over and over again as a publishing technique, this rate reaches 1800 (Baltaş, Baltaş.1997). Please note that these figures are only valid for the news generation watched for 1 week. What you will be exposed to after 20:00 will be added to these figures.
It is not possible to understand that parents who try to protect their children from all kinds of negativity, pour all these negative images into our rooms knowingly and willingly.
WHAT TO DO ? HOW TO DO ?
In response to the negative picture described above, it is possible for you to develop appropriate attitudes against the negative effects of television.
· The first action you will take is to remove the television from your kitchen. In this way, you will not raise a generation that is used to having televisions in the kitchens, and you will not have to go from room to room when you want to have a word with your grandchildren in the future.
You will probably have many communication opportunities at the dinner table, as you will have a different agenda from the one that the television presents to you.
You will enjoy the food you eat much more because you will gather around a more pleasant and conversational table.
· Ask your child, “Will you shut up for a minute? I can not hear.” You will have the opportunity to live more closely with your child and his/her world.
· As you can know how your spouse or child’s day is, you will be more likely to be aware of the next day.
· Since there will be no rush to catch up with the next program at the dinner table, family members who eat their food quickly, sometimes swallow it without chewing and suffer from digestive problems from time to time will be less common.
You won’t believe but; Due to a slow and pleasant meal, the digestion that starts in the mouth will cause you to lose weight.
