Impact of Television Commercials on the Social and Moral Behavior of Indian Viewers – Empirical Evidence

Although, there exists no consensus about the impact of television commercials on the social and moral behavior of viewers, the accusations that we come across in past research are grave. This study is an attempt to examine the same in India. An empirical analysis of the views of 520 respondents revealed that television commercials undermine social, moral and religious values and negatively influence human behavior. They violate ethical norms and disrespect the integrity of cultures, the consequences of which manifest themselves in the form of degradation of women, sexual preoccupation and boost to materialism. Degradation of relationships in Indian families and the misleading and untruthful content of television commercials are yet other points of concern highlighted by the study.