The Impact Of Television Programme On The Mindset And Attitudes Of Youths In The Rural Areas

Issues on the role of television as a medium of education and persuasion, apart from entertainment and information gathering have been widely discussed and debated by researchers in the past (see for example, Zajonc 1968, Tan, Fujioka & Tan 2001, Mastro & Tropp 2004). In this case, television is seen as a medium that is capable of positively educating and influencing the attitudes and mindset of the viewers. This assumption is consistent with the Cultivation Theory which provides the assumption that television is indeed capable of influencing the attitudes of the viewers. As a means of addressing the reliability of the assumptions derived from past studies indicating that television is perceived to be a powerful socialization agent of change among viewers, this study therefore is carried out among television viewers residing in rural areas in the state of Sabah, in Malaysia. The questionnaire survey method has been administered for the study, involving a total of 224 respondents residing in the rural parts of Sabah who have been asked to provide their reactions as to what extent television programming are capable of positively influencing and changing their mindset. The findings of the study will be presented and discussed using the descriptive statistics approach based on the frequency and percentage tabulation. Impact Of Television 219 Television is an electronic communication medium which is accessed by billions of people worldwide. Television is largely watched not only for entertainment purposes, but also to obtain the latest news and information. Although television may be seen as an effective electronic communication medium, especially in its capacity of providing entertainment and in providing educational-related content especially for younger viewers which include teenagers and children, the impact of television viewing could result in a number of implications, especially in terms of the negative influence of television programmes on the mindset, attitudes, beliefs and overall social development of the viewers. There have been extensive debates among scholars on the impact of television programmes on society (see for example, Zajonc 1968, Tan et al. 2001, Mastro & Tropp 2004). Some of these debates seem to question the negative impact of television viewing habits on society, in terms of influencing the mindset, attitudes, behaviour and overall lifestyle of the viewers, especially among teenagers and younger viewers. In this case, the content of television programmes is seen to be capable of shaping the overall mindset and behaviour of the viewers. This study is therefore carried out to examine to what extent television viewing habits could have a significant influence on the mindset and behaviour of the viewers, specifically youths residing in the rural parts in the location of the study. Although television programmes are generally seen as having powerful impact on the lifestyles and behaviours of youths and teenagers residing in the urban parts of any country, the question here is whether television programmes are capable of influencing the mindset and attitudes of youths and teenagers residing in the rural parts of the country? Physically, it is very obvious that the average lifestyle of teenagers and youths residing in the urban and city areas are significantly different as compared to the lifestyle of teenagers and youths residing in the less urbanized areas. This can be seen in terms of the fashion, hairdos, lifestyles, communication style and behaviour of teenagers and youths residing in the urban parts of the country which are largely seen to be more ‘westernized’ in nature. This obviously can be an issue of concern, especially since the younger population is seen to be loosing their ‘local’ identities which include their values and norms. Questions are therefore raised as to whether these ‘changing lifestyle’ involving the younger population can be attributed to the role and influence of television programmes. The paper therefore addresses these issues in greater depth. Review of Literature The role of the mass media as an entertainment medium and social development medium in developed and developing countries have been widely researched and discussed among scholars, researchers, politicians as well as government and non-governmental bodies and agencies (see for example, Salleh 2006, Pecora et al. 2006, Asiah Sarji 1991 and Comstock 1980). Most studies tend to view television as an important electronic communication medium which is extensively accessed not only for entertainment purposes but also as a means of obtaining latest news and information. Due to the significantly low cost of television, almost all families in developed and developing countries own at least 1 television set in their homes while some may own up to 3 or more television sets in their homes. Part of this could be attributed to television viewing habits among viewers where according to Salleh (2006), television viewing is an important daily activity among most people.