There is no doubt that watching television and movies can influence the way that people
behave. Moreover, it seems that people are spending more and more time watching some
sort of visual entertainment, whether it is television, a video tape or DVD. Therefore,
the effects of visual media cannot be ignored.
One obvious effect of these media is that watching them induces people to buy certain
products. Television advertising is widespread and, nowdays, even movie theaters permit
advertisements. Another way TV and the movies affect people is that they give people
either a broader view of the world or a distored one, depending on what type of program
they watch. Thouse who watch news and educational program can learn many new things while
those who watch primarilly entertainment shows may cometo believe that most people in the
world possess great wealth and good looks. It may make them become dissatisfied with
their own lives. Finally, perhaps the most susceptible viewers are children, who may be
unable to tell fact from fiction and may try to imitate acts that see on TV or in the
movies. Wirh the ever-increasing popularity of video entertainment, society must pay
ettention to these effects. Television and movies, while entertaining and informative,
cannot take the place of real experience.