Viewer Discretion is Not Only Advised, It's Required

Over the past ten minutes it has become clear to me that chosing a relevent topic, that associates both media and society, but at the same time is an entertaining subject to even consider discussing, is going to be a rather difficult task.

So I began to ponder the question "what is relevant?" To answer this question, all I had to do was turn to our notes and focus from last week. Radio and television are two forms of media that over the more recent years have been changing. You're probably thinking, "duh?" Well, have you ever thought about the fact that the censorship of both mediums has changed? If you've never thought about it, that does not mean that it hasn't happened.

Think about this 50 years ago I Love Lucy was airing on television and during their long run on the air, did you ever see Lucy and Ricky kiss the way you see people on TV today? That seems like an odd question, but it is true. At the time it was controversial to give one another a "peck," but today only giving your significant other a "peck" would classify you as a prude. About 20 years ago, Full House premiered in a time when family shows were what people wanted to see. There was absolutely no sex, no violence (except for an episode that airred discussing domestic violence), and no foul language. They shows of the time revolved around "real families," "real situations/issues," and what was considered to be "real life." But it wasn't any of that, at least to me.

It has been interesting to see how times have changed over the years. For instance, today, you have the ability to watch one of the hottest shows on television--Nip Tuck and in one episode you will probably learn more about sex than you ever could have learned on television before. Nip Tuck takes you into the world of sex and plastic surgery. What was once inexcusalbe to discuss, let alone watch on television, has now become somewhat of a standard on some cable channels, and even local channels (those that consumers do not have to pay for) are continuing to push the limits of what is and what is not allowed to be viewed or heard on television.

It is amazing to see how media is adapting itself to society. Although this is not a new concept, it is one that continues to baffle me. We are an ever growing society; we are becoming more and more sophisticated, yet, we in order to entertain ourselves we watch television shows that promote, for lack of a better term, that "sex sells." My question to you is, what is this society coming to? What happened to the "good 'ole days," you know when things were simple, easy, and care free.