The Fee to Air Television as a Popular Culture in the Western Society

Popular Culture

Television is a popular culture in western society. It spread from a local creation to a global phenomenon. Television as popular culture can be discussed about access to television, the consumption of television a   th and the way television can be linked with human socialization.

Television first came to Australia in 1956 and it brought with it a mass culture that would influence and change the lives of Australians. For television to become a popular culture it first needed to be accessible to Australian society.

Any person could own television as long as they can afford to buy one and can receive reception in the areas that they live in.

When television first came to Australia it was only accessible in major cities because country towns could not get reception but soon large aerials were built and television was able to spread inland to rural areas.

Free-to-air television can be accessed by anyone as there is no charge for the channels.

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Although there is only a small number of channels. The channels consist of Seven, Nine, Ten, ABC, and SBS, whereas pay TV (cable) such as Foxtel, Optus, and Austar can have around 40 different channels depending on what the consumer wants access to and is willing to pay for.

In Australia, televisions can be owned by anyone and there is no limit to the number of televisions in a household which means that as long as you can afford one you can own one.

Therefore television is easily accessible.

Around 90% of Australian households own one or more televisions, which makes the consumption of pop culture quite high.

Consumers are either active or passive viewers which means that while they are consuming television they are either taking in what they are viewing, thinking about, or discussing with others what they are watching (Active) or on the other hand they are not being affected by what they are watching and aren't thinking about what they are consuming (Passive).

Often the audience is affected by what they are consuming. Advertisers use television as a source to sell their products to active viewers. Often food advertisements are put on around meal te televisions that active viewers will think about what they are viewing and become hungry and therefore want to produce what they see on the television. For example, Pizza Hut ads are often on around 6 or 7 pm every night because the advertisers know that that's the time the people get home from work and turn the television on, and if they are tired from work they are more likely to order a pizza then make dinner hence people become consumers of advertisements. Television is a great way to put ideas in people's heads as it has a high consumption rate in Australian society with people watching around 2 to 6 hours of television every day. With Australians having easy access and large consumption of television it can be said that television is likely to affect how people socializeofsocialize Australianstelevision.

The media is one of the main socializing agents and with television, as one of the key forms media, it is inevitable that television will shape how a person interacts with others and society. A lot of the shows on Australian television come from the U.S and this being so it puts a lot of American influence on the Australian society and culture. For example, many Australians adolescents are influenced by the music they see on television and the way that the actors and singers dress on the programs. It is often said that Australia is becoming very Americanised and this is partially due to the consumption of television in Australia. Also with the high number of people consuming television, it can be said that it affects how,, people socialize with their family and friends. For example the way people communicate with each other, act, and share ideas, if society is straying from its Australian culture and becoming more Americanised then it is apparent that the process of socialization will also stray and become more Americanised.

In 1940 before television came to Australia many Australians spent more time with their families, children and adolescents spent more time outdoors and people weren't distracted by television while studying, speaking to others, or working. Therefore it is apparent that television does affect how people undergo socialization.

In conclusion, television is a popular culture because it spread from a local to a national and global level and it can be discussed in regards to access, consumption, and the process of socialization.