It seems that the proliferation of explicit content has become commonplace in today's media. There are virtually no media outlets where rampant violence, sexual content, and explicit language isn't considered a necessary part of business as usual. I pose the question, is explicit content really necessary, and does it actually make media better?
Anyone who's watched the progression of television over the last decade can attest to the fact that programming has become ever more edgy.
Popular programs such as Supernatural, Nip/Tuck, and Family Guy continue to push the envelope in reference to what is an acceptable amount of violence, sexual content, and adult humor. There was a time when this type of content could only be seen on premium channels with appropriate R ratings. That time seems to be ancient history. Explicit content can now be seen on virtually every locally broadcast channel available.
Given these factors, I really wonder if this content is what the public is demanding, or if this is simply what the media establishment has chosen to supply. In today's society, it is obvious that
mainstream media has an immense impact on the majority of the general population.
So how much power does the general population have over the television that is being broadcast into their home every week; and conversely, how much power does the media have over the homes to which it is broadcasting? It's no secret that the system by which
television ratings are assessed is drastically flawed. This directly translates to an
inaccurate measurement of what the population actually wants to see. How many times has a television program been cancelled to the dismay of a loyal fan-base? I can personally recall this occurring at least thrice in my lifetime. With this in mind, how much of the American population would actually be as enthralled as they currently are with the explicit content present in mainstream media if it weren't so heavily promoted?
Broadcast media such as television and radio is unique when compared with other forms of media such as music, movies, and video games. With the latter three forms of media, the public interest can be directly assessed through unit sales. If an album goes platinum, it's apparent that the public had enough interest in the product to purchase one million copies of it. The same holds true for video games and movies. The same does not hold true for television and radio. These two media outlets are primarily driven by advertising dollars and popular opinion within their respective professional communities. While it is true that many of the entities who are purchasing advertisement through these media outlets perform market research, this is another case where a drop of water is being used to assess the entire ocean. Does a portion of the population's obsession with obscene language, graphic violence, and sexually explicit content automatically indicate that this is the preference of the general population, or is this simply a case of the establishment telling the people what they should desire?
I recently stumbled upon
an article from Variety addressing a small portion of this very issue.
When taking into account the proliferation of obscene language, violence, and sexually explicit content in today's media, is it any wonder that
modern society has so degraded from what it once was. I'll be the first to admit that our progress in civil rights, equality, and technological advancement is commendable. When looking at the state of modern media, though, it seems that whenever there is progress there will inevitably be digress.
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