The Audio Visual Media or the Electronic Media – a Boon or a Bane?

Audio Visual Media: Blessing or Curse?

The Rise of Audio-Visual Media: A Paradigm Shift in Mass Communication

The audio – visual media or the electronic media, as it is usually known as, has taken the world by storm. It has taken the other two means of mass communication, the radio and the newspaper by the jugular and is rendering them obsolete at a breathless pace. The radio has yielded place since it does not have the visual attraction, and the newspaper can certainly not come up with onslaught of the audio – visual media since it is rendered obsolete in the very hour of its publication, and in addition require the effort of reading. Whether it is a boon or a bane depends on the perspective and how it is utilized. Let's explore both sides of the argument.

Boon:

Information and Awareness:

 Audio visual media has revolutionized the way we access information. It provides a platform for news, documentaries, educational programs, and other informative content, allowing people to stay updated and gain knowledge on various topics.

Entertainment and Recreation:

 Electronic media offers a wide range of entertainment options, including movies, TV shows, music, and live performances. These forms of entertainment serve as a source of relaxation, escapism, and recreation, providing people with a means to unwind and enjoy their leisure time.

Cultural Exchange and Diversity: 

Through audio visual media, people can explore different cultures, languages, and perspectives from around the world. It promotes diversity and understanding among different communities by showcasing their art, music, traditions, and stories.

Advertising and Marketing:

 Electronic media plays a crucial role in advertising and marketing products and services. It enables businesses to reach a vast audience, promote their offerings effectively, and create brand awareness.

Bane:

Misinformation and Manipulation: 

With the rapid spread of information through audio visual media, there is an increased risk of misinformation, fake news, and manipulation. People may be influenced by biased or inaccurate content, leading to misunderstandings and conflicts.

Addiction and Time Consumption:

 The captivating nature of audio visual media can lead to excessive screen time and addiction. Excessive consumption of electronic media can negatively impact physical and mental health, as it may lead to a sedentary lifestyle, sleep disturbances, and reduced social interactions.

Influence on Values and Behavior:

 Electronic media has a significant impact on shaping societal values and behavior. However, some content may promote violence, unhealthy lifestyles, and negative role models, especially when not properly regulated. This can have adverse effects, particularly on younger audiences.

Privacy and Security Concerns:

 The widespread use of electronic media raises privacy and security concerns. Personal information can be at risk of being compromised, and online platforms may be vulnerable to hacking and cyber threats, potentially impacting individuals and organizations.

The Passive Role of Audio-Visual Medium: Blessing or Detriment?

Read More Teaching English The audio – visual medium almost renders the person’s role passive for he has to only sit still with open eyes and be bombarded by a host of information and sights. The increasing material property, the rapid scientific progress, and the spread of the communicative network have resulted in a situation, in which a television is a sine qua non even in the remotest of rural areas, and this is a global phenomenon indeed, India is only catching up or attempting to catch up with the west. The root question now is whether this medium works to man’s detriment, or whether it is a veritable gift of science, sans any banes.

The Advantages of Audio Visual Media: Expanding Horizons and Instant Accessibility

Generally, speaking it is double edged and cuts both ways. It opens up the mind to a new horizon of thoughts, experiences and sensations are which could not have been possible by any other means. It entertains in a manner possible only to the visual media. The visual sensation is the most pleasing. The ‘Open Sky’ policy which has led to a plethora of channels-whether national or international state - controlled or a private enterprise, casting news or to pure entertainment – provided twenty four hours of entertainments. The entertainment may be exclusively musical, Cinematic, or related to travel or sports. The kinds of music prevailing in different parts of the world or the latest bands are brought alive, and the experience is no different from watching the in a hall, and indeed if there is any difference the difference is that one gets a closer view in this medium. Read More Teaching English The pictures or movies for which one would have to visit halls, negotiate serpentine queues, or wait for decades for a particular film which may or may not arrive at the city at all, are now immediately available at the press of a button. 

Global Events at Your Fingertips: The Power of 24-Hour News and Sports Broadcasting

Apart from entertainment, the twenty four hour news services, such as those of BBC or CNN keep the mind informed of the global events with local fallout. The latest speech of the Secretary General of the U.N. the embargo on the North Korea for flouting IAEA norms, or even a war of the magnitude of the Traquione with its zooming missiles can be watched from home. The sports lovers are having a field day with the telecasting of the World Cup Football being held in remote America. Read More Teaching English Now one need not explain but watch it ensconced in the comfort of home. The home – watching certainly proves more profitable with its replays – in slow motion – of the important actions, and the presentation from various angels.

Expanding Educational Horizons through Visual Media

Even in the realm of information or education, the visual media often provides for more scope for learning than would ordinarily be accessible to the average man. The frequent rounds of quiz on various subjects, the U.G.C. programmers on the various arts and the science, and the presentation of general humanistic or scientific issues, all make for home education. It fosters an all-round development of the mind since he programmers are not based on any exclusive bench of learning. Being rendered in a graded to learn more about the subjects.

The Dark Side of Audio-Visual Media: Addiction, Escapism, and Health Concerns

If the audio – visual medium has a myriad benefits, it also has a few banes. It often assumes an importance in man’s life disproportionate to its true relevance. One may well become addicted to the medium, thus cutting off social intercourse or even the world of action. They may watch numerous sports events but refuses to budge themselves, turning into notorious ‘couch potatoes’. the mind too often turns a passive receptacle them into a coherent pattern or frame of reference. The problem is particularly acute in the case of children. From early on, they become habituated to living in a make-belief world, and develop unprepared to face the harsh reality of life Romantic escapism induces depression, when they come in contact with reality. Even if this dependence on an imaginary world does not always come about the T.V. programmed certainly encroach on the child’s hours of study. They are rendered passive creatures, and the very effort of reading appears strenuous and repulsive. Read More Teaching English Finally even the medical and especially official effect of watching the audio – visual medium for prolonged hours is not proving very encouraging. The shimmering movements of the screen and the bright color pigments or pixels effect the retina, in addition to the harm done to the body due to lack of movement.

The Clash and Cohesion: Visual vs. Written Mediums

 One of the most relevant questions begin asked today is about the relation of viewing to reading the television to the book is there a clash or a cohesion? Many would opine that the visual medium is rendering signal service by making the written or printed medium. Now not only scientific information, but also the arts can be presented on the television. Some would go even further and claim that is serializing a large number of successful and significant literary classics. One finds both such international classics as WUTHERING HEIGHTS, David Copperfield, Anna Karenina, and such classics of national sociocultural importance as The Mahabharata, Rabindranath’s Gora and Saratchandra’s Grihadaha. Since many people would not have read these of their own according, the visual medium has provided them with an opportunity to become acquainted with such major works and this is bound to leave its imprints on their lives as well. Specially, for children, they provide an entertaining way of getting to know some of the basic texts of national importance which might have appeared drudgery, if they were forced to read them. Read More Teaching English On the other hand, the serialization of such classics also has certain adverse effects. The most common is that since it is written for mass consumption, it is fitted to suit the mass culture. Not only the gross simplification but also vulgarization and sensationalization are bound to result. The young viewers are particularly susceptible since viewing it something which presents the classic at second hand through the eyes of a director with his eyes on commercial success rather than cultural or intellectual truth, De-Motivates his reading it at first hand. Thus he never comes to be acquainted with the author’s original intention or with the original flavor of the works. In his mind The Mahabharata remains of fairytale of supernatural episodes which he grows to scorn as he comes into contact with reality. Read More Teaching English He never comes across the mature essence of its massage. Gora becomes a novel of events rather than an internal and tormenting conflict between two kinds of identity social and individual. Finally, if such viewing blocks out individual reading all to gather one cannot but admit that it is a source of harm.

Conclusion

The audio visual media or electronic media can be both a boon and a bane. Its positive aspects include information dissemination, entertainment, cultural exchange, and advertising. However, the negative aspects encompass misinformation, addiction, influence on values, and privacy concerns. It is crucial to strike a balance by promoting responsible media consumption, critical thinking, and implementing regulations to mitigate the negative impacts.Thus, like science itself, or perhaps like everything else in life, the audio – visual medium is good for mental and physical health only if it is used with moderation and restraint. It must serve as compliment or a supplement rather than as a suitable for reading.

Ardhendu De

References

McGrawHill - Compact Disc Interactive: A Designer’s Overview : Philips International, Inc. : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive. (n.d.). Internet Archive. https://archive.org/details/philips-international-compact-disc-interactive-a-designers-overview

ERIC ED258572: The Evolution of Information Delivery. : ERIC : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive. (n.d.). Internet Archive. https://archive.org/details/ERIC_ED258572