How far do you agree that the emergence of television as a mass medium of communication was the key turning point improving leisure opportunities for ordinary people in the twentieth century?
How far do you agree that the emergence of television as a mass medium of communication was the key turning point improving leisure opportunities for ordinary people in the twentieth century?
In terms of leisure opportunities, the twentieth century has seen a vast explosion of activities. Although the emergence of TV is a relatively important factor in improving leisure opportunities, it is actually only one of many developments and changes that took place to improve leisure opportunities throughout the twentieth century. Moreover the improvement was not just the result of developments in communication but also economic, political and social changes which are all interconnected.
Just before the turn of the twentieth century, a survey by Rowntree showed that most ordinary women spent their time doing chores such as cooking, cleaning, washing etc and her leisure activities usually involved visiting family on the Sabbath. The ordinary man would go out for five, maybe six days a week working excessively long hours and have time only for about two or three leisure activities such as drinking or watching a football match. However at the turn of the twenty first century things are quite different with women and men both going out to work with relatively more leisure time and a bigger range of activities to pursue such as cinema, radio, TV, personal computers, nightclubs, theme parks and many more. The working week has fallen from 54 hours at the beginning of the century then 48 hours in 1919 and then again to 40 hours per week in 1975 after a European Council recommendation.
TV first emerged in the late 1920's, having no big impact and first broadcast by the BBC in 1936 with limited broadcasting hours. By 1939 around 18-20,000 sets had been brought however its real breakthrough came in the 50's and 60's. The post war director General of BBC William Haley 'insisted that television was merely an "extension" of sound broadcasting' and that TV and radio were parts of one whole. He believed that TV as a communication medium would be a 'mere adjunct to radio rather than one whose essence would be visual'. Haley clearly underestimated the impact of television because by 1968, 90% of households had a TV set.
The 1953 coronation of the Queen symbolizes how television surpassed radio as the major communication medium. The coronation prompted a boom in sales of TV sets; it was watched by nearly 56% of the nation- impressive even by today's standards. The transmission lasted all day and used 21 cameras around the centre of London and Westminster Abbey. The commentary was done by Richard Dimbleby, a household name and the 'voice' of the BBC. In addition to such national events, the BBC produced the first soap opera 'The Grove Family' and notable dramatic achievements such as 'The Quatermass Experiment' in 1953 and even an adaptation of George Orwell's '1984' in 1954. The BBC also broadcast outside events such Wimbledon and Test Matches etc. Television's 'Golden Age' came in the 60's after the Conservative government introduced a Television Act and which proposed setting up the Independent Television Authority. A new channel was introduced; 'ITV' which offered an alternative to BBC's sycophantic and deferential attitude to politics.
In the 1960's, television genres that are familiar today were established. 'Coronation Street', 'Z cars', 'Steptoe and Son' are all household names today. A precedent had been set in terms of satire, soap operas, and situation comedies etc which are reflected in TV programmes today. These programmes provided entertainment but at the same time portrayed 'ordinary domestic life'.
However TV's emergence was not just important in its dealing with issues related to ordinary people but how it helped change life for ordinary people. People began to sit at home with their family, in their living rooms, ...
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In the 1960's, television genres that are familiar today were established. 'Coronation Street', 'Z cars', 'Steptoe and Son' are all household names today. A precedent had been set in terms of satire, soap operas, and situation comedies etc which are reflected in TV programmes today. These programmes provided entertainment but at the same time portrayed 'ordinary domestic life'.
However TV's emergence was not just important in its dealing with issues related to ordinary people but how it helped change life for ordinary people. People began to sit at home with their family, in their living rooms, watching other real or fictitious people, keeping each other company, helping to cope with life and then sharing the experience with others. This is still evident today e.g. Phil murdering Lisa' in Eastenders, 'Tricky Dicky' in Coronation Street, such storylines become the focus of socialising for many ordinary people.
'Domestication' of TV refers to the way that TV has become such a huge part of domestic life. Hoggart and Williams referred to it as the 'lived experience.' Just as radio brought the realities of unemployment to Home Counties audience, TV exposed the plight of the homeless in a drama 'Cathy Come Home' about a young runaway girl living on the streets of London. TV and domestic life became indistinguishable and part of the national and personal identity and memory. People still remember watching President Kennedy's assassination in 1963 and the death of Diana, Princess of Wales in 1997.
TV as a mass medium of communication has had a huge impact on ordinary people, on average they spend around 20-30 a week watching TV but still have access to a wide range of leisure opportunities that would probably still have existed even without the emergence of TV. Ordinary people still pursue activities such as the cinema, bowling, clubbing, visiting pubs, having a flutter at the horses or going to watch their favourite footie team. The introduction of TV has allowed more flexibility for ordinary people, for example many pubs now have large, widescreen plasma TV's with great sound and visual quality where people can go to watch football, with friends, and have a few drinks at the same time.
TV helped to change the awareness that ordinary people had of everyday events and issues. For the first time ever, they could watch 'history in the making' rather than just read it in the newspapers. They also had access to a wealth of information in their own living rooms with reality shows, wildlife programmes and even watch shows from a variety of international countries. This was especially important at a time of such heated international events- The Cold War, Vietnam and the first human landing on the moon.
The introduction of the video recorder was also very significant for ordinary people's leisure activities. By 1980, just under 4 million video recorders were sold. The video allowed them to record programmes and then watch them at a later, more convenient time, giving them flexibility. They could even record one program whilst watching another.
TV did not just have an impact on ordinary people but also on the cinema and other leisure industries. Some became more concerned that the art of film making may die altogether. The cinema industry, then introduced the James Bond series in order to ail a declining industry, which helped offset the rise of TV. James Bond films provided people with something they could not get on TV- sex and violence, the girls and action sequences.
The 90's saw a revolution for TV- the introduction of Digital and Interactive TV. Digital provides 'cinema like' picture quality and CD sound quality with 1,100 lines, doubling the amount of information sent with each frame. The number of channels available has exceeded the targeted 500. Around 58% of the population have access to alternatives to terrestrial TV. People can now shop, send e-mail, order takeaway, gamble and book holidays through their TV. The availability of these facilities does not necessarily mean that there has been an improvement in leisure opportunities. Critics argue that this has actually led to more anti-social behaviour as people become more reluctant to leave their home and interact with other people.
As a mass medium of communication, radio was first broadcast on 1922, because prior to this, it was seen as vital for military purposes. For the first time, ordinary people could listen to music; hear the news about national events in their own homes. John Reith the Director General of BBC after 1927 saw radio as not only an entertainment medium but one to improve cultural and moral standards among the public. The growth of radio increased steadily. Households owning a license in 1924 were 10%, in 1930 it was 30%, in 1933 it was 48% and in 1939 it was 71%. However many poorer ordinary working class people were excluded. The emergence of radio did not improve leisure for all ordinary people but a great deal of them. In the 1920's, listening to radio was predominantly a male hobby and an individual one. However in the 1930's, higher quality sets provided superior reception. Thereafter it was quite highly valued as a form of companionship- brightening the time spent doing housework and widened the range of family conversation.
In working class districts, radio was an important incentive to domesticity, drawing families into the home as opposed to on the streets. The radio was used mainly for relaxation and entertainment; the most popular programmes featured variety and musical comedy. Radio broadcasting, it is argued, led to a series of important social changes. The BBC contributed to an altered sense of national identity and brought a sense of 'participation' in the spirit and emotion of national events, changing the relationship between the nation and the royal family. Radio also led to an increasing domestication of leisure, contributing to changes in the pattern of family life in many households.
A social survey of Merseyside in 1934 estimated that 40% of the local population attended the cinema every week. 75% of adult cinema goers were female. Cinema, as a mass medium of communication had its hayday in the 1930s and 1940s. By 1939, there were an estimated 23million cinema admissions every week. A survey carried out by Mass-Observation about leisure patterns showed that cinema going was an immensely popular leisure activity; people visited nearly 2 or three times a week. Cinema's appeal lay in its ability to provide high quality entertainment and an opportunity for people to be 'taken out of themselves' and forget their troubles. Thus, cinema was a form of escapism. The most popular films were those that appealed to pre-existing popular values and beliefs which indicates why Nazi propaganda was so successful. Goebbels argues that 'films could work on the subconscious, reinforcing previously held prejudices in an entertaining way.' He was clearly right in this view because the most successful German films were those that did exactly this, such as 'Jud Suss'. Even the British Government recognized the propaganda value of cinema. Conservatives viewed cinema as 'undermining the established social and moral values of society.' Left wing commentators believed that films provided a new 'opiate for the masses' promoting political apathy during periods of economic distress and high unemployment.
In the 1920s the structure of the cinema industry was changing from small locally owned enterprises to national cinema chains such as Odeon Theatres and Gaumont British that owned 300 cinemas by 1928. The 1920s and 1930s was the great age of cinema building in Britain. Jeffrey Richards commented how 'the buildings themselves became escapist fantasies, their décor and accoutrements- sweeping marble staircases, silvery fountains, uniformed staff and glittering chandeliers.' Cinemas provided a real life extension of the dream world of the screen. The impact of Hollywood was clearly evident in all public places. Actors inspired a heightened sense of fashion, appearances, mannerisms and speech of their favourite stars, Sally Alexander remarked 'mimetic images of Harlow, Garbo and Crawford paraded Britain's High Streets.' Adopting the smart clothes and tilt of a hat favoured by a Hollywood actress gave a temporary illusion of glamour and wealth and satisfied a temporary yearning to escape the domestic treadmill which their mothers had suffered.
In my opinion an improvement in leisure opportunities was not just the result of an increased variety of activities but also the opportunity to pursue such activities which requires money. Over the last century, the UK has had sustained economic growth and development. This has enabled people to purchase more consumer durables. Margery Spring Rice's survey of working class wives in 1939 revealed that one poor, ill woman, living in a slum house with four children 'does not have the money for the pictures' and plays cards or ludo in her free time because it is cheaper. Women in the poorest working class households frequently enjoyed little or no access to mass entertainment. Adjusted for inflation, wages have increased over the century by 500%. Today the average annual earnings are £24,603, an increase of nearly 5% from last year. New industries have flourished and real GDP increases consistently each year indicating a healthy growing economy.
During the twentieth century, there have also been an increasing number of consumer durables available to buy, with increased incomes of ordinary people. The percentage of households owning a washing machine increased from 18% in 1955 to 91% in 1995, likewise those owning a vacuum cleaner increased from 51% to 96% in the same time span. Such time saving developments have given people, especially women more leisure time and hence improved the opportunity to pursue leisure activities.
There was another very important development of the twentieth century which helped to improve the opportunity for leisure, the car. People had more mobility and in some ways, gave them more freedom; to travel, pursue activities that they may not be able to do locally, or even just go to the next town for Saturday afternoon shopping. By having a car, people can even travel further for work purposes which has allowed them to have jobs that pay better money and increase national GDP.
For many people today, the emergence of Information Technology in the 1980s and 1990s has played the biggest part in improving leisure opportunities. Many people's lives would be impossible without IT; it has penetrated into nearly every aspect of daily life and reduced the time needed for daily routine chores with the introduction of the Automated Teller Machines (ATMs), Electronic Point of Sale (EPOS) etc. In schools and at home, personal computers are used to reduce the time involved in researching, writing and calculating etc. In the office, computers are used for numerous activities allowing for the 9am-5pm work patterns and therefore leaving time to pursue activities in the evening and weekends.
The growth of the Internet has not only opened up opportunities for leisure but has become a leisure activity in itself. Ordinary people have access to a wealth of information at their fingertips, businesses and individuals can advertise online, they can buy, sell, gamble and communicate on the World Wide Web. Ordinary people can communicate (chat), e-mail, and play games with people on the other side of the world. The growth of the Internet has been spectacular, 11.4 million homes have the Internet and 46% of the population have access to the web.
An improvement in leisure opportunities therefore has not been the result of only the emergence of television but also a number of changes and developments that took place over the twentieth century. The developments have each had their own hayday and therefore been a key turning point for improving leisure opportunities for those people around at the time of the development. The improvement in leisure opportunities was actually the result of the process of change throughout the century. Each medium has had its peak and then another medium emerged to become the new 'hype', this process has continued during the century. The emergence of television was not the key turning point in improving leisure opportunities.
