How Did Television Impact On Australian

How did television impact on Australian society?
Television was first introduced to the Australian society in 1956. Television changed the way Australians spent their leisure time - people began staying at home, rather than going out to the cinema or other venues. Television exposed Australians to American culture on a larger scale than ever before. Throughout the 50s television portrayed an idealized version of reality, displaying thin, beautiful woman and charming, well-trimmed men. The influence of television would prompt marked social change in Australia, as people began to identify with and emulate the values, ideas and trends diffused by popular American television programmes.
As television helped bridge the nation's geographical isolation, Australians were able to stay in line of global events and developments like never before. Therefore, Australians were able to participate in important social changes, like the women's liberation movement. In the early days of television, much live broadcasting was not recorded at all and was lost completely. In the early 1960s, the advent of videotape had an immediate impact on television production. It enabled the efficient recording, preservation, re-broadcasting and resale of television programmes.
Before the 50s people were not tied to a particular room. Radio was king and you could listen to it anywhere. In the 50s, new inventions included the TV dinner which was eaten off a folding tray in front of the TV. There were certain programs that killed the movies on those nights. Television transformed the way Australians received information. It soon became Australia's dominant form of mass communication, taking over from radio and cinema and posing a challenge to print media.
Television also played an important role in the evolution of Australia's national identity. It created a forum for uniquely Australian stories to be played out and allowed Australians to share different cultural experiences. It also provided a direct channel for American and British values, humour and style to influence Australian society.
The uptake of television was enthusiastic and by the end of the decade it was estimated that over two-thirds of families in Sydney and Melbourne owned a television set. Over the next five years, television had spread to most other States. By the mid-1960s, television had truly taken hold as the most popular form of communication. Television was available in all but the most remote areas of Australia and it was estimated that by 1965, nine in ten Australian families owned a television set.
War broke out between communist North Vietnam and democratic South Vietnam following the end of French occupation in 1959. The United States and its allies, including Australia, feared the spread of communism and wanted to ensure a South Vietnamese victory. For the first time in history, the technology of television brought images of the war directly into people's homes. As television news showed controversial, sometimes horrifying events of the conflict night after night, public support for Australia's involvement in the war rapidly diminished. As a result, many people credit television with helping create the political pressure that led to the withdrawal of allied troops from the conflict.
Later, some television broadcasts were recorded onto kinescopes, which involved recording the programme onto film from a television screen while it was being broadcast. Videotape also offered a cheaper, more efficient and immediate means of recording, editing and broadcasting news.
By 1968, Australia's whole telecommunications system was connected to the international satellite system and almost all Australian capital cities were linked by satellite. To broadcast a television programme in several cities in the 1950s, a tape of the programme would have been hand-delivered from one city to another. Satellite technology, however, allowed programmes to be broadcast simultaneously too many cities in Australia, or even to other countries. News stories and programmes could also be shared between capital cities.
During the early 1980s, VCR technology transformed home entertainment. VCRs freed viewers from the constraints of television schedules, allowing them to record television programmes and watch them later. The VCR boomed in popularity, and spawned many video hire businesses.
In the 1980s, radios were commonly installed in alarm clocks and personal stereos featured radio capabilities. By the end of the 1990s, radio broadcasts from all over the world could be listened to via the internet.
In the 1990s, the cinema industry experienced a worldwide upsurge of interest. Some people have attributed this to the popularity of home videos, which may have helped many people become accustomed to watching feature length films. New suburban multiplex cinemas were built across the country. Before CGI, special effects were created using less realistic techniques, such as stop-motion animation. In 1993, however, the film Jurassic Park used CGI to create a world inhabited by incredibly life-like dinosaurs, thus revealing the full potential of CGI technology. In 1995, Toy Story became the first film to be created entirely by computer-generated imagery.
Digital Video Discs (DVDs) were introduced in Australia in the late 1990s. DVDs were expensive when they were first released, although they would become cheaper and more popular in the ensuing decade. DVDs held a much larger amount of information than the compact disc.
Throughout the years, television has had a massive impact of Australian society. Some of the impacts had a positive effect and some had negative outcomes, however television was a major advanced in technology and has given society many benefits.