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Television In Fiji

A cautionary tale from the USA

After working as a Peace Corps volunteer in the School of Education at the University of the South Pacific in Suva for three years, I came to develop an appreciation and understan ding of the people, culture, traditions, and sociological con ditions in Fiji. I recently read that Fiji may soon be getting television.

There are certainly a lot of benefits to be derived from the introduction of new telecom munications technology in Fiji, and television can be put to use for a variety of informative, educational, and developmen tal purposes if properly control led and developed by the Fiji Government. Locally produced programs dealing with inter island and South Pacific region al news, health education, agri culture, instructional television for schools, and sports could have a fairly positive effect on the appropriate development of the country. It should be noted, however, that television is not without its pitfalls, particularly when commercial entertain ment and imported programs come into the picture.

Over 2500 publications on the effects of television have been published over the past 20 years. One of the more comprehensive publications is a U.S. Government document published by the National Insti tute of Mental Health entitled Television and Behavior: Ten Years of Scientific Progress and Implications for the Eighties.

This document is a compilation of research done by leading psychologists and communica tions experts which analyses the effects of television on cogni tion, the association between viewing violence on television and subsequent aggressive be havior, and the effects on chil dren. Unfortunately, the bulk of the research done concludes that there are many negative

effects associated with heavy TV viewing, and that there is a clear-cut association between viewing violence and subse quent aggressiveness among children and young adults.

The average American watches seven hours of TV a day, yet 70 per cent of all Americans don’t know who their own congressmen and senators are, or what the three main branches of U.S. govern ment are, according to one survey. Even people who watch a fair amount of educational TV do not know where Fiji or New Zealand are, or why there is so much trouble going on in the Middle East. How many hours a day might the average Fiji citizen watch TV? Will people devote less time to social and domestic obligations, and more time to a medium which is more convenient and accessible than a standard VCR system? Do video programs always make people more knowledgeable?

The famous Canadian com munications theorist Marshall McLuhan once said, “the medium is the message.” If information is presented by radio or television, people will always believe it, whether it is true or not. Will Fijian chiefs and Indian patriarchs lose their influence on the younger gen eration when trying to compete with this very pervasive medium of television? Some people in the United States refer to television as the electric parent. Will the introduction of TV in Fiji in areas with electricity cause greater urbanisation and migration from the non-electric areas, thereby increasing crime, unemployment and other social problems? Marshall McLuhan also said: “When identity dis appears with technological in novation, violence is the natural recourse. ”

If educationally-based gov ernment TV is first introduced,

it is quite conceivable that com mercial, imported, canned programming could follow as a result of public demand and the influence of businessmen and advertisers. The possible negative effects of an inunda tion of violent “cops and rob bers” shows which are de signed for middle class western audiences are obvious. Again, there is much research to verify the fact that excessive violence in the media can act as a catalyst for criminal activities.

The content quality of en tertainment media in the United States has declined substan tially over the past 10 years, and over the past five years violence on television has risen more than 100 per cent. The average American child has seen over 20,000 murders on television by the time he or she is 18. U.S. Senate hearings have even been held recently to question the content of what is shown on television. If Fiji is to receive satellite transmissions of foreign broadcasting then perhaps the above should be considered.

There are a great many fac tors which must be taken into consideration when introducing new technologies in developing countries. Potential effects on

social hierarchies, religious be liefs, and cultural norms must all be taken into account. Basic needs and priorities for both urban and rural populations need to be assessed with particular respect to socio-eco nomic conditions. Will poor un employed urban dwellers feel left out when TV arrives? Will crime increase from the intake of more technological material goods among the middle class population? Will traditional lifestyles diminish when trying to compete with new imported technologies? Will movies like Death Wish II and Scarface aid the appropriate development and betterment of society in the South Pacific? How long will educational television last be fore entertainment media are brought into the picture by public demand?

There are, of course, many other economic and political implications to take into account. These are just a few things that the citizens and residents of Fiji should take into consideration in regard to tele vision in the South Pacific.

Steven A. Davis

Texas A&M University College Station Texas, USA