Getting with the Program

From a purely marketing standpoint, television programmers select titles that are catchy, provocative and attention grabbing. Naturally, like any mega-million dollar industry, corporate media competes for viewer ratings. And while it’s common knowledge that various networks, and their advertisers, vie for audience dollars – when viewed with a critical eye, one must pose the question: Is this free-market, mass-media enterprise really as “free” as it seems?

While watching television a few months back, I turned to the “guide” channel to peruse what was on. As I scrolled through the hundreds of channels available to me, I noticed something striking and, dare I say, startling. As anyone who subscribes to cable or satellite TV can attest, the guide channel simply displays program titles – nothing more. Normally, one casually uses the guide channel to look for a specific program or to simply “shop” for something worthwhile to watch. But in my case, I stared at the program titles from a different vantage point – one of a researcher interested in content analyzing and deconstructing the language used in the program titles. I grabbed my legal pad and began writing each channel and program title in turn, until I had accumulated over 300 entries.

As I reviewed the list, it struck me. There was a definite pattern that not only emerged but jumped off the page! The overwhelming majority of programs contained what I would refer to as “fear inducing” language in their titles. Of course, one would expect that with the hundreds of programs airing at any specific time, some would relate to negative experiences that reflect the “darker” side of human nature. But it wasn’t just some titles that fit into this category – but indeed most.

Rather than bore you with the statistics (which I did compile and analyze), let me share examples of some of the titles to which I am referring. As you read through the list, I have italicized words that all trigger fear, anxiety, desperation, anger, suffering, danger and disaster scenarios.

Doomsday 2012, Suffering Joints, I Survived, Strange Days, The Killing, Abandoned, The Hunt for the I-5 Killer, Wanted – Rescue Me, Cops – Las Vegas Jailhouse, The Mummy Returns, Earthquake Disaster, Halloween Wars, Disaster House, Ghost Adventures, River Monsters, Dark Matters – Twisted but True, World War II in Color, The Nightmare Next Door.

If you take a moment and re-read only the italicized words, you will see that these terms all correlate with profound negativity. When the titles failed to include fear-inducing language, they targeted hedonism, self-derogation and materialism. For example: Eat and Lose, Afford Jewelry, Who Wants to be a Millionaire, Salon Gorgeous, Big Rich Texas, etc. Out of all the program titles analyzed, only a mere handful included language that was either benign or positive (i.e., Friends, Planet Earth, Family Ties).

I’ve had many years of experience studying how the mind processes information – and particularly social information. Lower-order brain functions tend to matters that are related to basic “survival” issues (hunger, thirst, sex drive, and the fight or flight mechanism that is triggered by anger or fear in response to perceived and imminent threats). In contrast, higher-order brain functions deal with logic, reasoning, creativity, imagination, rationality, intelligence and problem solving.

The data suggests that television programming isn’t simply comprised of separate interests competing for ratings, but something far more concerted. Out of all the possibilities available, why is it that the vast majority of programs (including advertising) target our lower-order brain functions? Perhaps the “power elite” doesn’t want the population engaging in and strengthening higher degrees of intelligence. If viewers actively engaged in critical “thinking,” they wouldn’t be as easily and mindlessly led into adopting lifestyles, values and decisions that are unsustainable, cancerous, divisive and toxic to the environment.

But why would programmers focus on “frightening” the masses? Fear is perhaps the most powerful agent of regulating behavior from a purely “survival” mindset. Think about it – fear not only sells products but perceptions. Would we be as prone to buying pharmaceuticals if not for our “fear” of being incapacitated by illness? Would we be as accepting of war and discrimination, if not for our fear of those that have been labeled as enemies?

There are those who are realizing that only love can trump the powerful effects of fear-based energy. Love embodies the dynamics of compassion, empathy and cooperation – versus the competition, self-protection and greed that is stimulated by fear-based living. Sowing the seeds of fear and disunity translate into financial profit and social control for those who capitalize on maintaining the lower-order mindsets of the masses.

There’s a saying among horse trainers: “Control the head, control the horse.” Is it really any different with the population at large? We are powerful beyond measure. But just like the horse who surpasses his would-be “master” in strength, size, agility and speed, we, too, can be “programmed” to believe that we’ve been “caught” – like a horse in a halter – ready to be led.

My recommendation? Forget the halter and lead rope. Run free and untamed by those whose only intent is to tether you to the post of negativity, self-absorption and fear. Don’t give your energy to that which is designed to restrict and bind your spirit. Sure, go ahead, watch TV but, in doing so, watch out for TV and get with the program.

Dr. Linda Steiner is an Applied Social Psychologist and lecturer at the University of Wisconsin – Green Bay. In addition to working as a university educator over the last 20 years, her research, writing and public speaking addresses systematic barriers to social unity and environmental sustainability. She has presented her work at the Oxford Round Table Symposium on Social Justice and conducts seminars on matters of social importance. Her writing can be followed on her website, The Power of Social Consciousness (http://drlinsteiner.wordpress.com), and she can be contacted by email at [email protected].