by Jade Smith
Published Sun, May 8th 2016, 17:12 | Internet
With today's advanced technology, we can watch live broadcasts of events and the world has become much more connected. Along with the advantages of live broadcasting we also need to understand the drawbacks which come with it.
Who could ever forget former Disney star Miley Cyrus causing all of America to blush with her obscene behavior while the broadcasting was live? Or the embarrassing moment when a particular pop star's chest was completely exposed? The obvious issueswith live streaming or live broadcasting is the complete lack of control over censorship. Who isn't watching the super bowl half time show? Parents are now completely frustrated at the idea that their children have now been introduced to ideas that do not deserve an explanation so soon. It is impossible to flag videos in real time and the damage is already done. I think the question should be asked why or how has that right to censorship been taken away? Are we in such a hurry that we could sacrifice what was once a valued privilege of media choices for the right now? What could anyone possibly lose with a ten-minute delay?
Access to live broadcasting has provided an amazing and unique experience for viewers. How much are tickets to the Super Bowl? The waiting list for tickets to the Master's Tournament in golf is up to two years. We can now watch these amazing historical events in real time as if we were there, but would you take your child to Marilyn Manson concert? For most of us the answer would be an easy "of course not". We make choices everyday on what we would allow our children to be exposed to the best way we can. We can't call it "just TV" any longer.
We can distinctly remember watching a Cardinals basketball game a few Christmas's ago when a player running for an out of bounds ball snapped his chin backwards. It was a very gruesome thing to see, even from our living room. The station replayed it twice, and it was never shown again. I can only imagine some innocent child’s reaction to that one. Yes, sports are dangerous. Yes athletes sustain serious injuries all the time, but you can imagine the fear created for a child seeing something so shocking. The potential to permanently discourage that same child from ever participating in a sport at all!
Unfortunately, there has been too much faith for individuals in the media to remember that their behaviour is an example for a younger generation. It is not possible to ever be able to predict anyone’s behaviour anytime or anyplace. I think the value that is being placed on live television is far out weighing some unrecognized detriments to our values as citizens and parents. Who can shake the "I don't what is going to happen" feeling anymore? For some, that just may be it. They thrill factor of the unexpected. Let’s hope these same people remember that their five and ten year olds are in the same room.