Is TV Programming You?

Reprogram in 3 Steps

Photo by Stefan H on Unsplash

Remember the last good movie you watched? Fast, furious, smoky, feel good. Exceptional stories move you at the gut level. They are uncommon and catch you a bit by surprise but leave you with a feeling of sheer bliss. It isn’t often that a good feeling comes over you with such intensity that you are left yearning for more. But that’s what a good movie can do.

Psychologists have shown that the appeal of shows that capture our imagination nudge parts of our unconscious. Think about the movie that came to mind for you just now. Your thoughts likely traveled to a place you can’t touch with your hands. You were transported to a dream. A dream that very skilled actors, directors and producers are paid handsomely to create. They provide access to the wonders of our unspoken parts.

Studies have shown that programming, not only allows escape to dreamy places or experiences, but also lures those same dreams into forming and hardening beliefs. This is called conditioning. It is a way of tying two unrelated things to each other and in entertainment conditioning an emotional reaction is the ultimate reward.

When TV first started, the images of Black people didn’t leave much room for dreaming. Fancy balls or elegant dwellings was not often what you were left with when Blacks were seen on screen. If anything, those depictions would conjure the very opposite. Depravity, despair, and death. And even if there were, as there is now, the occasion to showcase glamorous Black life, it is a fantastical circus scarcely likely to leave you transported at all. Yet, we rarely consider the conditioning that is in play with mindless entertainment like this. We rarely ponder how this all informs what we think or believe. Its just TV programming.

Truth is, when you unconsciously attach feelings or thoughts to things seen in movies or media, the process of conditioning has begun. And if the bulk of what you ever see are images too unrealistic to relate to or too unappealing to accept, it would be understandable if your idea of that thing, let’s say Blackness, would mirror something undesirable and lead you to develop opinions more broadly about this thing and then distance yourself from it. Take durags, for instance. Did a certain image and then emotion come up for you with that reference? That’s conditioning.

Conditioning is not always bad. We’re constantly benefiting from the conditioning that comes from acting without having to consciously think about it. Extending our arms to restrain someone if the car stops abruptly. Or preparing to move over when you hear a siren in the distance, even if you don’t see the emergency vehicle. These things often are inconsequential to our sense of self or self-esteem. This conditioning is for the benefit of others.

For many Black consumers, trap music, provocative dancing, revealing dress have resulted in deeply embedded links to conditioned responses. The historical portrayal of Black women as Jezebels or Black men as brutes have infected the consciousness of the media consuming audience and left a narrow Black caricature as the norm. And even if indoctrination of a profile of Blackness has not befallen your music video cache, you’ve succumb to other tropes inundating through broad media and television. Its unavoidable unless you live a media free life.

So what, you say? What if I take a view of Blackness that is media informed? This is about those people out there, not me. Yet, the real question is not what happens when the conditioning affects how you see others but how you start to see yourself. What effect does that have? What would it teach you? How would it instruct you, for instance, to treat Blacks, yourself included? How would your picture of Blackness affect what you accept or reject of the portrayals that are created in media? Imagine you are the owner of a media outfit. What stories would you be more inclined to tell?

This isn't about some sinister wizard pulling strings. It's about conditioning, the way we learn to react to certain things in certain ways, often without even realizing it. Our brains do this with lots of information we encounter and TV/media is no exception. And you are not immune.

When we're constantly exposed to these conditioned messages, it can chip away at two super important things:

Critical Thinking: This is your superpower – the ability to question, analyze, and form your own judgments. If TV is constantly feeding us pre-packaged ideas about who we are and what we should be, it can make us lazy thinkers. We might stop questioning the narratives presented to us, even if they don't align with our experiences or values.

Self-Agency: This is your ability to make your own choices and control your own life. If you're constantly being conditioned to believe certain things about yourself or your community, it can limit your vision of what's possible. You might unconsciously adopt behaviors or aspirations that aren't truly yours, but rather what you've been shown on screen.

The good news is once you know the game, you can change how you play. Here's how to take back control:

•Be a Media Detective: Don't just watch; observe. Ask yourself: Who is being shown? How are they being shown? What messages are being sent? What is this trying to get me to believe? Fight the urge to conform to what narrative has been written about you but not for you.

•Watching historical dramas is good for you. Historical dramas allow you to develop questions from the stories told from the past. Instead of feeling coerced into a state of do or die with reality TV or craftily built media narratives, allow yourself the opportunity to reflect on what could be without the pressure of a major life consequence. Don't let the screen be the only voice in your head.

•Feed your thirst. Indulge in activities that engage more than your visual senses. Generate the feeling of excitement from the adventures of your own discovery. Remember, you are the author of your own life. Don't let a TV show write your script. Embrace your uniqueness, pursue your dreams, and define success on your own terms. Get out there and live the story that movies are written about.

Television can be a powerful tool for entertainment and education, but it can also be a subtle conditioner. By understanding how it works, we can become more conscious viewers, protect our minds, and truly be the masters of our own destinies. So, next time you pick up that remote, remember: you're not just changing the channel, you're choosing what shapes your mind and your concept of yourself.