Talking About Sex- A source synthesis

In the article Talking about Sex: Common Themes About Sexuality in the Prime-Time Television Programs Children and Adolescents View Most by Ward (1995) themes of sexuality were reported as being shown on prime-time television shows children and adolescence view the most. It was found that numerous aspects of sexuality are often shown on television programs adolescence view most frequently. Specifically, 50% of television interaction contained content in relation to sexuality. Additionally, it was found that this exposure lead to false perception of how much sexuality is discussed in everyday life. This research is important in answering our research question because it explains how television shapes how young people go about dating and pursuing sexual relationships, as well as identifying that false images of romantic/sexual relationships are shown on television.

Introduction to TV and Romance

Ever wonder how watching television affects the way you act in your romantic relationships? For our Communications 111 project, the group Single Ladiez will be researching the effects that television exposure has on romantic relationships, including how people perceive the ideal relationship, as well as how sexual interactions are affected by television viewing. We have found that research supports an idea that TV exposure causes people, especially adolescents, to have an idealized perception of how relationships should be, and the overwhelming prominence of sexual interactions on television pushes people towards mimicking this prominence in real life as well.