It is not until I subscribed to cable TV, then I realize how bad our national TV programs had become since the mushrooming of screen sinetrons (TV soap opera series) and celebrity gossip shows. I remember when I was a kid; there was only one national TV which regularly aired programs such as Si Unyil, Jendela Rumah Kita, and ACI (Aku Cinta Indonesia). I was a big fan of those series. Many valuable lessons learned in those programs among others the values of family, tolerance, respect, honesty, and honor. It was in such stories as Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Flash Gordon, and Hulk among others; my special interest in English grew. I used to go with my childhood friends to a neighbor a few blocks away who owned a black and white TV, waiting in line for our favorite series. We huddled together in a crowded living room, watching with mouth wide open as the characters came to life, lol. It was funJ. We had witnessed the magic of electricity and the little black square box touched our life. Yeah, back in 1980s, electricity and TV was a luxury we did not enjoy until a few more years ahead. When the sun went down, I saw my father set on our oil lamps which function as our source of light during the nightJ. Often, I laughed when my sister’s face smeared with black soot after study . It’s no wonder, the neighboring kids and I, were willing to go on foot a few kilometers away to see the wonder of the TV. I remember back then how fascinated I got hearing the characters spoke in strange accent and language I’ve never heard before. There was not yet any regulation required foreign film series to be dubbed in Indonesia so seeing those films has helped me to cultivate my English. Bit by bit my vocabulary grew. Afterward, internet gained access to my campus around 1999. I perched on a stool in one corner of net cafe around the campus, trying to greet the wonder of such technology for the first time, digging up some references for my thesis. Then, I found myself buried under words of strange language. It hit me in the head that to be able to reap the vast knowledge in these intricate webs of net connection, you have to understand the language. The one thing our national TV lacked during that era was the freedom of expression and speech in digging facts in news. The ruling government has enforced a strict and rigid control over the news programs. Medias were overshadowed by censorship and threat of banning if they gave offends to the government. Medias should serve as a tool for the government to deliver its propaganda.
After the reformation era in 1998 when people’s power toppled down the ruling regime, Medias regain their freedom of speech in Indonesia. Private TVs and printed Medias proliferate like mushroom during rainy season. It is not surprising that in this digital and information era, Medias play significant role in bringing changes. It furthers play role in forming and reshaping public opinion. Recent unrest in Middle East is started from the Facebook in which freedom of speech is not yet curbed by the Tunisian Government. One ordinary man with social media has ignited a Revolution which set the Middle East on fire. In Indonesia, the Medias have mainly helped the public to put pressure on the government on sensitive issues such corruption, human rights violation, and public policies. They help people to control and watch over the ruling bodies. However, Medias has two faces, two sides of a coin. Since the mushrooming of private TVs, I hardly watch anything else on TV screens, except for the news. Often, I found myself in frustration trying to find one good TV series which is as good as the old ones. Zapping through the channels, I always end up in annoyance to see sinetrons with a lot of drama, crying, yelling and ridiculously over-the-top storylines. It’s just too much. The kids also had no better option than watching such a show during prime time. As a result, many improper words, behaviors, and other unacceptable bantering has poisoned the mind of the kids because the parents let them watch sinetrons…because most sinetrons are made for commercial purposes… to obtain maximal profit and rating…the moral obligation to educate the public comes second. Sinetron having kids as heroes does not mean it is suitable for children consumption. Foreign kids TV series are dubbed in Indonesia such as Sponge Bob, Disney series, Barbie, etc. which is a pity as children will have less encouragement to develop their reading skills through such screens. When I was a kid, I used to listen to dialogues, watch the screens while reading the running text. It helps a lot to stimulate my skills in writing and reading. I get the fun as well as the learning process. But now, those TV series are packed like a ‘fast food’, which means “kids are not required to put extra efforts to get the pleasure of watching the films.” It’s all about bringing all the fun without much exercise. I mean, where’s the fun in it???
What’s even sadder is the abundance of gossip talks which seem to have infected almost every channel except for the two news channels (Thanks God, there’s still these two). Alas, then again, people just love such infotainment tittle-tattle. Often, I overhear some women discussing certain gossips of some celebrities on train, lol. It’s a bit annoying. There might be several reasons why so many people seem to enjoy such shows. Through such infotainment news, people have the opportunity to take a glimpse into the lives of their favorite celebrities. Possibly, people get the feeling of some kind of odd satisfaction when they know the life of their idols are just like theirs, imperfect, and may be messy. It’s good to know that their life is certainly not as bad as the ones on screen. Their hunger for news about celebrities and details on how they lead their lives seems insatiable. And the Medias are just too clever to take full advantage of such situation. “Gossip sells faster like raging fire”. It creates lots of money. Then, it’s like a vicious circle. It’s hard to cut off the line.. it’s feeding on each other. At least, now I have another option to watch my TV screen without much distress. Now, when my nephew comes to my home, I can offer him better series to watch. He can enjoy the films while learning to understand the language.
After the reformation era in 1998 when people’s power toppled down the ruling regime, Medias regain their freedom of speech in Indonesia. Private TVs and printed Medias proliferate like mushroom during rainy season. It is not surprising that in this digital and information era, Medias play significant role in bringing changes. It furthers play role in forming and reshaping public opinion. Recent unrest in Middle East is started from the Facebook in which freedom of speech is not yet curbed by the Tunisian Government. One ordinary man with social media has ignited a Revolution which set the Middle East on fire. In Indonesia, the Medias have mainly helped the public to put pressure on the government on sensitive issues such corruption, human rights violation, and public policies. They help people to control and watch over the ruling bodies. However, Medias has two faces, two sides of a coin. Since the mushrooming of private TVs, I hardly watch anything else on TV screens, except for the news. Often, I found myself in frustration trying to find one good TV series which is as good as the old ones. Zapping through the channels, I always end up in annoyance to see sinetrons with a lot of drama, crying, yelling and ridiculously over-the-top storylines. It’s just too much. The kids also had no better option than watching such a show during prime time. As a result, many improper words, behaviors, and other unacceptable bantering has poisoned the mind of the kids because the parents let them watch sinetrons…because most sinetrons are made for commercial purposes… to obtain maximal profit and rating…the moral obligation to educate the public comes second. Sinetron having kids as heroes does not mean it is suitable for children consumption. Foreign kids TV series are dubbed in Indonesia such as Sponge Bob, Disney series, Barbie, etc. which is a pity as children will have less encouragement to develop their reading skills through such screens. When I was a kid, I used to listen to dialogues, watch the screens while reading the running text. It helps a lot to stimulate my skills in writing and reading. I get the fun as well as the learning process. But now, those TV series are packed like a ‘fast food’, which means “kids are not required to put extra efforts to get the pleasure of watching the films.” It’s all about bringing all the fun without much exercise. I mean, where’s the fun in it???
What’s even sadder is the abundance of gossip talks which seem to have infected almost every channel except for the two news channels (Thanks God, there’s still these two). Alas, then again, people just love such infotainment tittle-tattle. Often, I overhear some women discussing certain gossips of some celebrities on train, lol. It’s a bit annoying. There might be several reasons why so many people seem to enjoy such shows. Through such infotainment news, people have the opportunity to take a glimpse into the lives of their favorite celebrities. Possibly, people get the feeling of some kind of odd satisfaction when they know the life of their idols are just like theirs, imperfect, and may be messy. It’s good to know that their life is certainly not as bad as the ones on screen. Their hunger for news about celebrities and details on how they lead their lives seems insatiable. And the Medias are just too clever to take full advantage of such situation. “Gossip sells faster like raging fire”. It creates lots of money. Then, it’s like a vicious circle. It’s hard to cut off the line.. it’s feeding on each other. At least, now I have another option to watch my TV screen without much distress. Now, when my nephew comes to my home, I can offer him better series to watch. He can enjoy the films while learning to understand the language.
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