TV is proving to be an important driver of social change in developing nations.
In our collective enthusiasm for whiz-bang new social-networking tools like Twitter and Facebook, the implications of this next television age – from lower birthrates among poor women to decreased corruption to higher school enrollment rates – have largely gone overlooked despite their much more sweeping impact. And it’s not earnest educational programming that’s reshaping the world on all those TV sets. The programs that so many dismiss as junk – from song-and-dance shows to Desperate Housewives – are being eagerly consumed by poor people everywhere who are just now getting access to television for the first time. That’s a powerful force for spreading glitz and drama – but also social change.
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