Impact of Crime Shows on Behavior of Television Viewers in Pakistan: A Survey Study of Lahore City

  • Nasir Khan PhD Scholar, Faculty of Media & Communication Studies, University of the Central Punjab, Lahore-Pakistan
  • Prof. Ghulam Shabir Professor, Faculty of Media and Communication Studies, University of the Central Punjab-Pakistan
Keywords: Crime Shows, Criminality, Cultivation Theory, Safety & Security

Abstract

The current study investigates the impacts of television crime shows on the attitude of viewers. The researcher employed a quantitative approach and the survey method is used to collect the data. A structured questionnaire with close-ended research items was circulated among 100 respondents chosen through stratified sampling in Lahore because Lahore is the capital city with a heterogamous population. The respondents were university students below the age of 25 years. The findings of the study revealed that people feel fearful, vulnerable, and insecure after watching crime shows. These shows increase overthinking and aggression among the viewers. This study depicts that crime shows play a pivotal role to develop criminality in society. These crime shows tend to develop criminal minds to fulfil their needs through illegitimate means. The social construction of criminality is more prevalent than the representation of safety and security in these crime shows. The Cultivation Theory is applied to investigate the influence of television crime shows on heavy viewers as well as light viewers.

Published
2020-09-29