Overview of Major influences
Political/Social
TV influenced our politics in very important ways. Following the Second World War, the nation was in a state of disillusionment and greatly feared communism and anything that had to do with it. Foreign affairs were scary and something to be nervous over. But the changing age of technology became a stepping stone to friendly relations with other countries. People were also often ambivalent to the ins and outs of politics, often playing dumb to most issues. But TV made the common people accessible and politics became an every man kind of thing. Politicians had to be more careful when their every move was broadcast to the people.
Economical
The popularization of the television can also be attributed to the rise of commercial sales. Originally living in the world of radio broadcast, commercials were there for everyone and were limited to what they could tell you. But that changed with TV when they could actually show you what their product did. It was an entirely new niche of the economy that opened the doors for growth.
"The potential for economic growth had never been so high and every businessman in the world was jumping on the bandwagon for sale through digital media." - david lester
Cultural
Much of the culture of our modern time comes from the popularization of media in America. This was the turning point that influenced the Hollywood culture and the other things that come along with that. Fame had never been placed so heavily on artists, but suddenly these artists on the screen were receiving an attention akin to worship. This would be carried into our modern day lives and the still present worship of many Hollywood actors and actresses.
Negatives
On thing we may never consider is the possible negative side of television. Was there anything bad it influenced? While it may not have seemed like it in the past, today we can really see the effects of TV. There are claims that TV is to blame for our violence, our children's insecurities, our corruption, and our gluttony. But there truly is no way to prove that TV causes any of this, and certainly not the television of the 50s. It was a simpler time without so much of our modern desires and morals (or lack thereof).