The Online Journal of Communication and Media – October 2017 Volume 3, Issue 4 YOUTH MEDIA IN TWO WORLDS: A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF CHILDREN TV SHOWS IN THE PHILIPPINES AND IN GERMANY May Belle GUILLERGAN-SCHOTT Division of Humanities University of the Philippines Visayas Miagao, Iloilo, Philippines
[email protected] ABSTRACT This research analysed media products that have withstood time and are well-recognised by their target audience within the country they are produced. The observations generated systematic comparisons of the products’ formats, contents, visual characteristics and combination of educational and entertaining elements, leading to a discovery of the inherent and specific influence media products (namely, Goin’ Bulilit vs. Die Sendung mit der Maus, and Batibot vs. Unser Sandmännchen) have towards young audiences. It was inferred that: TV formats of the same genre are similar despite cultural divergence. The differences lie on the cultural philosophies, viewpoints, and values conveyed by the show. TV productions of different cultures present divergent social values. The presentation of these values is unique to each other’s cultural context. The results pinpoint which areas a Filipino immigrant child can possibly experience difficulty when integrating into the German community because media focus on different values in different countries. It can be said that children who grew up in different media environments will have developed different media literacy skills. Keywords: Children’s TV content, genre, and format, cultural diversity, media literacy INTRODUCTION Television has become indispensable in most homes and has evolved into a daily pastime activity. Quite understandably out of sincere concern for their children, parents cannot seem to stop asking whether television has good or bad effects on the growth and development of a child.