GRATIFICATION DERIVED BY CHILDREN AGED SEVEN TO ELEVEN YEARS FROM WATCHING TELEVISED ANIMATED CARTOONS IN NAIROBI COUNTY, KENYA

Mary Claire Akinyi Kidenda

doi:10.47941/jep.266

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to establish the gratification derived by children aged seven to eleven years from watching televised animated cartoons in Nairobi County, Kenya.Methodology: The study used descriptive survey method to collect information through casual interviews and self-administered questionnaires. The data was analyzed through straight tabulations and generated tables, graphs, and charts such as measures of central tendency such as means and modes and measures of dispersion such as the standard deviations.Findings: The study concluded that most children watch cartoons mainly for entertainment purposes. Boys admire Ben’s super-human imagination and would like to identify with him. Girls like Kim possible because she is a young girl like them, and they are able to identify with her character, as all the other super-heroes are men. Girls like magic, power and action in cartoons such as Kim Possible. She is young and strong and can protect herself and others. They find Kim interesting because of the action and fighting scenes. The girls also like her dress code, shoes and hairstyle.Unique contribution to theory, practice and policy: Parents should limit screen time, including animated cartoons, movies, video games and computer time to less than two hours a day and provide alternative means of relaxation and entertainment rather than the passive leisure of watching animated cartoons. The media practitioners should also think about the impact that watching some of these animated cartoons may have, especially on special audience like children. The government is recommended to develop a legal framework for classifying animated cartoons should be developed.

Highlights

1.1 Background of the StudyWalt Disney, Time Warner, Viacom, Bertelsmann and News Corporation are the main producers and distributors of animated cartoons all over the world. 70% of media content consumed in the world today, ranging from magazines and books to television shows and movies, cartoons and theme parks, cable networks, recorded music labels and music publishers are produced by these companies (Messenger, 2011)
One of the objectives of this study was to explore the gratifications that children seek from watching animated cartoons on television
The study concluded that some of the reasons children cited for watching animated cartoons were entertainment and to pass time, peer pressure, socialization, competition, mystery, bravery and heroism; to relax and to seek knowledge and information since they learn from them

Summary

Introduction

1.1 Background of the StudyWalt Disney, Time Warner, Viacom, Bertelsmann and News Corporation are the main producers and distributors of animated cartoons all over the world. 70% of media content consumed in the world today, ranging from magazines and books to television shows and movies, cartoons and theme parks, cable networks, recorded music labels and music publishers are produced by these companies (Messenger, 2011). Children who have access to television are captivated by television such that they spend more time watching television than they spend in any other activity (Spigel, 2013) This is because children consume television through primary involvement. This is a process in which the audience is solely concentrating on consuming the media text; they are sitting down solely to watch their favorite program on television. They watch more television than they engage in reading, going to watch movie, listening to the radio or playing with each other (Kubey & Csikszentmihalyi, 2013)

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