ABSTRACT
This volume reported findings from a research project that set out to de-
termine the impact of broadcast television on a remote island community.
The events surrounding the introduction of television broadcasts to St.
Helena in 1995 provided a rare opportunity to conduct systematic social
scientific research into how people are influenced by television within a
naturalistic setting. Conducting research on this topic in a location as diffi-
cult to reach as St. Helena presented considerable challenges. As well as
problems posed by geography, there were problems of a political nature
to be faced. How would a tiny, closeknit community react to be investi-
gated at close quarters by outsiders? As with any social science research
about media effects, the project suffered from various limitations. In some
instances, these limitations arose because of limited financial resources. In
other instances, the research was deliberately constrained by the need to
avoid intruding excessively on the lives of the participants being studied.
