Switch off your tellys!
Was the underlying message of Neil Postman's charming book titled 'Amusing ourselves to death'. Television no doubt is a big part of our culture or rather was, the internet probably takes more precedence now.
However, television is still the medium that occupies much of our time - speaking of those who watch television. Whilst, I do become a couch potato on the weekend, I rarely have time to watch TV on the weekdays because a) I am too tired, or b) I don't have enough time - sad reality of someone who had been in full time employment for the first time this past 6 months.
Whilst I would jump on the bandwagon of TV is destroying our brain cells however, at the same time I do think TV can be stimulating. I'm a Doc-geek. I love watching documentaries - it's informative and important for the ignorance in us. I also enjoy debate shows such as Newsnight to keep in touch with current affairs. However, many a times I have found myself staring at the box. Mind numb. It's quite a horrible feeling afterwards, knowing that I have wasted x-amount of hours of watching something that did not entertain or enrich my life in any way and worst of all, I don't even remember what I was watching.
Aside from the content of television there is also the argument that we are conditioned by media to think in a certain way because ultimately we have no control of what is aired on television. This of course could go onto all forms of media. We can take that argument to anything really, the environment around us conditions us to think a particular way so I don't think that holds much weight but I guess the premise to that argument is that TV is the most influential.
However, television is still the medium that occupies much of our time - speaking of those who watch television. Whilst, I do become a couch potato on the weekend, I rarely have time to watch TV on the weekdays because a) I am too tired, or b) I don't have enough time - sad reality of someone who had been in full time employment for the first time this past 6 months.
Whilst I would jump on the bandwagon of TV is destroying our brain cells however, at the same time I do think TV can be stimulating. I'm a Doc-geek. I love watching documentaries - it's informative and important for the ignorance in us. I also enjoy debate shows such as Newsnight to keep in touch with current affairs. However, many a times I have found myself staring at the box. Mind numb. It's quite a horrible feeling afterwards, knowing that I have wasted x-amount of hours of watching something that did not entertain or enrich my life in any way and worst of all, I don't even remember what I was watching.
Aside from the content of television there is also the argument that we are conditioned by media to think in a certain way because ultimately we have no control of what is aired on television. This of course could go onto all forms of media. We can take that argument to anything really, the environment around us conditions us to think a particular way so I don't think that holds much weight but I guess the premise to that argument is that TV is the most influential.
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