Thursday, April 29, 2010

Essay about Television

Essay about Television

Televisions programming today can be a powerful influence in developing value systems and shaping behaviours of individuals. Television hooks people into the programs to believe that they are important and mean something. Television gives people the wrong impression about how life should be lived. The unrealistic of the programs creates a sense of lifestyle that the average viewer craves and desires for themselves. People should be taught the reality of television because television can affect the way people act, think and feel about different issues such as violence, education/morality and gender/racial stereotypes. When children especially watch television they see ‘made up families' and how they deal with their different problems as a result children assume that this is how their life should be. Some children desire for a sense of acceptance and they find that acceptance from television. It can be comforting for some to step into another world and get out of their own busy lives. In the article "An Attack on TV", by Jeffrey Schrank, television is described as an addictive medium that has negative effects on people. The opinion of the article by Jeffrey Schrank, "An Attack on TV", is a in agreement with the article on the terms that it is addictive and destructive to oneself.

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The amount of television that one individual consumes in one day has increased greatly. Television is addictive, yet one does not understand what addicts them. Soap Opera's are the most addictive television programs that are broadcasted. "Many people watch television simply because they are addictive to the tube" (Schrank 1). People are under the impression that they are obsessed with the show yet in reality they are just obsessed with the television itself. Many times people do not watch television because a certain show is on they will watch others at the same time and become more addicted (1). In a way human beings are being controlled by the people who are behind the programming of television and the production of the shows. There are some to believe that a withdrawal from television can become an illness in which is referred to as ‘Abstinence Syndrome' (1). If a withdrawal is present usually individuals will increase the daily dose of the television in their lives. When an addiction is presence the individual emotional self becomes involved as well and individuals become consumed in the unrealistic of the actual television. People experience deep emotions in front the television screen (1). "We watch television in order to be manipulated into feelings"(1). The feelings that one individual feels when watching television are real, only the television stimulus is lacking a third dimension (2). When one becomes addicted to anything they become obsessed with the addiction and therefore do things that they would not normally do in certain situations and sometimes risk their lives. Yet risking their lives is a bit extreme for television addictions, people do stupid things that are unnecessary in their lives. As a result the addiction of television exists in today's society and therefore I agree with the article "Attack on TV" by Jeffrey Schrank.

In addition to being addictive to individuals, television is destructive. It can be destructive in many different ways depending on the person who is being affected. Television can create an image that one wants to portray, therefore they change their own personalities into the one on the television. Sometimes it can change one for the best yet in other cases for the worse. If one always watches violence and sees how one acts when their violent, the viewer believes to get what they want they have to be violent and use physical force. Television can be destructive to ones emotional self by revealing feelings that the viewers have not yet experienced and would not want to experience at the specific time in their lives. "Television encourages habitual viewers to avoid responsibility for their own recreation and feelings of aliveness" (2). People will procrastinate or put off what they need to do in order to watch television. Most children and preteens come home from school and sit in front of the television for hours instead of working on their homework first to get their responsibilities out of the way then to relax and watch television. This habit is destructive because it causes individuals to put their desires first before what needs to get done. This is one of the most dominant problem in today's society. There are other aspects of televisions destructive nature on individuals such as how a person feels during or after watching television. "76 percent agreed that TV makes them feel tired, 75 precent agreed that it makes them eat more, and 56 percent claimed that TV causes them to sleep more" (2). Watching television can cause a person to do things subconsciously that they not normally would do at the certain time or place. Many people relate watching television and eating as one. When someone is sitting in front of the television they tend to get a snack during the commercials. As a result the negative effects of television on today's society is that is destructive towards the health, personality and emotional self of individuals.

In the article " An Attack on TV", by Jeffrey Schrank, television is described as an addictive medium that has many negative effects on people. I agree with the article "An Attack on TV", on the terms that it is addictive and destructive towards oneself. Television being addictive, is simple the constant need and desire to watch television. When one is in need of something they will do anything to get it and in return can end up damaging themselves. People are under the impression that they are obsessed with the show yet in reality they are just obsessed with the television itself. Many times people do not watch television because a certain show is on they will watch others at the same time and become more addicted.

Television in being destructive can take people away from their daily routines and make television what their whole life revolves around. Television can be destructive to ones emotional self by revealing feelings that the viewers have not yet experienced. In some cases an individual will become so attached to a show that their cares of other things in their life will come second to the television show they are obsessed with. People will procrastinate with what they need to do in order to watch television. Overall television can be referred to as a addictive agent in our lives that is not necessarily needed.


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