Televisions impact on the world has been nothing less than immense. In the early days of the technology’s invention, the act of viewing moving images was awe inspiring and changed the way people thought about their world. As has television changed and evolved, so too have the people who use television and the way in which it effects our daily lives. The question is, however, has this changed us for the better or simply made us grow further apart from each other in this ever expanding global community?
It has been widely documented that children watch more and more television each year. With each generation, children spend more time in front of the television and what they watch has more impact on their daily lives. The children of our generation utilized the television far more than the generation of our parents. This, however, may not be a positive association. How much is a child’s developmental skills are lost in the world of television? Children learn through action, and television is inherently a non-action based activity. Is a child’s ability to share, have good social skills, and learn about his or her environment combatable with excessive amounts of television use?
This cause and effect relationship is not simply located in the United States. The negative effects of television were documented in a study of a small island community near the coast of Ireland. There were only 40 inhabitants on the island in 1990. This made the gathering of data and local sentiment very easy when compared to other larger demographics. The main sentiment found on the island? Television, unlike the radio and telephone, was seen as a very negative innovation. One citizen said, “The television changed the people. We know what’s going on all over the world now but we couldn’t tell you what’s happening down the road. Every fellow do be moaning about it and how it is no good, and there is nothing worth watching on it, but however bad it is everyone watches it” (Betteridge 1997). This demonstrates how even in a small and highly remote part of the world, television’s effect is mostly negative. It highlights that despite the unwillingness to participate in watching television, individuals are inevitably drawn into the act. If this is the case on a small, close knit island community (of which most individuals are adults and capable of making decisions with a clear mind), then the effects on children in the larger context of the global society are staggering.
While television clearly does have some positive value, I feel that the overall effect (especially on children) is a negative one. Rather than watching television for “x” hours a day, think of the immense accomplishments one could contribute to his or her own life as well as to society as a whole. With the amount of time spent in front of a TV only grows, what kind of role will this technology play in the lives of our children?, and their children? Though there are actions being taken to improve the technology’s role, the overall dependency on our televisions is negative and worsening.
Betteridge, Jenie (1997). Answering Back: The Telephone, Modernity, and Everyday Life. Media Culture and Society 19 (4).
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5 comments:
I believe strongly that children should not be left in front of the tv for an extended amount of time. It is the parents' responsibility to monitor how much tv their children watch, especially in the developmental stages of early childhood. Children who watch too much tv develop worse social skills needed for basic communication than children who don't watch tv excessively. Not only does excessively watching tv have a negative impact on a child's mental development, but this also relates to this country's childhood obesity problems.
hansman.4
I agree with Casey and so should everyone else. Television does have its positive aspects but it also has many negative ones. The true problem is not necessarily watching television but the parents that actually allow large amounts to be watched. Kids will be kids and watching television, and playing video games, is something they are obviously going to like to do. Parents should be the ones to decide for their child when too much is being watched. Parents need to tell their child when to go outside, play with other children, or at least somthing with physical activity involved.
-Chan.323-
Television does not control the amount of activity someone has on a day-to-day basis. It is a choice one makes, but is not something that a child or anyone else is obligated to do. I agree that it is a growing problem with children, but the amounts of positives that can be brought to the table are significant. There are multiple educational videos that children can view on the TV screen, teaching them vocabulary, pronunciation skills, and facts about early life. The part I agree with most in this blog is the Betteridge quote that states that people are drawn to television despite the willingness not to watch it. Because it is such a part of so many others’ lives, one can not help but catch an occasional part for sports or new series.
You are right in saying that television has had a negative impact on society and the lives of children. One thing I strongly disagree with is blaming the technology. If there's blame to be passed around it should be handed directly to the parents, who's sole responsibility it is to raise their children in an environment that encourages learning and development. Too often do parents let the televisions and computers play babysitter while they are off doing something else. Great blog, I just disagree with the aim.
thomas.1470
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