In this media blog, I want to talk about TV and my thoughts on that form of media.
TV is probably the largest form of media today and it has the largest impact on the American population. 99% of the American population has at least one TV. There are 2.24 television sets on average in an American household. Two thirds of Americans watch TV as a family and eat dinner together at the same time. I could go on but I think I have made my point by now. American culture nowadays is centered around TV and the consumption of that form of media.
I personally can say that it is not uncommon for a TV to be turned on and playing something on Netflix in our household. I can freely admit that the amount of TV (or some other media) playing loudly in our house is large to the point where I feel a bit awkward when there isn't some ambient noise as I study for my tests and do homework. I watch a bit too much Netflix and looking back on the shows I like to watch and why I continue to watch them, I can kind of understand why so many people watch TV. Netflix for me is a distraction and it takes me out of my immediate surroundings, giving me other things to think about than my problems and my actual life. Furthermore, TV series often hook you and you begin to feel a vested interest in the characters, making you want to keep watching. Because of how good TV is at distracting you, time flies by until you realize that you have been sitting for a couple hours and it is now dark outside.
Going back to the point about distraction, when we look at the statistics on stress rates in the American public, it makes sense that the amount of TV consumption is up. According to TIME magazine, 6% more Americans in 2015 said they were highly stressed than in 2014. 61% of adults said they were subject to unfair discrimination on a day to day basis. The American Psychiatric Association found that from 2014 to 2015, stress levels rose from a 4.9 to a 5.1 on a 10 point scale. The general public is becoming more stressed and likely dissatisfied with their lives and TV is providing a temporary escape, like sleep is to teenagers in school.
Personally, I think that all of this TV is bad. In providing us with an escape, they show us things that aren't and can't possibly be real, filling us with negative messages and values that shouldn't actually have a place in real life. Humans are like sponges and will subconsciously absorb all that we see around us and with all this consumption of TV, humans are slowly taking in the values on TV. If people are watching TV for things like news, that is fine, but people do need to watch how and what they watch on TV and use traits of a critical thinker like metacognition to consciously assess how TV has changed us and how we can reclaim our old selves.
In summation, it is my personal belief that TV can be a force for positive change on society, but people need to be careful about what and how they consume TV, especially how much as our lives slowly waste away.
Source for Statistics:
http://www.statisticbrain.com/television-watching-statistics/
http://time.com/4253107/americans-are-getting-more-stressed-out-study-finds/
Ive noticed this in my own life as well. I recently started watching a show that I liked at first, but at about season two I got sick of it and stopped liking it. However, I still watch it. I only watch it because I want to know what happens at the very end, and simply searching the answer isn't satisfactory. I think many TV shows are like this where the first few seasons are really good and entertaining, but as the show gets longer the quality goes down and the company producing it relies on your interest in the characters and what will happen to them.
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