If someone offered you a million dollars to give up television for the rest of your life, would you do so? In the United States of America, the survey done few years ago revealed that 1 in 4 Americans said that they would not. Another survey asked men what they wanted most. The majority said they wanted peace and happiness. But this came second on their wish list: a big-screen television!
TV viewing is a thief of time. Why so? Recently, a global study showed, that on average, people watch TV for just three hours each day. North Americans spend four and a half hours daily, while the Japanese top the list at five hours per day. Those hours add up. If we watch TV four hours daily, by the age of 60, we will spent ten years in front of the screen.
But you may wonder: do people view TV because they enjoy it? Actually, no. Most people admitted that they should have spent their time wisely and more productively than spending too much time on TV. Some parents admitted they have sacrificed important social and family activities.
Though some admitted that TV is at times a good instructor, TV actually is a “subtle instructor.” Really, by means of it we learn about things, about lands and people we may never visit. We can virtually “travel” anywhere to tropical jungles and polar ice caps, to mountain peaks and ocean depths. We can discover things, we peer into the intriguing worlds of both atoms and stars. We watch news as it happens on the other side of the globe. We gain insight into politics, history, current events, and culture. Television captures the lives of people in both tragedy and triumph. It entertains, instructs and even inspires. However, much of the programming is neither wholesome nor educational. TV programs are abundant of graphic portrayal of violence and sex. One study in the United States, for example, found that nearly 2 out of 3 TV programs contain scenes of violence, averaging six per hour. So by the time a youth reaches adulthood, he will have watched thousands of dramatized acts of violence and murder. Two thirds of TV programs include talk about sex, and 35 percent include sexual behaviors, which are usually presented as risk free and spontaneous and involve unmarried couples.
But does TV really affect the individual? Indeed, it is. Think about it. A single photograph may move us to anger, tears, joy. Music too stirs our emotions profoundly. Words, even on the printed page, make us think, feel, and act. What power there is when moving pictures, music and spoken words are skillfully woven together! No wonder television is so seductive!
In the business section, advertising is the billion-dollar issue. Every year, businesses spend billions of dollars because they know that viewers are influenced by what they see and hear. They don’t spend that money because they think advertising might work; they know it works. It sells their products. Take for instance the Coca-Cola Company. In 2004, it spent 2.2 billion dollars advertising its products worldwide in print, on the radio, and on television. Was it worthwhile? The company made nearly 22 billion dollars in profits for that year. And the remarkable thing there is, is that this ads runs on just a 30-second time limit. So here is the point: if 30-second advertisements influence our attitudes and behavior, we may be certain that hours of TV viewing also affect us.
How about the television and the young? Here is the comment of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation regarding this issue: “Based on the cumulative evidence of studies conducted over several decades, the scientific and public health communities overwhelmingly conclude that viewing violence poses a harmful risk to children.” The National Institute on Media and the Family states: “[We agree with] the American Academy of Pediatrics that there should be ‘no [television watching] for children ages two and under.’ These children, who are undergoing tremendous brain development, need active play and real people interactions to promote their developmental, physical, and social skills.” Clearly, TV does not exclude anyone – young and old are both affected.
Are there any ways to take control? On the next series of this article, this question will be featured.