Television is undoubtedly one of the most powerful means of communication in the history of
W$ u9 k$ m. B2 ?humankind, rivaled only by such other forms of communication as the Internet, the telephone, " M8 Z) k7 H6 u% i9 Q6 b$ J
movies, and, of course, simple, low-tech speech. Television, with its wide availability and rich 9 \/ D& w& L2 q+ s" x/ t* S
media with image and sound, is difficult to ignore and even seductive in its appeal. Television is as # ]+ p! q; R/ {* \9 f5 r
much a part of our lives as are our meals, work, or school; studies consistently show that the 2 K9 K6 m" h( j9 ]8 n2 [: w `! T8 M
average American child spends almost as much time watching television as she does in school. , Q& z# I- s6 n9 X5 _( m, j
Furthermore, because television is so rich in its media, it often requires our full attention or is
6 j8 q/ h1 T4 x# r+ F/ M3 m! R W. |! Zmore attraction to us than are our daily lives. Naturally, the more time one spends watching
$ u, \7 l5 v' H- D) ?) Ftelevision, the less time she has with her family and friends. Thus, we can clearly see why some
4 D' z& s8 E2 C" ^7 `" X. \4 Ghave claimed that television has been harmful for communication among family and friends.
6 ~* f/ ~. N# P+ |However, I believe that, while television has been somewhat harmful in its effects, it has hardly
4 X! A8 i; v) ~; r5 W2 u"destroyed" communication among family and friends for most people, although for some, this
* r U n1 U- @4 k! umay be true.
7 C3 U7 Y( |7 p+ _$ H- T! wMost people much prefer spending time with their families and friends to spending time watching - |4 t, D: g8 Y5 G( W6 W( N* {
television. Television is of course an important part of many people’s lives, but most people would
7 U7 G4 }5 L2 h2 Y2 igladly choose family and friends over television were they given the choice. Furthermore, most ) m8 V$ I6 V8 y3 V+ [
educated people are aware of the deleterious effects of too much television and either avoid 7 u$ E# s( }( U9 Z8 s! j, A% F
excessive time watching television, or actually do not enjoy it. I, for example, after a long day at
4 V% u8 S2 _/ cwork, would much rather spend time talking with my wife and playing with my children than I ' K9 x% e3 |$ @7 W) Z
would watching some unrealistic portrayal of life on television. For me and my family, our time
+ D- T5 T( a9 j/ L* u" Ltogether is precious and beautiful, and could never be replaced or hurt by television. 1 U- w4 K6 u5 {. k, M5 M5 b( G0 T
Furthermore, the effect of television is simply not so great that it could be said to have / O4 l% @9 f% j0 o
"destroyed" communication among family and friends. Granting that communication among ' R- ?: w; p# t7 T0 T3 t% ]5 A
family and friends in industrialized countries has decreased in recent years, it might be tempting to
_: S2 A+ u' t% Rblame this problem on television since its rise roughly coincided with the decrease in time we % E. k( x: J4 ^2 N
spend with our families. However, I believe this situation is more likely due to increased pressures
: e2 _! z8 J' u3 f8 Z2 w4 [relating from work, school, and the economy. In my case, for example, I find that my pressures
9 ]4 m- r' J; _' r4 |from work are so great that I must often sacrifice time at home so that I can meet the challenges
1 j4 f3 i0 F e3 ?1 sof running my own business. Many of my friends are in similar situations--my best friend, for 6 M6 w6 {4 {1 w o' x- @
example, has just finished law school, which took about sixty hours a week of his time. In a word, 3 b, u- ~8 A& m9 I
people nowadays have very little time for anything, but television is not the cause--it is increased 8 N# w5 F# |$ N
desire to succeed.
5 A8 L2 o2 V) b$ B5 z5 z+ g. v5 p
- p, ?0 Q$ B- ZIn some situations, however, television has surely contributed to a decrease in communication
3 p; O% x0 z4 }) c: tamong family members. In my childhood in the countryside, I often saw parents and children 1 F% k# w8 s0 @7 Z4 v+ H9 |
watching television for hours on end, rarely speaking with one another. It seemed for them that 7 p* f* v) R; H6 K% T* v& U+ R8 u% i6 f
television was a way to escape from their sad, miserable existence. However, even in this case, I $ O2 a8 Z. e& K% @" I' i9 `4 c2 p
would say that television merely contributed to the bad situation, but did not cause it; were % m: |; L: m H% r
television not existent, surely these people would have found other escapes, alcohol or gambling,
# k% f$ L4 H2 Z+ g- }. Zfor example. In other words, people always find a way to do what they want to do.
5 C% g# v( f% g/ n9 k- {0 j0 RIn short, I do not believe that television has destroyed or even harmed interpersonal 3 j% P }2 w, N
communication among most people. Most people realize that television is merely a temporary diversion and do not use it to replace interpersonal communication. I believe that the damage attributed to television is greatly exaggerated and that such damage is most likely attributable to other more powerful social factors. |