The television's primary conception was as a tool for communication, similar to a fax machine. After its first prototype was eventually on the shelves and mass-produced, corporations began to think of more uses for the device. It soon ripened into the fruit which people all over the world indulge themselves in today. A black box, requiring nothing, but giving so much; the television soon became a commonplace in citizens of the world homes and lives. Is there anything to be gained from watching television? There is a myriad of shows, the corporations of which can only hope we will spend an hour of our day watching. You would hope people think of such a mindless indulgence as a complete waste, given their relatively short existence here on earth; however, the statistics show otherwise.

 

 

 

My opinions on television and a computer are vastly different. The computer is dynamic in its nature in that it can really give you anything you want out of it, and unlike the computer, the television requires zero interactivity.

 

 

 

Surprisingly, I was inspired to write this thread because of a company's commercial parodying this very thesis.

 

[hide=The Commercial][yt]1m71m-LBqFQ[/yt][/hide]

 

 

 

What is your opinion on television? Is it completely detrimental to the intellect of the human race, or am I taking it a bit too seriously?

Love that advert! :lol:

 

 

 

And I think you're taking it a little bit too seriously...* although perhaps if it wasn't for TV we'd be outside a lot more, it probably has lead to increased obesity levels, and due to the "healthy body, healthy mind" thing, this probably means it's made us slightly more stupid too. However you have to be slightly stupid to watch too much TV in the first place (I reckon a small amount is healthy as it helps you relax and can be informative) so perhaps it's just increased the divide between the intelligent and the less intelligent people.

 

 

 

*But only a little. ;)

I'm being a bit shallow here, but TV isn't completely detrimental to the intellect of the human race. It's the choices that we make, such as the choice to purchase and/or watch it for hours on end.

 

 

 

:? Although, for those who can't control their time, the TV is certainly detrimental to their intellect, should they have any.

I have mixed feelings about television.

 

 

 

On the one hand, it leads to increased communication, knowledge, has educational value, is great for keeping up with the news, etc.

 

 

 

However, I feel that many people over-use it. I rarely watch TV more than 2 hours a week and I like it fine that way. People let their children watch a lot of tv at a young age and it kills their creativity and imagination. Of course it is also a huge factor in obesity rates etc...

...it kills their creativity and imagination...

 

 

 

I gotta say I agree with this. I haven't had TV since I was six. I read instead, and it's helped me so much. Now when I watch TV, the sports are the only thing that are even remotely interesting, and the rest is just such inane crap. Seriously, I just think there are such better things you could be doing with your time, and if you need a TV to be entertained, then that's not good.

 

 

 

I gotta cut this short because I'm in class, but I've pretty much got what I needed to say across =P

It's a form of entertainment, no more or less valid than books, movies, music, ect...

It's a form of entertainment, no more or less valid than books, movies, music, ect...

 

I never said it wasn't said it wasn't a valid source of entertainment, because it sure as hell can be.

 

 

 

But are you arguing that books are just as detrimental/beneficial as TV?

I love the concept of a TV. Having your own private seeing of a play in your very home. The only problem is the junk they decide to air on it. The junk is what rots our minds, not the idea of TV. If we replaced our pointless drama, over-used storylines, and less focus on sex, and return to create original, classy work I think TV won't be as bad.

 

 

 

I see quite a bit of machinima, which if you don't know is the creation of films using a video game (most well-known is Red vs. Blue), and I think it is very, very sad that these people who make machinima on their own time not getting paid a dime, can make funnier and more enjoyable material compared to current TV studios who get paid and thus should motivate them to do better.

 

 

 

How many shows are there about affairs? How many shows are there about "random comedy", things just pop out so randomly in hopes to make you laugh like in Family Guy. How many shows actually are original in context and are about something nobody else thought of? How many shows are creative?

I love the concept of a TV. Having your own private seeing of a play in your very home. The only problem is the junk they decide to air on it. The junk is what rots our minds, not the idea of TV. If we replaced our pointless drama, over-used storylines, and less focus on sex, and return to create original, classy work I think TV won't be as bad.

 

 

 

I see quite a bit of machinima, which if you don't know is the creation of films using a video game (most well-known is Red vs. Blue), and I think it is very, very sad that these people who make machinima on their own time not getting paid a dime, can make funnier and more enjoyable material compared to current TV studios who get paid and thus should motivate them to do better.

 

 

 

How many shows are there about affairs? How many shows are there about "random comedy", things just pop out so randomly in hopes to make you laugh like in Family Guy. How many shows actually are original in context and are about something nobody else thought of? How many shows are creative?

 

 

 

RvB is much better done than 90% of TV shows these days, good story and its [bleep]ing hilarious. Most of the really funny shows on TV have started to go downhill: The Simpsons, Family Guy, even South Park.

I think television can be put into good and bad. You can watch news, watch a good drama, comedy... whatever. It has the ability to entertain like a book does, but the bad side is that if you look at the schedule here in England for the weekend, I swear on my life there will be at LEAST one reality television show. Mindless soaps, reality tv, so called 'celebrity gossip'... that's the problem with television.

 

 

 

I do think it reduces creativity, especially for kids. I used to read a lot when I was younger, and I do still now, and I've never come across a TV show that has inspired me creatively or emotionally (maybe House slightly). I can't honestly think of a soap or reality tv show that has as much plot as even a children's fiction novel.

There's always channels like discovery and history which can be entertaining (to an extent) and informational. I would say the internet/computer is a much better source of education for it's interactiveness and you really can control what you want to see or don't. On the computer there's also a much wider range of knowledge available which can be accessed with ease.

 

 

 

I don't think television is completely detrimental, it provides a nice distraction and has a good bit of entertainment value. Though they are quite different, I prefer the computer over television for my control over it and it's variety of uses.

Another reason I think television is bad is because of the false reality it impresses on a lot of people. I think because of the oversimplified resolutions, emotions, and characters found in television, people might, consciously or not, start to lead lives, or expect scenarios similar to those in television, making their life bland, shallow, and unfulfilled.

There's always channels like discovery and history which can be entertaining (to an extent) and informational.

 

 

Haha, well you see, there's a problem in that. Even reality shows are creeping in the nerd's channels: Whale Wars, Ice Road Truckers, Axemen, etc.

 

 

 

Which how the hell are Ice Road and Axemen history?

Another reason I think television is bad is because of the false reality it impresses on a lot of people. I think because of the oversimplified resolutions, emotions, and characters found in television, people might, consciously or not, start to lead lives, or expect scenarios similar to those in television, making their life bland, shallow, and unfulfilled.

 

I agree completely. It has a tendency to desensitize people to the importance of some things.

Another reason I think television is bad is because of the false reality it impresses on a lot of people. I think because of the oversimplified resolutions, emotions, and characters found in television, people might, consciously or not, start to lead lives, or expect scenarios similar to those in television, making their life bland, shallow, and unfulfilled.

 

Yep. And one particular emotion I always cringe when watching is love. The best way to show love, some directors think, is to make them have extreme physical contact 'just cause'. I mean, what the hell? I see you, you see me, we talk for a day, that night we make out and love each other unconditionally.

 

 

 

Which is why we have such a large and unnecessary admiration upon sex. Some people say they can't stand all the internet memes used in the real world, I can't believe they can stand the references to sex in real world too. Those far outweigh all the memes combined. -.-

Another reason I think television is bad is because of the false reality it impresses on a lot of people. I think because of the oversimplified resolutions, emotions, and characters found in television, people might, consciously or not, start to lead lives, or expect scenarios similar to those in television, making their life bland, shallow, and unfulfilled.

 

Yep. And one particular emotion I always cringe when watching is love. The best way to show love, some directors think, is to make them have extreme physical contact 'just cause'. I mean, what the hell? I see you, you see me, we talk for a day, that night we make out and love each other unconditionally.

 

 

 

Which is why we have such a large and unnecessary admiration upon sex. Some people say they can't stand all the internet memes used in the real world, I can't believe they can stand the references to sex in real world too. Those far outweigh all the memes combined. -.-

 

That started waaaaay before television. Romeo & Juliet only knew each other for a weekend before deciding to get married, but look where that got them. :lol:

Television is still used to relay information worldwide, but in recent years, it has become something people do when they are bored. They decide to tune into a fantasy world to try to pretend all the bad things in life aren't happening. Indulge in an extreme situation that they try so desperately to relate to their own lives.

 

Personally, I watch very little television, aside from the occasional episode of Scrubs.

Another reason I think television is bad is because of the false reality it impresses on a lot of people. I think because of the oversimplified resolutions, emotions, and characters found in television, people might, consciously or not, start to lead lives, or expect scenarios similar to those in television, making their life bland, shallow, and unfulfilled.

 

Yep. And one particular emotion I always cringe when watching is love. The best way to show love, some directors think, is to make them have extreme physical contact 'just cause'. I mean, what the hell? I see you, you see me, we talk for a day, that night we make out and love each other unconditionally.

 

 

 

Which is why we have such a large and unnecessary admiration upon sex. Some people say they can't stand all the internet memes used in the real world, I can't believe they can stand the references to sex in real world too. Those far outweigh all the memes combined. -.-

 

That started waaaaay before television. Romeo & Juliet only knew each other for a weekend before deciding to get married, but look where that got them. :lol:

 

But that's one play. Most plays and books weren't like that; and not everybody was literate back then. Now we got TVs that are easy to understand and make us feel so good by showing massive [bleep] and make-outs on the screen: it lures people to it.

Television sends vital information to masses of people which can really be helpful for avoiding dangerous weather, knowing what's going on with politics, discovering much needed products or services, being taught good morals, etc. It also gives you the feeling of company since you'll be hearing human voices.

 

 

 

Unfortunately, television also breeds laziness. I remember when I did nothing but sit on the couch and watch tv all day. That's definitely not a good way to live your life... watching other people live their fake lives. I guess I kind of see television like I see drugs - they have extreme benefits but also extreme cons when they're abused.

It's a form of entertainment, no more or less valid than books, movies, music, ect...

 

I never said it wasn't said it wasn't a valid source of entertainment, because it sure as hell can be.

 

 

 

But are you arguing that books are just as detrimental/beneficial as TV?

 

 

 

I would argue that TV--good TV--is as beneficial as books. I think people tend to overlook the genuinely good creative efforts out there, because they sure can be drowned out in the stuff that isn't so great. Television can be as much of an art form as literature; the stories are simply conveyed through a different medium.

 

 

 

And anyone who condemns television for an abundance of crap and holds up books like they are sacred is deluding himself. There is just as much blatant crap out there in the literary world. The difference is that we know where to look to find the good stuff. Having school courses dedicated to studying them and their place in a very long history helps. People don't have to filter through the crap, which makes it seem like it doesn't exist. It's a shame that no such opportunity exists for television.

 

 

 

I'm not defending a lifestyle of sitting in front of the TV, because that's pretty obviously detrimental and there's no way to avoid the "bad stuff" that scheduled programming places in front of you. I'm just saying that there's more merit to TV than people give it credit for.

It's a form of entertainment, no more or less valid than books, movies, music, ect...

 

I never said it wasn't said it wasn't a valid source of entertainment, because it sure as hell can be.

 

 

 

But are you arguing that books are just as detrimental/beneficial as TV?

 

 

 

Yes. I don't understand the elitism of people who only read books and will completely disregard another form of story telling. I love reading books, and I love watching TV.

That's true N0M, there are a lot of thought-invoking intelligent films out there. But something I realized is that things are just generally more eloquent in written form than when they're verbalized (unless of course there's music complementing them). Take these forums for example. There are some fairly intellectual discussions on here. Now imagine all the TIFers getting into one big room and trying to discuss things. There are gonna be more distractions and things will prevent us from communicating as eloquently as we do here on the forums. Our attention will be divided because there's a lot more going on than just a written discussion. (We'll be concerned about what others are wearing, how they sound like, what they're doing, etc.) Same with movies. You're focusing on sounds, images, and many other things - your attention will be divided, which can take away from the message of the film.

I haven't watched TV in months, I can't even remember the last time.

I haven't watched TV in months, I can't even remember the last time.

 

The last tiem I remember watching tv instead of just laying down and it being on, was when lost or 24 started, then I just gave up on watching them.

That's true N0M, there are a lot of thought-invoking intelligent films out there. But something I realized is that things are just generally more eloquent in written form than when they're verbalized (unless of course there's music complementing them). Take these forums for example. There are some fairly intellectual discussions on here. Now imagine all the TIFers getting into one big room and trying to discuss things. There are gonna be more distractions and things will prevent us from communicating as eloquently as we do here on the forums. Our attention will be divided because there's a lot more going on than just a written discussion. (We'll be concerned about what others are wearing, how they sound like, what they're doing, etc.) Same with movies. You're focusing on sounds, images, and many other things - your attention will be divided, which can take away from the message of the film.

 

 

 

That's a horrible analogy. By that logic talking on the phone to somebody would be better than face to face because you only have to worry about one sensory input.