SWITCHED-ON POLL
Thank you for voting...
1-800-RUNAWAY: Did You Know...
That the National Runaway Switchboard handles more than 100,000 calls every single year from people all over the country, almost 275 calls a day?Visit 1800RUNAWAY.org today!
TV Mania
By Ruben, a high school senior
February 23, 2009
If you are constantly thinking and talking about television then you may be experiencing TV mania. TV mania is not uncommon today whether it is an obsession with a particular television program or just television in general. Using television as a way to relax is not a bad thing, but once television programming dictates, your own schedule then that may be a problem. A television program has captivated everyone at one time or another and they have all had to make a compromise between TV and something else in their lives. The new ways we experience television have also heavily changed how people juggle television. So is it possible to enjoy the entertainment provided to us by television and not be completely taken in by it?
Today it is very hard to escape the hypnotic call of television screens since it is being constantly thrown at us. People tend to have an average of three televisions in their homes for the bedrooms, living room, kitchen, and the car. Computers and laptops can now broadcast television programs anywhere an internet connection is available with just a couple clicks. The Internet has been responsible for spreading information all over the world and with that, technology applied to television people can download television shows into their iPods without ever missing a moment of it. Schools have gotten in on the action with most classrooms having a television in it, and a collection of portable ones for the rest of the school. Waiting rooms across the country all house a television be it a doctors office, the DMV, or a car wash. It has now come to the point where if someone is looking for a television they can find one within their general surroundings in seconds. With televisions so accessible to people everywhere, they go it can be hard not to let it become a significant part of life.
With televisions playing such a big part in the world, they can be hard to ignore especially with all the programming available. There are literally hundreds of television channels and thousands of programs being shown on television all specifically designed to appeal to an audience. Everyone has a favorite television program ranging from scripted programs to reality TV to broadcast sporting events. There is something for everyone on television, but with that, there is also the risk of there being too much for people. Typically, people do not have just one favorite television, but at least a handful, which amounts to hours of television watching. Most people have the afternoons reserved for hours of television in order to catch their favorite shows. People make plans around their television schedule, and hurry home so as not to miss a second of quality entertainment.
Pastimes for people used to be hobbies, outdoor activities, and apparently watching television is now one of them. Television seems to be just another part of life much like working, sleeping, and school. If one rejects television then it is much like being separated from the world with smaller means of receiving information about ones surroundings. Much like everything else in the world people are being flooded by television wherever they go, but they themselves are left responsible for regulating it within their own lives.
February 23, 2009
If you are constantly thinking and talking about television then you may be experiencing TV mania. TV mania is not uncommon today whether it is an obsession with a particular television program or just television in general. Using television as a way to relax is not a bad thing, but once television programming dictates, your own schedule then that may be a problem. A television program has captivated everyone at one time or another and they have all had to make a compromise between TV and something else in their lives. The new ways we experience television have also heavily changed how people juggle television. So is it possible to enjoy the entertainment provided to us by television and not be completely taken in by it?
Today it is very hard to escape the hypnotic call of television screens since it is being constantly thrown at us. People tend to have an average of three televisions in their homes for the bedrooms, living room, kitchen, and the car. Computers and laptops can now broadcast television programs anywhere an internet connection is available with just a couple clicks. The Internet has been responsible for spreading information all over the world and with that, technology applied to television people can download television shows into their iPods without ever missing a moment of it. Schools have gotten in on the action with most classrooms having a television in it, and a collection of portable ones for the rest of the school. Waiting rooms across the country all house a television be it a doctors office, the DMV, or a car wash. It has now come to the point where if someone is looking for a television they can find one within their general surroundings in seconds. With televisions so accessible to people everywhere, they go it can be hard not to let it become a significant part of life.
With televisions playing such a big part in the world, they can be hard to ignore especially with all the programming available. There are literally hundreds of television channels and thousands of programs being shown on television all specifically designed to appeal to an audience. Everyone has a favorite television program ranging from scripted programs to reality TV to broadcast sporting events. There is something for everyone on television, but with that, there is also the risk of there being too much for people. Typically, people do not have just one favorite television, but at least a handful, which amounts to hours of television watching. Most people have the afternoons reserved for hours of television in order to catch their favorite shows. People make plans around their television schedule, and hurry home so as not to miss a second of quality entertainment.
Pastimes for people used to be hobbies, outdoor activities, and apparently watching television is now one of them. Television seems to be just another part of life much like working, sleeping, and school. If one rejects television then it is much like being separated from the world with smaller means of receiving information about ones surroundings. Much like everything else in the world people are being flooded by television wherever they go, but they themselves are left responsible for regulating it within their own lives.
Copyright © 2010 All content property of switchedonmag.org. Sponsored by the National Runaway Switchboard