Effects of Television on Society
THE EFFECTS OF TELEVISION ON SOCIETY
December 12th, 2007
At the end of the XVIIIth century, scientists have discovered a way to transmit an image from a point to another. It was the beginning of television. Since then, every household has a television. Over the years, it has revolutionized people’s life. Now, as it has become a spread consumer good, everybody has one television at home, even sometimes, two or more. It has changed people’s life because the television is seen as a mean of entertainment. The striking point is that television has become a usual good whereas in the past it was almost considered as an expensive good that not all the families could afford. By watching television, people are easily able to escape from the routine of their everyday life, and to relax. In other words, television is a mean of discovering, exploring, learning, dreaming, and thinking. However, even if it has changed people’s life and has a good effect on them, it has many bad effects on them too. In fact, it is also a mean to destroy people’s life. It destroys people life because, in most of the cases, it influences a lot of people. Orson Welles, a famous American screenwriter, film and theatre director, a film producer and an actor in films, and theatres, once said: “I hate television. I hate it as much as peanuts. But I can’t stop eating peanuts”. This quotation is a way to show to people that television can be compared as a drug that people cannot get rid off. Like drugs, it makes people doing things that, in most cases, they would not have done. Actually, it has a strong power of influencing people in a bad way. It influences the ones who are psychological weak, and people who cannot make the difference between the fiction and the real life. As a result, some people think that violence on television influences people because they are not able, to see what is true and what is false. However, even if it has some bad sides, television is seen as
December 12th, 2007
At the end of the XVIIIth century, scientists have discovered a way to transmit an image from a point to another. It was the beginning of television. Since then, every household has a television. Over the years, it has revolutionized people’s life. Now, as it has become a spread consumer good, everybody has one television at home, even sometimes, two or more. It has changed people’s life because the television is seen as a mean of entertainment. The striking point is that television has become a usual good whereas in the past it was almost considered as an expensive good that not all the families could afford. By watching television, people are easily able to escape from the routine of their everyday life, and to relax. In other words, television is a mean of discovering, exploring, learning, dreaming, and thinking. However, even if it has changed people’s life and has a good effect on them, it has many bad effects on them too. In fact, it is also a mean to destroy people’s life. It destroys people life because, in most of the cases, it influences a lot of people. Orson Welles, a famous American screenwriter, film and theatre director, a film producer and an actor in films, and theatres, once said: “I hate television. I hate it as much as peanuts. But I can’t stop eating peanuts”. This quotation is a way to show to people that television can be compared as a drug that people cannot get rid off. Like drugs, it makes people doing things that, in most cases, they would not have done. Actually, it has a strong power of influencing people in a bad way. It influences the ones who are psychological weak, and people who cannot make the difference between the fiction and the real life. As a result, some people think that violence on television influences people because they are not able, to see what is true and what is false. However, even if it has some bad sides, television is seen as
Bibliography: • Rozakis, Laurie. Writing Essentials for the Pre-GED Student. Thomson Peterson’s. 2003: 182. • Changing Channels Website. http://www.changingchannels.org/effects1.htm. 16 October 2006. • Media Awareness Network website. http://www.media-awareness.ca/. • Kill Your Television. http://www.turnoffyourtv.com. • How To Talk To Your Kids website. http://howtotalktoyourkids.com/index_base.html • Medias Literacy Review. 15 October 2006 http://interact.uoregon.edu/medialit/mlr/readings/articles/front.html