Television Mirrors Society

Television is the main hobby of most of the modern population. It is watched almost 12 hours a day on the average. Televisions exist everywhere. There is rarely a place that does not have one. TV's are in homes, bars, stores, restaurants and they have even been made to fit in cars and bathrooms. This is one of the most occupied inventions; one that may sometimes be a bad thing. Watching television all the time is not a good quality to have. People sit home all day while being entertained by cartoons, music videos, and soap operas rather than getting out in the real world and learning for themselves. Instead they prefer an unhealthy way of life due to the fact that a click of a button can easily bring the world to you without any effort. Exceptions may be watching the news or something educational; however, the world has become very lazy by constantly watching TV. Today's society reflects upon the television. People learn from TV and develop thoughts, ideas and beliefs that affect their way of life and way of thinking. There are so many shows and channels and each one is geared to specific types of people. For instance, channels such as the discovery channel, the news as well as animal planet are intended for people who want to learn and be well informed while shows such as CSI and Law and Order are for people who want to learn or people who are interested in crimes. There are also soap operas, reality shows, comedy shows and music videos. They are mostly geared towards teens and bored or unemployed adults. These types of shows are the most commonly watched; nevertheless also being the ones that influence the population today. These shows usually depict sex, drugs and violence and also degrade upon the woman populace. Some people believe that television has corrupted the American society. What one witnesses on the TV influences their personality and contributes to their attitude. There are a scarce amount of shows that are proposed to teach lessons besides cartoons and even some of the cartoons are not all that educational. Producers and profiteers are so interested in popularity and money that they are less cautious or concerned about the message that they are sending out to the world's both young and inexperienced culture. TV shows are always aimed to specific audiences. This is where stereotyping is frequently exploited. This usually consists of age, sex, gender and race. In my opinion, it is in fact true but can be argued in opposition. In my eyes a show is always made to entertain different types of people and certain characteristics and interests. Supporting this belief can simply be examples such as cartoons which are meant for children. Cooking channels are for people who like to cook and want to learn recipes, music videos are designed for teenagers and at home shopping channels such as HSN and QVC are made for shop-a-holics or just lazy people who refuse to leave the house to shop. Almost 90% of the shows in existence today involve sex, drugs and/or violence. It is a shame that people cannot be occupied by great shows with good messages. Instead they find amusement in the death of this one or that one, baby mama drama or who owes who money and who is going to die first. This is usually what helps develop the minds of young adults and that is sometimes why they act the way they do. If a behavior is not learned at school or home then the only scapegoat is the television for it is the one to blame. By continuously seeing something and getting accustomed to it simply gives the impression that it is okay to do. There have been many results to due the obsessive use of television. People have become lazy; once you sit in front of the television you are suddenly unaware of your surroundings and uninterested on what's going on in your environment. People also get so caught up in a show that they sometimes tend to procrastinate on other things that need to get done. A good example is teenagers who forget to their homework because they were too busy watching their favorite show and it got too late to. Television also changes attitudes and beliefs. Some kids have role models and idols whom they follow the footsteps and some of the celebrities are not always bright ones. This can cause a child to begin doing drugs just because Bobby Brown does, be materialistic just because Paris Hilton is, become a young pregnant teen mother just because Jamie Lynn Spears is or even drop of school just because Lil' Wayne did. These are all negative outcomes that actually occur due to pressures and influences under the television. The world today cannot survive without the television. Not only does it mirror today's way of life but it also reflects of the personalities of different individuals. The TV does more than just stand as a source of entertainment, we literally revolve around it. We are taught, occupied and brainwashed all at the same time! So it is to be taken into consideration that not only does the television reflect on the society but the society reflects on the television as well.