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Chapter 12: Television and Video
The World of Television
• Experts estimate we will spend nine years of our lives watching TV.
• In 1939, television was invented. No single person was credited with inventing TV.
• It was introduced to the masses as the New York World’s Fair.
• Hundreds of curious people crowded around a television screen not much bigger than a piece of paper to view fuzzy black and white images. Most thought the invention was a clever novelty.
• Advertising (commercials) on television reflects the needs, desires, and dreams of society.
• The amount of time people spend watching TV reflects what people in our society think is important – our personal and cultural values.
• TV is the most popular medium for consuming popular culture.
Television’s Impact: The Debate – The Ultimate in Popular Culture
• More than any other medium, television is the medium of popular culture.
• Programming found on TV, like game shows, home shopping, and sitcoms (situational comedies), promote the culture and society’s values.
• TV also recycles or imitates pop culture found on other media.
• For example, TV regularly plays movies that were originally in theaters.
• Newspapers dismissed television as a gadget, a toy that the people had little time to support.
• Television has changed the world. TV sends out news, as well as tells stories. TV starts conversations between friends.
• Stories on TV are the myths that help shape our society. If Shakespeare were alive today, he probably would write for television.
• But sometimes TV isn’t good for society. Sometimes it’s violent or tells stories that are embarrassing.
• Some say that TV is the greatest invention of the 20th century, while others say it’s a vast wasteland that steals time.
• Some blame TV for teaching violence, while others claim it turns people into couch potatoes.
• Others see television as history’s most effective educator, bringing knowledge of the universe to even the poorest citizens. Such education was once available to only the wealthy who could afford to attend the best schools.
• Some describe it as a harmless pastime that provides escape from the troubles of daily life. Others argue that it presents a dangerously unreal picture of the world.
• For every convincing statement about the dangers of television, there seems to be an equally compelling argument about its benefits.
• Clearly, Americans decided long ago that watching TV is an important activity.
• 98% of American homes have at least one TV. 94 million homes have at least two or more TV’s.
• The average set is on 7 hours and 32 minutes each day.
• The typical young person will spend at least as much time in front of the TV as in school.