In many households of today television is a welcome family member, even a dominant once. We build our evenings around our favourite television shows and all sit together and watch it. Some people even have it running on in the background in the living room for the entire day. We eat in front of it, we nap in front of it and we let our kids play in front of it. But who are we actually letting into our house each day?
It should be a known fact that the majority of television advertising time is held by a small number of the wealthiest corporations. Many billions per year are spent to ensure that certain business products and advertising messages get included into the broadcast. Producers and creatives of the entertainment industry always have to compromise and include some product into their content. Television has become a private medium designed to promote certain products and behavioural models and it does so successfully in the majority of our homes.
https://images.pexels.com/photos/8158/night-television-tv-theme-machines.jpg?h=350&dpr=2&auto=compress&cs=tinysrgb
Beware of the Viewer Passivity
Television is extremely influential especially because it relaxes the consumer first. You are put into a repetitive and unfocused state where you are susceptible to different stimuli. Those messages are usually incorporated into just a fraction of second. They are just below the threshold your conscious mind can detect. They can be visual or auditive patterns designed to affect your subconscious mind. You are supposed to sit patiently in front of your TV and be exposed to hours of such broadcasting. It’s meant to accomplish a subtle change in your behaviour, likings and inclinations.
The especially worrying aspect which is often neglected is that of television on young developing minds. Children are a huge percentage of television consumers. It has shown visible effects on their behaviour in schools, interactions with parents and siblings. It had caused an increase in delinquent behaviour and violence. Young children need to be protected from accepting a directed and scripted product as reality. It is a role of a parent to talk to their kid and teach them to think for themselves. It’s not that simple to find more info about this complex topic, but it’s your duty as a parent. You can’t forbid your kid to watch television but you can educate it not to believe in it blindly.
https://images.pexels.com/photos/351265/pexels-photo-351265.jpeg?h=350&dpr=2&auto=compress&cs=tinysrgbTelevision makes you experience numerous stimuli and you’ve presented with so many ideas and concepts, it becomes hard to discern what’s right. You always have to wonder who’s selling you what in that situation. Television is a medium designed to help build and maintain a consumeristic society and it’s hard not to be affected by it. Try to counter that by building genuine connections with real people around you. Try to talk to your spouse, to your children, cousins, neighbours. It will be much more fulfilling than just passively absorbing content. You have so many useful knowledge to gain and a great way to improve your connection.
