Do You Think That Watching Television Is Waste of Time?

Do you agree watching television is waste of time?

Most people agree that television is one of the most important inventions of the past century. Opinions vary as to its value, but no one can deny the great effect that television has on society. Many people in the world cannot live a day without the television. I think watching television can be beneficial if we do not abuse using it.

Firstly, television is one of the greatest educational tools of all time. Documentary programmes about foreign countries and their inhabitants, instructional programmes on science, medicine, engineering, natural history and many others are all brought to the homes of ordinary people, who without television would have known very little or nothing about these things. In connection to that, special School Television has been introduced in many parts of the world including Malaysia where Astro broadcast an educational channel specially designed for our schools in collaboration with the Ministry of Education. Teachers can make full use of the channel as a teaching aid since many of the programmes are prepared according to the syllabus taught in schools. In these programmes, instructional tools such as pictures, films, and diagrams are used to greatly add to the knowledge of the pupils.

What is the entertainment value of watching television? At best, TV is good form of entertainment which either stimulates or creates an interest in the arts. We can see top line artists cheaply and from comfort of our homes. A concert by Justin Bieber, a movie directed by Steven Spielberg, a tour of Europe visiting all the top draws and an hour with the wild animals from Africa. All these would be beyond the resources of most of us. In the past, movie-going was limited to the rich. Nowadays there are many good movies that can be seen on television with first class actors and actresses. Consequently, access to entertainment becomes more affordable with television.

Television as a friend. As a companion to old people, TV has unquestionable value and usefulness. People who have no one to talk to in the evenings or at leisure time are now no longer lonely. The old can’t go out to cinemas and theatres do not have to forget such entertainment as TV conveniently provides it to them. We need relaxation and rest after working hard. The television is the most accessible tool for such purposes. Cable television like Astro provides a lot of channels to suit every taste from music to sports and even news 24 hour-long.

Even science owes it to television! Scientifically, television also has its good uses. Photographs can now be relayed to earth from space via satellite transmission to televisions at home and beyond. Surgeons have used wide screen televisions to observe the internal organs as microscopic tools have been inserted into patients during the operation. Then these surgeons will control the tools through remote to perform the surgery. Hence, television is indeed multi-functional. Who says the television is an idiot box?

Where does abuse of the television come in? Like other great inventions, TV can be and unfortunately is abused. It is said that television makes “watchers” and not “doers” and that people will watch a game on television rather than playing one in real life. It is also said that hobbies tend to suffer because of too much viewing. Reading, sewing, gardening, cooking and baking; all of these activities can be neglected if television has too strong a hold. Consequently, societies and economies are slowed down with the dormancy that happens a lot among the able-bodied, talented people who waste their capabilities in front of television screens.

Where bad mews sells and negatively prevails? Vice and crime can be given too much emphasis and therefore have a disastrous effect upon millions of viewers, especially among the youth and children. Research clearly indicates that television greatly influences various aspects of life more than many other forms of media.

There certainly is abuse of television; but if the medium is used with intelligence and discrimination by producers and viewers, it can then become a blessing and not a curse to mankind. Therefore, watching television is not a waste of time.