Author Steven Johnson, of the article “Watching TV Makes You Smarter,” argues the evolution of modern television programming has intellectually challenged audiences, rather than stifling complex thoughts—and more, that audiences are craving a more cognitively demanding, complex plot line. Johnson uses multiple examples of drama type shows and even draws positive conclusions from many of the reality shows that are so popular now. He focuses in on a few key factors to take into account when considering the complexity and value of television—the “Sleeper Curve”, televised intelligence, and intentional viewer confusion.…
There is no doubt that television holds a purpose in our society today, but is that purpose brain-numbing or actually beneficial to our brain development? The television, also known as: TV, the boob tube, the idiot box, as well as many other nicknames, has been around for almost a hundred years. Ever since cable TV became popular in the 1950’s, there has always been a worry that people watch too much TV. Most people believe that with exorbitant exposure to the popular media both dumbs us down as well as makes us more likely to tolerate acts of violence. Dana Stevens’ “Thinking Outside the Idiot Box” argues that television does not make you smarter, directly contrasting Steven Johnsons article, “Watching TV Makes You Smarter.” Television has definitely made a mark on our hearts and has most certainly made an impact on society, but too much of a good thing is never a good thing. The propaganda photo about television that was found on Facebook is a good lens that helps me understand Stevens’ argument better. The photo assisted the understanding of Stevens’ depiction and contradiction of Johnsons writing, her discussion about what these “more complex shows” are actually like, as well as her discussion about the national event TV Turn Off Week. This photo clearly depicts that TV does not enhance or benefit in brain production in any way, however it “destroys” the imagination, or what’s left of it, and in return, it fills the mind with complete nonsense, and therefore numbing the brain. The photo, which is a picture of a television, states, “My job is to help destroy what’s left of your imagination by feeding you endless doses of sugar-coated mindless garbage.” As humans, we are very complex intellectual beings, however television has been captivating our minds and bringing our intelligence down.…
Television is the predominant media-metaphor of this generation. Television shapes the way people think, act, and communicate; however, this powerful apparatus does not always disclose the whole truth. In fact, television often hides the whole truth from the public, but, ironically, most people love the media and blindly believe what the media says. As Alford Huxley says, people will “adore the technologies that undo their capacities to think.” Unfortunately, Huxley’s hypothesis is slowly becoming a reality. In Neil Postman’s “Amusing Ourselves To Death,” Postman argues that the many facets of television people love will actually ruin them. Of these many facets of television, three are predominant. Television is ruining people’s lifestyles…
Television viewing requires little brain activity as the visual aspects do not require as much thought and interpretation as reading literature does. Another point made was that media tends to be biased, feeding people a message. In order to see outside that bias, one must read what is outside that media feed. Separation from society’s formation provides a vital counterpart to television. Christopher Lash states that detached television viewing creates cultural narcissism. This insinuates that we must strive for balance between individuality and society. Education through literature is the way to keep that balance.…
When watching a program, people are focused on the plot, make inferences, and create relationships with characters. Therefore, develops a cognitive exercise for the audience. Johnson informs his readers that there is an interaction between people and a television screen. Some examples he describes are when TV shows allow the viewer to develop a mental outline of a show, when a characters encounter social issues, and giving someone a cultural experience through a TV screen. He includes visuals that show different threads of TV programs, displaying the complexity of their scenes overtime, and how much it challenges the brain. Those graphs associate with Johnson’s term the “Sleeper Curve” (279), which according to him is the most debased form of mass diversion. He says that even if it is just reality television, violent content on TV or video games, and children shows, it still helps people become perceptive. Johnson concludes that instead of people having a negative attitude or having fears of their children being influenced by content of TV or video games, he insists that they both should share the experience. Parents and children will continue to interact with the TV screen mentally and therefore develop skills no matter what they watch. This essay presents in argument that television is good for…
“So why do we keep on watching [Television]?” challenges Barbara Ehrenreich in, The Worst Years of Our Lives. Ehrenreich alleges that television “has transformed the American people into root vegetables” (2-3). Television as we know it is a way to escape the troubles of the real world and enter into a sense of fantasy. People sit for hours watching television which is harmful and may brainwash people to believe what they are told. Television was never invented to exemplify the real world; it was merely a distraction in the path of our trajectory. However Ehrenreich classifies modern Americans as couch potatoes simply because they do not accomplish anything that is displayed on television. I disagree with Ehrenreich’s assertions about television because she assumes everything portrayed in television is danger and thrills. Much of what is advertised on television is informative and important in society.…
Film and television have played a big role in Americans lives since their creation. Americans have seen how it has improved but most importantly what has changed as well. Since the beginning of history, one of the main purposes of television and film has been to entertain people and make them laugh. As quality changed overtime, so did the meaning of it. Modern television shows have now shifted their focus and expanded their purposes of television and film. Today, what is shown on the screen can have great effects on Americans. Television and film can be harmful to Americans by influencing bad behaviors, categorizing people and causing many to be unsatisfied with their lifestyles. As of 2016, it is accurate to say that many of the shows and…
-conducted a research project in the mid- 60’s to study and research how watching television may influence a viewers’ idea of what the everyday world is like. According to the website University of Twente, “Gerber argues that the mass media cultivate attitudes and values which are already present in a culture”…
In his article “Television as Teacher” scholar and critic Neil Postman gives his views on what exactly educational television is teaching children. For example, “Parents embraced Sesame Street for several reasons, among them that it assuaged their guilt over the fact that they could not or would not restrict their children’s access to television.” Postman is well known for his claims that television causes people to want more and more entertainment out of life, so much that people begin to expect the news to be entertainment as well. Also, Postman argues that educational television does not teach children things like math, letters, or science, but instead it teaches them to expect entertainment out of their education, and because of this, schools must now try to be more entertaining because that is what children are used to. Postman is correct when he explains that parents can have some wrongs on how children are embrace or eager to hope that television could teach children basic knowledge on TV.…
Television is the main source of entertainment in America and across the world. Television is how we get our information about such things as: weather, breaking news, politics, and even just the latest celebrity gossip. Adults and children alike, watch TV to relax and learn about the world around them; but how much of that information is being retained is the question Neil Postman longs to answer. Based upon his essay “Television as Teacher” not much, Postman believes as stated “-reasoned analysis is increasingly supplanted by shallow images, thereby hindering the ways we learn about the world” (421). Postman goes on to describe his belief that television dilutes…
Watching television can be educational in both a positive and negative way. In reality shows that teens from the age thirteen and up watch, teens are influenced in a negative way. They see adults acting chaotic; cursing, fighting, screaming, etc. in public areas. This gives people a negative outlook on the world. On the other hand, watching television can be educational in a positive way because there is more to television than reality shows. Television has many positively influenced shows such as: nature, animal, etc. and also negatively influenced shows.…
A few decades ago color television was introduced to the American population and it became the coolest piece of equipment to own. As it stands today television is still the leading contender of influential material in mass media. T.V. streams live shows and shows made up from people’s imagination. All the famous people are on T.V. and everything they do, good or bad, is captured and showed. Younger generations want to be like these people on television; whether it is reasons such as an escape from reality or a way to fit in. They learn so much from television and it can ultimately shape one’s whole persona.…
Kao Cooperation started as a humble and consumer-minded shop at Tokyo, Japan at the year of 1887 by Tomiro Nagase. This modest shop had eventually developed into a successful local manufacturing company that produces their own pharmaceutical products such as soap, laundry detergents, shampoo, scouring powder, and liquid detergents throughout the years.…
Talking about TV soap operas has now become a household gossip in India. Inevitably, one has to pass out some comments over the daily episodes of these soaps. We are aware of the reality that television has a greater potential impact on social development than ever before in human history but how much? We prove ourselves so meek in the sphere of reel world that it tends to even shape and mould our behaviors and attitudes. Now the question that strikes our mind is that is it the “pervasive nature” of these soaps that casts a spell on its viewers or is it audience becoming so addictive to it? The answer will be obvious by taking a flashback on the journey of TV serials in India.…
Steven Johnson wrote an article “Watching TV makes you smarter. In his article he explains how watching television can help you make a smarter person. He uses examples from several TV shows and series that may be affecting our brain activity even when we don’t realize it. He try to reach to audience from teenagers to older adults. He makes some good points in his argument as well. He argue that TV isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but too much of anything is never a good thing.…