College Writing
Ganyo, Jennifer
3/3/14
WATCHING TV MAKES YOU SMARTER
In our present generation, many things from the past are developed and changed. But sometimes we do not notice the resulting in good of those things. Especially the technology we facing now that makes us addicted. Nowadays, television has become the most popular media of human kind. It’s also the indispensable devise in our daily life. Watching television may be fun and addicting but we can learn a lot about the problems or conflicts happening anywhere. We know what the weather will be like the next day. If we are interested in sports, we have a possibility to watch many important events live-on the same time.
In the book They Say I Say, I agree with Steven Johnson “about how the earlier reality TV is more structured and how the rules are mapped out beforehand, therefore requiring less focus to pay attention”. However, Johnson compares the structural similarities in today’s reality TV to that of a video game. “The rules aren’t fully established at the outset. You learn as you play”. By this video game structural method, shows like Survivor and The Apprentice keep the audience more engaged and develop more critical thinking. Johnson compares hit TV shows like Dragnet and Starsky and Hutch to that of more recent shows like The Sopranos. He explains how early television like Dragnet and Starsky and Hutch follow a strict linear narrative with little variation of the plot while The Sopranos “will often connect to three different threads at the same time, layering one plot atop another”. Therefore, shows like The Sopranos demands much more attention from their audiences than shows that is linear.
I agree with Steven Johnson about how some violent TV shows can be educational for you. It makes your brain work and analyzes what is happening. It also makes you more aware. Also, video games could be better for you because it makes you learn to have critical thinking and to develop your thoughts faster. The TV shows that most people think are bad are actually healthy for you, like the show 24 it’s stimulates your brain function. I understand with Steven Johnson is stating but not all television can make you smarter. Yes, it does make your brain start grinding its gears but we cannot rely on television to make the children in our society smarter. I do think that some TV shows that are out today are absolutely terrible and pointless, and should probably be taken off air, shows like The Jersey Shore, The Basketball Wives, and so much more. We can learn things from television but a lot of the time, television doesn’t explain why it is or why it happens or the meaning of something or someone.
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