Winter 2013
Instructor: Cooper J
Assignment #1
Date: January 11th, 2013
“Watching TV Makes You Smarter”
In “Watching TV makes you smarter,” Steven Johnson makes clear his thesis statement to us that television programming today makes increasingly complex cognitive demands of viewers, and enhances people’s cognitive facilities. He uses the images telling us what the intellectual effect of television viewing. First, based on his theory called “The Sleeper Curve”, he talks about reality TV affecting younger generation by helping with personal development. Johnson’s argument responds that when we watch the shows all of parts of our brain seem opening out that monitors the emotional lives of the people around like “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” or “The love boat,” ect. Through this kind of television, the young generation can be taught how to deal with difficult situation. Besides the dialogue from the Woody Allen movie Sleeper Curve also tells something about the human mind is developing to all everyone especially to young people today. It enhances their cognitive faculties, but not dumping their mind down, therefore, it could improve their characters from connection of the TV. He also points out some of the ways that economic of television growing up from these shows by the way multiple times of watching. However, in his thesis we can find out the information of early ‘80s between ‘20s century to see what going on at that time like “Hill Street Blues”, “All the family”. Johnson feels that through of TV can make everyone to be better by the way they see.
Works Cited
Steven Johnson. “Watching TV makes you smarter.” They say/ I say; page
Cited: Steven Johnson. “Watching TV makes you smarter.” They say/ I say; page 277-294