Introduction
Can you imagine our life without television? Modern technologies allow people’s watching programs and shows with the help of a lot of devices, and it is rather difficult to imagine the day without watching TV or using it as the background noise while being involved in the other activities. Today, a lot of people spend their spare time sitting in front of screens and watching many programs which are really not necessary to be watched because they do not include any useful information.
Furthermore, they can have even harmful effects on the public’s consciousness. Television is one of the most influential aspects of the modern life because it is actively used to influence the people’s attitude to this or that situation or phenomenon, and many persons become the victims of the television impact.
Thus, television has negative effects on society because it influences the individuals’ psychological state and mental abilities, their emotions and feelings, attitudes and vision of the moral values, the capacities to make the independent decisions and effective choices.
Whom does television affect?
There are few people who do not feel the impact of television on their life because even when the public is not interested in programs and shows, commercials seem to follow us in all the aspects of the life with affecting the tendencies and fashion and influencing our choice every day. Television affects all the age categories of people. Nevertheless, the impact of television on children is the most dangerous because children have no abilities to assess the information presented in TV programs and shows critically.
Many parents are inclined to use television for attracting the children’s attention and entertaining them without concentrating on the fact that the impact of television on the children’s brain and emotional state can be negative. Moreover, today it is possible to notice a lot of toddlers who spend their time in front of the screen without their parents’ control. Thus, the impact of television on children is the quite controversial question.
However, adults also feel the great impact of television on their lives because there are tendencies to watch TV while having a rest, eating, communicating with friends, and completing different everyday activities (Television, n.d.). That is why, it is necessary to mention that television affects the majority of people without references to their age and even without focusing on their social status because now television is the most available way of entertaining and getting the information.
How does television affect the public?
What is the difference between the negative impact of television on children and adults? Today, many researchers and doctors pay attention to the fact that children are more influenced by the information presented in TV programs because of their limited possibility to distinguish between fantasy and reality.
The most problematic issue is the impact of violence depicted in TV shows on the children’s minds and psychological state. The violent actions presented in TV programs are perceived by children as real, and they can consider them as possible to follow (Television, n.d.). Thus, television can change the peculiarities of the children’s perception of moral values and definite virtues.
Violence in TV shows and cartoons can provoke the children’s brutal actions and conflicts in their relations with friends and classmates in reality because children are inclined to reflect those behavioral patterns which they observe. Moreover, not only the character of information can be influential for children.
The practice of spending many hours in front of the TV screens can affect the children’s performance at school and their classroom engagement because the habit of watching TV provokes children’s being passive, their lack of interest in school activities, and reduces the concentration of attention (How to promote good television habits, 2008).
The impact of television on adults and their emotional state can also be negative. Focusing on the character of the information presented in TV news and shows, it is possible to note that people receive a lot of information every day which stimulates their negative reactions, different types of emotional downs, apathy and pessimism. Commercials which are used on television can have a lot of negative effects on adults.
Those persons who are influenced by commercials are inclined to buy a lot of unnecessary products. They also can feel dissatisfaction because of the impossibility to follow all the tendencies and buy all the products promoted with the help of commercials (Television, n.d.). However, many persons use television in order to entertain themselves. In this case, TV shows and entertaining programs make people be passive and contribute to developing the habits of the sedentary lifestyle.
The family tradition to watch TV in the evening can be discussed as good only when the process is not passive, the choice of a program is relevant, and the members of the family have the opportunity to discuss it. That is why it is also important to concentrate on the negative impact of television on the people’s health, especially on their eyes, which is affected by the usage of different technological devices.
Suggestions for reducing the time spent in front of screens
To reduce the negative effects of television on society, it is necessary to cut the time which people spend in front of their TV screens. The practice of limited watching TV is important for children who should watch TV programs less than two hours a day, and it is more useful not to watch TV during the week days and reduce all the screen-based activities which are harmful for the children’s health. Children reflect the behaviors of their parents.
That is why adults should also have the special schedule of watching TV with choosing mainly the programs about nature, history or science. The negative impact of television can be effectively reduced when people do not watch TV while eating and communicating. Moreover, to have TV sets in bedrooms is also the harmful practice. The habit to watch TV in order to spend spare time can be successfully changed with the habit to walk with friends and children (How to promote good television habits, 2008).
Conclusion
Thus, television can influence our attitude to life, our choice, and our decisions without our awareness of the fact. People can react to the information presented in TV news and TV shows consciously as well as unconsciously. That is why it is almost impossible to predict the effects of television on the next actions and behaviors or our emotional state.
The impact of television on the people’s minds and health is often negative because of the lack of controlling the time in front of the screens and the choice of programs and shows. Nevertheless, it can be reduced with decreasing the role of television in the people’s everyday life.
References
How to promote good television habits. (2008).
Television. (n.d.) Web.