Tekno-Logik

First of all, the television cancels out the imagination of many children.  This video explains how the television industry works towards changing the brain chemistry of one which also changes the imaginations of these kids 


 Even though upcoming generations have no fault in growing up exposed to the villainous television, when they are, they usually fall into its addictive shows. The television gives these growing children only one image at a time to focus on rather than letting these kids put their imaginations to use and create many images of their own in their minds.  These ads, shows, and even gaming systems like in Simon Dumenco’s article “Game Theory: How...” all work in a very similar way and they make the children’s’ brains think less of real-life situations and think more about the message, the product or the entertainment they are trying to get across.  Many studies have shown that “heavy viewing of television...” can affect the “development and imagination of young children...,” as well as reduce their attention span (Johnson). The television therefore may affect the way a child’s imagination develops which can then lead to them acting different and thinking different. 



Second of all, since everyone becomes exposed to the television, the way they these generations think is generally altered even though most may not be aware of it. The television advertises every day and these teens see it every day, this causes such a thing where children become accustomed and addicted to watching the TV, making them worry more about what they see on TV because it seems more significantly important. This then changes their priorities; they begin to worry about irrelevant things and materialistic things rather than worrying about dealing with life and real life situations. Children nowadays are also learning more from the TV then they are learning from school, a study shows that “The American youth watch an average of 1,023 hours of TV yearly, while they only spend about 900 hours in school.”  This isn’t good because what you learn on TV isn’t something you can always rely on, as it may not always be true. On the other hand learning in school can help the child not only develop but learn to rely on more credible information and distinguish what is credible and what is not. The television, "...designed to be a consumer device,” (Jost 721) meaning it was created to make people want to consume more; changes the thoughts of these coming generations because wasting money and consuming never felt so normal and so easy. This media driven consumerism is having a negative effect on a child’s well-being (Daily Mail), because it is encouraging these children to consume, and then consume some more without thinking too much about it or how it can affect them. It is said that “The average TV viewer will see an estimated 20,000 commercials every year,” (Zens) showing the variety of advertisements that they are exposed to which then may add to their consumption. Now not only the way these generations think is being affected but their goals and how they live their life is being affected as well.


Eventually, this all leads up to a certain point where since the television has been affecting and has affected mostly every aspect of life it changes our lifestyles and life in general.  For example, a kid who grows up never watching television will inevitably grow up unique to the kid growing up around a television. This is only because the kid growing up with television might revolve around the TV and make decisions based off of the TV. The television has been changing the lifestyles of not only children but everyone in general, families “are spending more time watching TV then they do anything else except for eating and sleeping” (Zens). This shows what families are doing on their free time which is watching TV instead of doing something more beneficial like going out together, bonding, or actually interacting and socializing with each other. Cultures and traditions may be shaped, irrelevant or unnecessary events are promoted and priorities get mixed up.  Another way it changes the lives of upcoming generations is by shortening how long they live, some “Researchers say that watching too much television is as dangerous as smoking or being overweight” (Beckford) this shows the true dangers of the television and why it’s changing lives.


In the end, the television isn’t bad; too much of it is what is making it bad. The television industry isn’t going anywhere anytime soon, and “if anyone tells you what the television business is going to look like a decade out…they are on drugs,” said Dick Wolf, creator of the “Law & Order” franchise (Greenblatt). This is stating that the television business is going to grow immensely in the decade to come so there is no getting rid of it and the only real possible solution for this situation would lie in the hands of the viewer’s themselves. Since the television is for entertainment and isn’t mandatory, only they can control what they will watch, how often they will watch it and why they will watch it. The television does not act alone, the viewer’s parents or the viewers should be aware of what they are watching and should be responsible for the effect that they allow the television to have on them or their children. In the end the television only does so much to a certain point,  you could choose to watch it and let it affect you or you could choose to simply turn it off and not let it disturb you at all.