Why do we watch television? Is it to seek information or to absorb information that it gives to us, whether it be informative or not? A lot of it is mainly to entertain and to amuse us. Even the news is somewhat of a theater production. There's no way we tell a story to one of our friends like news reporters do. It would just be weird and funny. We use it as an escape from our lives. We delve into a program that makes us feel something. Maybe a show about a hero who saves lives and we feel relieved that he did. Or show about permiscuous people which makes us feel excited or intrigued. Its all for amusement. You can't help but feel the content of the programming strike a chord with some people, or pull on your heart strings if it is a real heart warming moment.
I think effective television is supposed to do this. To make you feel something. Other wise it what would be the point.
2 comments:
I totally agree with you in the sense that news nowadays truly are just like theater productions. Whether it's inside jokes or just a certain way of articulating or even the stories being broadcast, news today has taken a different turn than the news in the past, simply because we as a society are more inclined to watch or read something entertaining than something that is just informative.
Really great blog. The comment I can make around our dependance on TV is when I visit friends and family who practice Eastern Medicine. It seems like all of them collectivly have turned away the TV and do not have them in the house. I feel like it is their revolt against this media that has families distracted and attached like zomies on a nightly basis.
One more comment around TV.
My friend Matt refers to the TV as the modern day campfire. If you think about it, its true. Back in the early west, or in Native American tribes, the families and friends would gather around the campfire for community and for information.
Now, our genereation has a modern day campfire which is TV. It glows and provides us with information, community and entertainment. Now, times have changed because we are no-longer interacting with one another, but rather silent and glued to the machine.
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