The TV is Calling…Is It Good For You?
It’s a lazy Saturday morning. You wake up and a thrill of excitement goes through you. You realize that there is something very special about this day. Not only do you not have to go to school or work, but you also have the chance for something you have looked forward to all week.
You jump out of bed and make up a bowl of cereal before rushing to the couch and turning on the TV. That’s right, not only does Saturday mean no school but it means Saturday morning TV shows.
Who else remembers that feeling? I know I do. Television has been a source of entertainment and knowledge in our lives for a very long time. It is a medium that appears in many different ways across many different genres.
Growing up, I did not have access to all of the different channels that some of my friends did, but I always seemed to find great shows. Among all the hundreds or even thousands of available options when it comes to television, there are always those certain shows that stick in our minds no matter how old we get. The impressions that the show can leave us with are a thing that is very hard to forget. Some possibilities that come to mind, at least in the educational area are The Magic School Bus, Mr. Rogers Neighborhood, and Wishbone.
On the surface, these might seem to be very simple and uneventful programs with only surface lessons. However, when the programs are examined more closely, we can see there is much more there. For example, in the program Mr. Rogers Neighborhood, the host always has a certain aspect of emotion and feeling that he teaches in every episode. The topic is usually shown through the title of the episode as well as the interactions of the host with other people throughout the program.
However, along the way if you pay close attention you can see that there are other lessons and advice that the host gives to the viewer. I remember coming away from the episodes of that particular program with not just one, but sometimes three or even four different pieces of advice or lessons that I will always remember.
Effects?
The idea that the educational sphere of television helps prepare its viewers for the future is only one aspect of the positive effects television can have on a person. A very important aspect of television for anyone is the exposure to many different cultures of the world. Through different television series such as The Most Extreme, Bizarre Foods and Man Versus Wild the average television viewer will be exposed to a mind-boggling amount of information about everything from food to animals to social customs within a variety of different cultures.
An article from Momjunction.com mentions this along with several other positive effects. Through the medium of television, amazing and unique aspects of the entire world are brought straight into the home of the average citizen. There are several advantages to this, including things like expanding your knowledge base, inspiring and perhaps even providing direction.
Being exposed to such a wide variety of cultures might just inspire the viewer to one day visit the places they are seeing or maybe even live there. One other aspect of the television medium that makes it terribly influential is its own evolving nature and its vast career field opportunities.
Evolution, Age, and TV's Future
The medium of television has been present for a very long time and it is not likely to disappear anytime soon. While the method of delivery may change, television will remain.
As such, a viewer could identify a certain aspect of television that they appreciate and eventually go into work or business related to what they saw. In this way, the medium provides ever-changing work for any who hold a great interest in it.
The nature of television being consumed is also a contributing factor in its effects. Even so, there is no denying that whether for positive or negative reasons, television impacts every one of us. It is up to the viewers to decide what kind of television they hold an interest and a love for.
One thing that contributes to this idea is at what age someone is first exposed to television. Their level of interest may be higher or lower depending on what kind of television they are viewing and how well they can comprehend the material being presented.
