Television is one of the major miracles of Science and has revolutionariness small human outlook. But TV, which was once meant for education as well as entertainment, has become an addiction today. With cable TV beaming 24-hour programme through different channels, it has become an addiction for most.
The educational content is sorely missing from TV programmes today. The young and the old alike are glued to their TV sets day in and day out. Social intercourse, outdoor activities and children’s studies have all taken a back seat to TV programmes. Guests are not welcome when one’s favourite serial is on; telephones are often kept off the hook when one is engrossed in the trials and tribulations of one’s favourite characters in a soap opera. All this has truly turned TV viewers into couch potatoes. We have no time for ourselves as well as for others. We plan our work schedules and outings keeping in view our favourite TV programmes. For children, students back home from the school, TV is a must – they would like to take lunch with only TV on. The reading habit has virtually disappeared from the lives of school-going children as well as adults. Flickering images have become our window to the world of information and entertainment today, thus proving the truth underlying the statement that viewing TV programmes has made us all couch potatoes. We are paying a very heavy price for this idiot box.
The programmes include exaggerated and meaningless advertisements meant for promoting the sales of consumer goods, most of which could be termed as luxuries in a developing country like ours. In the name of comedy, vulgar serials are telecast. Nearly 80 percent of the programmes are cinema-oriented and of no practical value to the viewers. Infidelity, adultery, cheating, womanizing, drinking, indulging in anti-social activities, corrupt police and government servants, terrorists, black marketers, hoarders, drug peddlers, etc., are the main characters of these serials. Contract killing, murders, rape scenes, offering and accepting of bribes for leaking out state secrets, etc., are shown in an explicit manner to the viewers, most of whom are children in their formative stage. In every episode, hardly 10 minutes are devoted for the story of the serial. The rest of the slotted time is lapped up by advertisers who are called the sponsors, and pay crores of rupees for the time that they get. The advertisements are forced on the viewers, and the same ads are repeated so many times during the day that one gets fed up. Even the contents of these advertisements are highly objectionable.
Apart from studies, sports have been a big casualty due to TV addiction of the children and the youth. In small sized rooms, constant TV viewing causes permanent damage to the eyes. Late night TV viewing adversely affects the health. This is a national loss. Social and community life is another casualty. People are driven to pigeon holes called homes with no outside link. People today accept anything and everything in the name of entertainment, because TV brings it home to them inexpensively.
In our country there are few prime time programmes produced for students. Informative programmes like the UGC’s special newscasts and bulletins appear in the afternoon or at late nights and students find themselves either at schools, colleges or in bed during these programmes. Channels like Discovery and National Geographic are few and far between. However, television is not a bad medium which creates only a negative impact on children, for this right programmes have to be telecast at the right time and in the right way. This has not been realized in our country and we can hold the electronic media responsible for this because of its deterioration in programme planning and objectives in recent years.
Our lives are centred round the various TV programmes that have made as dull and listless. Undoubtedly TV has become an addiction in modern times and the sooner we get out of this habit, the better it will be for all of us. It is high time that the intelligentsia; social workers, parents and other responsible citizens, rose in protest against the manner in which the powerful medium is being misused. Unless this trend is arrested, the country would be ruined one day, as the children and youth would have knowledge only about films and nothing else.
To conclude, TV viewing is not that bad. This scientific infotainment invention is just like a knife, which can be used for cutting fruit and vegetables as also for stabbing a person. Much depends on the viewers. If they fall in love with it head long, TV is not to be blamed. Man has to reform himself. Excess of everything is bad. Keeping late hours at night no: only affects the punctuality of students but elders too don’t leave their bed till 8 in the morning with their heads heavy due to constant exposure to serials and eye lids still heavy.
TV has become a handy instrument for westerners to impose their culture on us through invisible and slow doses. The Indian culture will be the biggest victim of western onslaught on our culture via the 245-hour TV viewing with the help of cable network. We have to be wary of this danger which will surely emigrate our cultural values making us western satellites culturally.
The educational content is sorely missing from TV programmes today. The young and the old alike are glued to their TV sets day in and day out. Social intercourse, outdoor activities and children’s studies have all taken a back seat to TV programmes. Guests are not welcome when one’s favourite serial is on; telephones are often kept off the hook when one is engrossed in the trials and tribulations of one’s favourite characters in a soap opera. All this has truly turned TV viewers into couch potatoes. We have no time for ourselves as well as for others. We plan our work schedules and outings keeping in view our favourite TV programmes. For children, students back home from the school, TV is a must – they would like to take lunch with only TV on. The reading habit has virtually disappeared from the lives of school-going children as well as adults. Flickering images have become our window to the world of information and entertainment today, thus proving the truth underlying the statement that viewing TV programmes has made us all couch potatoes. We are paying a very heavy price for this idiot box.
The programmes include exaggerated and meaningless advertisements meant for promoting the sales of consumer goods, most of which could be termed as luxuries in a developing country like ours. In the name of comedy, vulgar serials are telecast. Nearly 80 percent of the programmes are cinema-oriented and of no practical value to the viewers. Infidelity, adultery, cheating, womanizing, drinking, indulging in anti-social activities, corrupt police and government servants, terrorists, black marketers, hoarders, drug peddlers, etc., are the main characters of these serials. Contract killing, murders, rape scenes, offering and accepting of bribes for leaking out state secrets, etc., are shown in an explicit manner to the viewers, most of whom are children in their formative stage. In every episode, hardly 10 minutes are devoted for the story of the serial. The rest of the slotted time is lapped up by advertisers who are called the sponsors, and pay crores of rupees for the time that they get. The advertisements are forced on the viewers, and the same ads are repeated so many times during the day that one gets fed up. Even the contents of these advertisements are highly objectionable.
Apart from studies, sports have been a big casualty due to TV addiction of the children and the youth. In small sized rooms, constant TV viewing causes permanent damage to the eyes. Late night TV viewing adversely affects the health. This is a national loss. Social and community life is another casualty. People are driven to pigeon holes called homes with no outside link. People today accept anything and everything in the name of entertainment, because TV brings it home to them inexpensively.
In our country there are few prime time programmes produced for students. Informative programmes like the UGC’s special newscasts and bulletins appear in the afternoon or at late nights and students find themselves either at schools, colleges or in bed during these programmes. Channels like Discovery and National Geographic are few and far between. However, television is not a bad medium which creates only a negative impact on children, for this right programmes have to be telecast at the right time and in the right way. This has not been realized in our country and we can hold the electronic media responsible for this because of its deterioration in programme planning and objectives in recent years.
Our lives are centred round the various TV programmes that have made as dull and listless. Undoubtedly TV has become an addiction in modern times and the sooner we get out of this habit, the better it will be for all of us. It is high time that the intelligentsia; social workers, parents and other responsible citizens, rose in protest against the manner in which the powerful medium is being misused. Unless this trend is arrested, the country would be ruined one day, as the children and youth would have knowledge only about films and nothing else.
To conclude, TV viewing is not that bad. This scientific infotainment invention is just like a knife, which can be used for cutting fruit and vegetables as also for stabbing a person. Much depends on the viewers. If they fall in love with it head long, TV is not to be blamed. Man has to reform himself. Excess of everything is bad. Keeping late hours at night no: only affects the punctuality of students but elders too don’t leave their bed till 8 in the morning with their heads heavy due to constant exposure to serials and eye lids still heavy.
TV has become a handy instrument for westerners to impose their culture on us through invisible and slow doses. The Indian culture will be the biggest victim of western onslaught on our culture via the 245-hour TV viewing with the help of cable network. We have to be wary of this danger which will surely emigrate our cultural values making us western satellites culturally.
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