Television is doing harm

Mass Media

Mass media is one of the most characteristic features of modern civilization. People are united into one global community with the help of mass media. They inform, educate and entertain people. What is more people can learn about what is happening in the world very fast using mass media. The mass media include newspapers, magazines, radio and television.

The earliest kind of mass media was a newspaper. The first newspaper was Roman handwritten newssheet. Magazines developed from newspapers and booksellers? catalogues.

The most exciting and entertaining kind of mass media is television. It brings moving pictures and sounds directly to people?s homes. A first-rate colour TV has become an ordinary thing in the household today. Modern television offers the viewers several programmes on different channels.

Radio is widespread for its portability. It means that radios can easily be carried around. People like listening to the radio while doing something else. The main kind of radio entertainment is music.

Newspapers can present and comment the news in much detail in comparison to radio and TV newscasts. Newspapers can cover much more events and news. Basically they are read by people who are subscribers.

Magazines do not focus on daily, rapidly changing events. They provide more profound analysis of events of proceeding week. Magazines are designed to be kept for a longer time so they have cover and binding and are printed on better paper.

The media do not only convey information to the public but also create and influence public opinion. They influence the way people look at the events and sometimes make people change their views. The power of the mass media is important to politicians who use the media to influence voters; and businessmen who use the media to advertise their products. There is a lot of advertising in mass media.

On the other hand, the audience?s opinions influence the media industry. It is hard to say that mass media do not try to raise the cultural level of people or to develop their tastes.

Television is doing harm

Before we let the one-eyed monster come into our homes we never found it difficult to occupy our free time. We used to have hobbies, we used to entertain our friends and be entertained by them, and we used to go to the theatres, cinemas, restaurants and sporting events. We even used to read books and listen to music. All belongs to the past. Now all our free time is regulated by the ?goggle box?. The monster demands and obtains absolute silence and attention. If any member of the family dares to open his mouth during a program, he is quickly silenced.

Whole generations are growing up addicted to the telly. Food is left uneaten, homework undone and sleep is lost.

It is now standard practice to keep the children quiet by putting them in front of the TV set. It doesn?t matter that the children will watch something that is not good for them at all. Besides, a lot of programmes are even dangerous for child?s development. Parents are worried by the amounts of violence their children see on television. In response to such complaints and worries the channels inform the audience of violent content of a programme. A symbol indicating the amount of violence and bad language that a programme contains appears on the television screen during the programme.

Television gives passive enjoyment. We became content with second-hand experience. It is so easy to sit in our armchair watching others working. Little by little, television cuts us from the real world. We get so lazy, we choose to spend a fine day in semi-darkness rather than go out into the world itself. Television may be a splendid medium of communication, but it prevents us from communicating with each other. Only when we spend a holiday by the sea or in the mountains we discover how little we miss the hypnotic tyranny of King Telly.

Date: 2016-06-12; view: 10