The Difference That TVs Made To Our Daily Lives

By Milrika Ekilski

It's not easy for most of us to even imagine a world without television. TVs have become standard in every household across the globe. The television has become part of world culture. In case you are interested: the word 'television' descended from Latin and Greek roots and it means 'far sight'.

It's hard to overemphasize the major cultural changes the advent of the TV has brought to our society. Many of these changes were positive and some could be seen as negative.

One of the most positive effects of television was certainly that people suddenly had access to an incredible amount of entertainment and information. With television came news networks and all of a sudden you didn't have to buy the newspaper to know what is going on in the world any more. Millions of housewives are also glued to their televisions every day to watch the latest soap operas.

The television industry certainly had a negative effect on the film industry in many countries. Why go to the cinema to watch your hero save the world if you can do it in the comfort of your own lounge at no extra charge?

A profound and positive effect of television is the fact that it often helps to break down cultural barriers between different nations. There is nothing that breeds distrust, xenophobia and animosity like ignorance. And to the extent that television has helped to break down the walls of ignorance between nations, it has certainly helped to make the world a better place. Once you know that people in China, Africa, India or South America are in fact not so different from you at all, you no longer see them as 'foreign' and as your natural enemies.

Many people argue that the television had a negative effect on family life. To a certain extent this might be true, but the other side of the coin is that TVs might well have the opposite effect as well: if your kids are glued to the TV they are less likely to be out on the streets getting involved in all kinds of mischief. With so many educational programs on TV nowadays, it's also not hard to see how the television can in fact help us raise better educated children.

The arrival of huge, flat screen TVs on the scene has matured the television into a fully-fledged entertainment and educational center for the whole family. Used responsibly, the television can certainly be a source of endless entertainment and knowledge for all of us. - 30542

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