We are content to take television for granted as a fact of life in the twenty-first century. But does television bring us nothing but good?
It is clear that television has brought advantages which could never have been envisaged by our great-grandparents. World news is relayed to us within minutes. Think of the horror of the tsunami on
On a more mundane level, watching television is the greatest way to relax. What could be
Thus, the experience of eating together as a family, that tradition beloved of so many cultures, is lost. Worse, sometimes the family members disperse to separate rooms with their meals on trays to watch television programmes of their choice. The ready-made ‘TV dinner’ has come to represent solitude and anti-social behaviour (as well as unpalatable food lacking in real nutritional value). The modern expression ‘couch potato’, which conjures up the image of an inactive, usually overweight individual sprawling in front of some dreadful imported soap opera, is far from complimentary. And although television brings us knowledge of world events almost as they happen, there is worrying evidence to suggest that overexposure to tragedy can make us insensitive to it.
Television is sometimes criticised for the adverse effect it has on young people. Football pitches and games halls are not always fully utilised because young people are engrossed in television. How can countries produce athletes able to compete in international competitions if they prefer television to training? Research shows that physical activity improves mental alertness; therefore, if young people are inactive because of too much television viewing, this might have a detrimental effect on their academic performance. The subject matter of some television programmes is often criticised as inappropriate, especially for vulnerable young people, whose values can be warped by watching such programmes. In extreme cases, screen violence has been linked to some real-life ‘copycat’ crimes.
At the end of the day, we all have to make our own judgement on the role of television in the world and in our own lives. What we do with it – whether we choose to be dominated by it or regulate it to be a force for good in the world – is very much in our own hands.
(From CIE GCE 'O' Level paper)
19 comments:
Write a summary, in which you explain the advantages and disadvantages of television, as described in the passage. (150 words)
There are many advantages of television. We can know what's going on in the world within moments of its occurrence. It can educate people on different topics and teach different languages and is more effective than learning from books as it is pictorial. It's a good way to relax and entertains. It gives an outlet for families to spend time together. But there are disadvantages as well. Instead of sitting and chatting while eating, families prefer to watch TV in silence, infact, sometimes they take their food to their respective rooms to watch their shows- creating anti-social behaviour. Also, when exposed too often to tragedy, we can actually become immune to it. It is decreasing the amount of physical activity in children’s’ lives, which decreases their mental alertness and drops their academic performance. Some programs can be inappropriate for the young and affect their minds. In extreme cases, real-life violence has been connected with screen violence.
The television has numerous advantages and disadvantages in our present world. News around the globe is conveyed in just a matter of moments letting humanity react to the various disasters and joys around the world. TV allows people who weren’t able to access information by learning from the various topics such as wildlife programmes to documentaries as it easier to comprehend information better. It’s simple to learn various languages by watching multicultural channels. TV reduces stress after a long day at work or school allowing them to cool off. Families spend more time together watching their favourite shows. However TV is held responsible also for breaking up families as they separate them into isolation. People who watch a lot of TV tend to become obese which leads to the fact that without much activity the intellectual awareness falls. Some people think that TV is a bad influence by having too much exposure which has an ill effect on young people.
Television has brought us entertainment, connection to whats happening outside in the world, news of the future, cures to some illnesses even. It has broadened our ability to view things we couldnt have been able to, without the TV being introduced. It helps us to relax, it aids us when we feel bad, or depressed. It can even provide us with information, without reading a book, that could be of importance.
On the other hand, television might be mentally-damaging. It has been proved that television is blamed for the abuse of bad language, addiction, family-related problems, brain damage, and even a decrease in eye-sight. Television blocks our minds from physical activities, since we get addicted to watching pixels more than getting fit and healthy. It excels in brain-washing our mind with unimportant information, such as adverts, and it can abominate our sensitivity towards certain things, example, violence, causing us, not necessarily young people, to imitate what is shown on TV, into reality, like thefts and fights.
Television has its advantages and disadvantages. Television allows us to connect with the world and allows us to know what's happening at the moment almost instantaneously. Television can be considered as tool for learning, as people are able to gather information from various broadcasts such as Discovery and Nat Geo. Television most common use has been as a stress reliever. Most people prefer to watch a bit of television to relieve themselves of the stress of a tough day at the office. Television united families together during meal times, which is a real advantage in times where families are constantly drifting apart. Television also has its disadvantages. One of the most damaging has been the fact that people who get an overdose of television tend to become obese and contract health problems. Young children are affected badly through certain television programs which contain content such as drugs, crime etc. These type of pro grammes tend to corrupt young children's minds and may lead to a decrease in intellectual awareness.
Before television, it was much more difficult to get news flowing around quickly. People would have to wait for the newspaper, see it for themselves, or hear it from a friend. Aside from news, television is also used for entertainment and relaxing. television has quickly become a past-time in America as well as other countries. This past-time soon became the foundation of all televisions' disadvantages.
The traditional family dinner had always been composed of, healthy food, all the family members, and conversation. Since TV came into the picture, many families disperse during dinner in their own worlds, with a nice heaping plate of TV dinner. Television has also invented the couch-potato, which has increased obesity extensively among children and adults worldwide. Much like any guilty pleasure, it is okay to enjoy television, as long as it is done in moderation.
Television has its own adavantages and disadvantages. It can increase awareness about world news in a matter of minutes and also is an effective medium to educate people on a wide range of topics. Foreign languages can be learnt as well, and television can also be a cost effective way to de-stress. Additionally, families spend time together watching their favorite shows and soap operas. On the other hand, a major T.V disadvantage is in causing family brakdown as most people prefer silence while watching T.V or worse, they move to seperate rooms to watch the shows of their own choice. Recent evidence also shows that overexposure to tragedy makes people insensitive to it in reality. T.V has equally been responsible for the poor health of youngsters today, due to lack of physical fitness. Innappropriate T.V shows have furthermore led to affecting the minds of vulnerable people, in some cases even leading to real life violence.
There are obvious advantages and disadvantages. But one side clearly outweighs the other. TV brings the world together through a whole new medium. I think the fact is that just after the internet; TV was the fastest spreading medium, demolishing previous records of the Phone and Radio. And through this momentum a new advertising branch was developed.
It is true that Television has isolated some people and even promted many to live the "couch potato" life but in general it has brought many, many more together. Sports is one of the main reasons why TV is so valuable... Sports and their profits have gained immensely through the medium. I couldn’t really imagine the type of support any team would have if they could only be read about in newspapers.
Although there are some truly demented people out there, who “take examples from television” and commit real world crimes. This small minority of society will not stop the good being spread by such a valued and extensive medium.
Every man made object could be a blessing or a curse depending on the individual who operates or uses it. The television is one example. On one side of the planet there is a natural disaster, while on the other side millions of people are becoming aware just with the click of a button. Within minutes of this disaster, people all over the world can begin to repair the damages and occurences with donations, charity etc. all due to their awareness. The TV can educate, advertise and best of all entertain. However, various research proves that the television is also the main cause of antisociality, physical inactivity as well as obesity. The long forgotten tradition of a joyful family dinner is also a victim of the television as family members prefer it rather than family chat at the table. Numerous people also believe over exposure of the TV generates a negative effect on our young generations' day to day behaviour.
The television could be a blessing. Depending on how the individual sees it. To be honest there are advantages and disadvantages, it helps us connect with each other better and it also educates us with different types of information it gives. But on the other hand, like it states in the blog post, it allows our families to be distant and it also distracts us from socializing. Every individual as I said before has different opinions and views. Mine would be that we should use the television wisely and not to abuse it. We could have a healthy social life while still being able to watch some television. In addition to that, the television is a great way of unwinding and relaxing ones self.
Overall, I would like to state yet again, that the television is a blessing, but only if used wisely and not abused.
x
everything is good in moderation.. the television is a good conveyor of information,and indeed, news can move fast from one end of the earth to another.
I dont like tv tho. :P
Alright, I'm going to actually DISagree with this. Television is not really as bad as everyone says it is. Sure, it does contribute in some part to all the crap that's in other people's heads but people can benefit from it just as much!
However, one thing I will say - family times HAVE been cut down because of it. But that's not the poor TV's fault; it's the fault of the family itself. On that note, like everything else in the world, people can become influenced by TV. You can't SOLELY blame TV! Parents should, however, be careful of what is shown to their children. And by children I do mean below the age of, let's say, 11. I've seen for myself how children can be wrongly influenced by television.
But I have also seen for myself how children can be RIGHTLY [?] influenced by television.
There's two sides to all things. We need to stay open to both.
Television has both advantages and disadvantages, just like everything else. One of the advantages of television is that people can get information through it very easily. They can watch world news and learn about exotic places and animals. People can even practice their language skills by watching a program in a foreign language. Television also provides entertainment and relaxation at home.
However television can be blamed for the death of family meals and in some cases antisocial behavior. Too much violence seen there could make us unaffected by it in real life. Furthermore people are turning into couch potatoes and not getting enough exercise by choosing to watch television instead. Some programs are accused of having a bad influence on younger people and resulting in criminal behavior.
Just like everything else, television has its pros and cons. While it's pretty informative, most kids these days watch the TV for hours, as it turns into an addiction. This causes them slack down on working on their creative talents, or on studying and getting something more useful out of themselves. Sure, it educates people and its also nice for some light watching, as a break from piles of work, and thats exactly why it must be done in moderation. TV as an addiction would be disturbing, but to use it occassionally to just relax or gain some sort of information makes it quite handy.
T.V. has many advantages.One can know what's going around the world in just a matter of minutes.It has given people the chance to help the needy in times of disasters.It gives people sitting at home another way to learn a language that they only read in books.You can see the different species of the world even when you're sitting in just one place.It helps you relax and become tension free,moreover it gives you opportunities to spend time with family and lazily browse channels using a remote controller.
T.V., just like everything else has its disadvantages.It can result in creating gaps between the members of a family and when nothing is done about it, things become worse and people want total privacy while watching their favourite channel.It can make one super lazy and the fact that it has so much of violence in it, it can desensitize one by its excessive use.T.V. creates a negative effect on children sometimes, as if they keep watching tv serials one after the other,they might not perform well in other important areas of their lives.It also might encourage young ones to do what they watch for eg.robberies and other crimes.
Television has diverse effects on our society in this generation. Advantageously, we have a variety of channels and accessibility. We are informed of world news and events in a matter of seconds; even during the unimaginable, and on the other hand we can observe the lifestyles of different wild-life. Because of the graphic and illustrative benefit, people are more drawn to learning through television than through books. Foreign channels are a great way of acknowledging mixed languages for students with an interest in that topic. Television also proves to be a cheap alternative to relaxation and entertainment while bringing family members together.
Favorable as it is, all technology has its disadvantages. Television has been accused for ruining family relationships, world-wide tradition and over-all activeness. Research also proves that it numbs your senses towards tragedy and has an adverse effect on the young mind. Not only does it expose them to inappropriate and violent images and language, it draws them away from participating in sports or fitness activities… which in turn has an alarming effect on their academic performance.
In the end, the amount of television we watch may be able to judge our lifestyle.
Everything has its advantages and disadvantages. One advantage of television is that world news is spread around the world instantaneously. This helps us give aid and donations to those who need it. Televisions are an easy access to knowledge; we learn about nature and its creations and we have the benefit of learning new languages. Also, watching a television programme is a form of relaxing. It calms people down after a long day at work or school and releases stress. It is also a relatively cheaper form of entertainment. Televisions can also bind families together and stimulates discussion of programmes.
In contrast, televisions can eliminate the traditional family conversations over dinner. It can also break apart a family when each member disperses into different rooms to watch their personal choice of programmes. People are less fit and less healthy due to the “couch potato” metaphor. Televisions also cause a decline in excellent academic performances and inappropriate and violent scenes create a bad influence on younger children.
Television a common electronic device of our 21st century lives that is has a variety of pros and cons.
The advantages due to the existence of television are as follows: News from all over the world reaches faster than we can imagine. Television also creates awareness among people all over the globe about various causes such as the great tsunami that occurred on 26 December 2004. Television provides us of different types of information in a simpler and attractive way rather than to extract that same information from reading books.
Television is a form of a cheap and accessible way of entertainment and relaxation and also in such busy lives of people nowadays; television brings families closer and makes relationships stronger.
The drawbacks of invention of the television are: Even if television gathers the family members of a household but they don’t interact with each other as their senses held by the television screen. And due to the fact that television is so common, family members prefer more to watch their own favorite shows separately. This generates the break-up of a family. Television is also responsible to make people partially or completely addicted to it and this leads to people being inactive, anti-social and sometimes overweight.
Exposure of too much television can make youngsters inactive and affecting their mind’s concentration levels which could have a negative impact on their education. Some researchers also conclude that television could have a very harmful impact on the young minds of sensitive kids.
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