Television is one of the greatest inventions of all time. For example, on July 20, 1969, we were able to watch in our living room Neil A. Armstrong step out of the lunar module of the Apollo 11 spacecraft and haltingly walk on the surface of the moon. We were witnessing a milestone in the history of humanity. Such is the potential power of TV to inform, inspire, and unite. Experiments to create a workable television began in the 19th century in Germany. Today television is probably the most widely used type of mass media — and entertainment. Most families in the civilized countries have a TV in their household. TV has a lot of advantages. First, it is a powerful mass medium communicating the world to individuals and providing education to the viewers, as it broadcasts news about all spheres of human life and a lot of educational programmes. Second, it caters for all of the needs and tastes of all ages and social groups due to the variety of information it gets across to the viewer and is accessible even for illiterate and blind. It broadcasts news, feature films of all kinds imaginable, cartoons, documentaries, sports events, political commentaries, shows, commercials — and what not! Third, it provides entertainment — we can see major sporting events live, and the choice of feature films, cartoons and documentaries is enormous — from old classics to the latest Hollywood releases, cartoons, children's shows and films. Yet, in its current state, TV produces a lot of problems. The first problem is no matter how noble our intentions are to watch only worthwhile programming, once we start watching, it is all too easy to become captivated by its almost hypnotic power to keep us watching regardless of the banality of the content. So, before long, we are watching not for the content, but for the contrast, change, and captivating swirl of images. That is the danger. We may decide to catch a one-hour educational program and end up 'watching' longer than we originally planned. TV also decreases one's attention span and weakens one's imagination because we grow used to quick, short bursts of ready-made information. All we have to do is sit back and observe someone else's imagination. We need to be more like Groucho Marx who said, 'I find television very educational. Every time someone switches it on I go into another room and read a good book. One more disadvantage of the modern TV is that it is full of violence, which sets a bad example for children who are nanve and vulnerable and often use people they see on TV as role models. Another major problem is the way it is used by those who own and run television stations and networks. TV is not made to entertain, educate, or enlighten us. It is made to sell products and services. Living with television means growing up in a world of about 22,000 commercials a year, 5,000 of them for food products, more than half of which are for low-nutrition sweets and snacks. TV, then, is heart of the monster called consumerism. Women are forced to go to work and children see less and less of their parents, all so we can buy more and more of the stuff TV tells us is indispensable for happiness. TV creates great harm not only by its influence, but also by what it prevents. The primary danger of the television screen lies not so much in the behaviour it produces — although there is danger there — as in the behaviour it prevents: the talks, the games, the family festivities and arguments. TV distracts our attention from reality, solving real life problems and communicating with people.
