Television: good or bad - Essay Example

Almost all households in the USA have at least one TV set in their daily use. Television is becoming more and more powerful and widespread in the world today. However, the objectivity of information people absorb from TV can be easily questioned. If they regularly watch TV, they become overexposed to media stereotypes, propaganda and manipulation. All in all, TV is the most effective brainwashing machine invented by people. Many TV shows, films and even documentaries are very stereotypical in representing gender roles, the concepts of race and ethnicity, globalism and multiculturalism.

In fact, even news programs which are aimed at objective representation of facts often become the tools of manipulation. TV manifests the value of perfect bodies and faces which are often modified by excessive make up, lights exposition and digital programs. It creates its TV reality which is engaging because it is perfect. It takes away peoples opportunity to be happy because they compare their lives with this TV depictions and feel depressed as they cannot experience the same wonders in their daily lives.

All in all, the standards and values traced in different TV programs are almost impossible to achieve; the overwhelming number of depressions and eating disorders can be directly related to unreachable ideals of TV reality. Advertising is dangerous because it has immediate and often unconscious effect on people. Marketers and psychologists analyze their target audience and promote their goods or services by appealing to values people share. For instance, they stimulate people to buy cars but they associate them with the values of stability and family.

People can control the influence of advertising clips, but they need to stay conscious watching TV. They become vulnerable to any manipulations; TV can make a thoughtless consumer of all people who watch it daily. Consumerism is not as dangerous as political propaganda which is smoothly integrated in TV programs. Political propaganda offers ready-made attitudes and opinions about different people, communities of even nations. Highlighting any international political conflict, media take the side of one of the participants and initially represent the other side as the enemy.

People take this information for granted; they do not apply their critical thinking skills to filter information they perceive watching TV. In conclusion, it is clear that TV is bad for people. It bring many stereotypes, ready-made opinions and biased thought to their minds. There are alternative sources of information which represent information objectively. If people want to be free in their thinking, they need to avoid watching TV.