Television Viewing Draft 2

Television is created in the past to serve as a tool to provide entertainment for us. As evidenced in the America Time Use Survey (2003), the population in United States catagorised into female and male in the survey averagely spend 2.5 to 2.75 hours per day to watch television during their leisure time. Besides, another survey in United Kingdom, UK Time Use Survey (2000) also depicted a similar result. This shows that there are certainly many benefits in watching television. However, some skeptics of this issue argue that watching television is not beneficial but on the other hand it brings a lot of adverse effects to the viewers. It has become a provocative national interest to discuss whether television viewing is beneficial or detrimental to the viewers. I strongly assert that television viewing brings more advantages than disadvantages. Therefore, it is significant for us to discuss the importance of television viewing which include that it helps the viewers to gain knowledge, to think critically and to assuage stress.

Firstly, television programmes provide a variety of information for the viewers, enabling different groups of viewers to gain knowledge that they want. For example, children before they reach the age to enter kindergarten, they can commence learning colours, numbers and letters from programmes like ‘Sesame Street’ (Rutherford 2002). In addition, for teenagers, they can get knowledge ranging widely from animal kingdom, geography, astronomy, general knowledge, contemporary issues and science from television (Rutherford 2002). These knowledge are important and are always not found in the textbook. Teenager with little of these knowledge can learn better from television because convoluted scientific questions are explained in a diverting and pleasurable way (Rutherford 2002). In fact, they can remember better through programmes because they do not merely see and read but also listen. (Leigh 2001). Besides, they can also comprehend their cultural uniqueness and the role of the other cultures to the nation through television viewing.

Furthermore, television viewing can stimulate the viewers’ critical thinking. Critical thinking is an indispensable skill to socialize as well as to excel in studies. It can help to resolve many setbacks in life. As an illustration, family can learn how to solve conflicts more appropriately after watching programmes which show solutions to these problems (Sharif 1999). More importantly, television programmes encourage critical thinking which is also essential in analysing global issues. Viewers can learn about various significant world issues ranging from globalization to homelessness (Leigh 2001). In this way, they can also become more involved in the society. Since they know about current issues, they can voice for their rights so that the councils, major companies and national governments take their needs into consideration more seriously when making decisions. As such, television can be said to be a force of democracy (Rutherford 2002). In addition to this, viewers can be aware of global problems such as the famine in Africa. Exposing news to the viewers is vital because the victims of catastrophes need helps urgently. Hence, television viewers can contribute their help, for instance, by donating to assist the victims (Sharif 1999).

Lastly, television viewing can alleviate stress of the viewers. Viewers, particularly, teenagers who are still in school need entertainment after a solid school day. As the saying goes, “all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy”. Teenagers will feel fatigued, pressured when their teachers and parents’ expectations on them to get good result increases. By watching television, they can concentrate on the shows and forget about all the hassle temporarily. After that, they feel recharged and more motivated to finish their homework. Moreover, they can use television viewing as an opportunity to regain their focus and hence, will be able to view problems from another different perspective (Rutherford 2002).

In a nutshell, it is apparently true that television viewing is advantageous for the viewers if moderation is practised (Rutherford 2002). Everything has two sides of it, bad and good. As human beings, we should be able to differentiate these two and adapt only the good one. The effects of television viewing can be disastrous if we are to become couch potatoes, though, by managing our time wisely, we, in fact, can gain abundant benefits from television viewing.