Television is undoubtedly one of the most powerful means
of communication in the history of humankind, rivaled only by such other forms of communication as the Internet, the telephone,
movies, and, of course, simple, low-tech speech. Television, with its wide availability and rich media with image and sound,
is difficult to ignore and even seductive in its appeal. Television is as much a part of our lives as are our meals, work,
or school; studies consistently show that the average American child spends almost as much time watching television as she
does in school. Furthermore, because television is so rich in its media, it often requires our full attention or is more attraction
to us than are our daily lives. Naturally, the more time one spends watching television, the less time she/he has with
her/his family and friends. Thus, we can clearly see why some have claimed that television has been harmful for communication
among family and friends. However, I believe that, while television has been somewhat harmful in its effects, it has hardly
"destroyed" communication among family and friends for most people, although for some, this may be true.
Most people much prefer spending time with their families
and friends to spending time watching television. Television is of course an important part of many people's lives, but most
people would gladly choose family and friends over television were they given the choice. Furthermore, most educated people
are aware of the deleterious effects of too much television and either avoid excessive time watching television, or actually
do not enjoy it.
Furthermore, the effect of television is simply not so great
that it could be said to have "destroyed" communication among family and friends. Granting that communication among family
and friends in industrialized countries has decreased in recent years, it might be tempting to blame this problem on television
since its rise roughly coincided with the decrease in time we spend with our families. In a word, people nowadays have very
little time for anything, but television is not the cause--it is increased desire to succeed.
In some situations, however, television has surely contributed
to a decrease in communication among family members. In my childhood in the town, I often saw parents and children watching
television for hours on end, rarely speaking with one another. It seemed for them that television was a way to escape from
their sad, miserable existence. However, even in this case, I would say that television merely contributed to the bad situation,
but did not cause it; were television not existent, surely these people would have found other escapes, alcohol or gambling,
for example. In other words, people always find a way to do what they want to do.
In short, I do not believe that television has destroyed
or even harmed interpersonal communication among most people. Most people realize that television is merely a temporary diversion
and do not use it to replace interpersonal communication. I believe that the damage attributed to television is greatly exaggerated
and that such damage is most likely attributable to other more powerful social factors.