TV Time!

@Khethil,

The problems with kids watching too much TV and playing to much on games consoles is that they don't experience real life resulting in them thinking that their life is like a video game or a movie, for instance, some joy riders don't see the real consequences of their actions, they believe that they are in a movie.

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@Khethil,

I don't see too much cause for concern, I don't know why the call it "consuming media" either, except to make it sound sinister. We live in an age of luxury.

I do think pre-teens should be shown the joys of reading more so than they are now.

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@Khethil,

I agree with Jebediah,

We have so much time, we have to make a choice of how to spend that time. The majority make the choice to use that time to entertain themselves. Some don't but entertainment can take us out of reflecting on our problems, or dissatisfaction with the world. When you are absorbed into a drama or immersed into a fantasy you are not concerned about your responsibilities at that time. It is very relieving and can reduce massive amounts of stress. However; it could cause problems because of this, but so does every other type of over consumption. Is eight hours a day over consumption of entertainment? Maybe, but maybe that is just the right amount. I mean we generally should sleep for eight hours a day, but most don't even get four hours a night and look at the problems that causes.

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@Khethil,

How much time do you figure you (and by "you" I mean anyone who happens to be reading this) spend each day posting on various forums, surfing news sites to find interesting articles to post, forwarding endless emails with insipid jokes, political diatribe, and relaxing while watching a favorite show on the television?

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@TickTockMan,

TickTockMan;121343 wrote:

How much time do you figure you (and by "you" I mean anyone who happens to be reading this) spend each day posting on various forums, surfing news sites to find interesting articles to post, forwarding endless emails with insipid jokes, political diatribe, and relaxing while watching a favorite show on the television?

I spend quite a bit of my time at a computer, sometimes not even my own. I don't own a television but I do watch movies and shows on my computer. Since I have dual monitors I can check in on some of my favorite sites, like science daily and of course this one while watching a movie or show. On top of that I also have a voip program that I use with almost a dozen other friends. When my computer is on, I am connected with these friends, whom most do not even live in the US. We have all decided to be constantly connected when our computers are on. So if any of us are on we chat in real time. We are a close group, we do everything from talk about daily events to watching movies at the same time. It might sound rather unusual, but it isn't that much different than any thing else really.

Not to mention that a majority of the work I do is using a computer so it is not that big of a deal for me to spend a lot of time when I am not working using one too. It is a good tool for a lot of different reasons. I mean I could go read a book, but how is that any different? A book is pretty anti-social activity but here I can interact with people and still catch the latest science news at the same time.

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@Krumple,

Krumple;121384 wrote:

I spend quite a bit of my time at a computer, sometimes not even my own. I don't own a television but I do watch movies and shows on my computer. Since I have dual monitors I can check in on some of my favorite sites, like science daily and of course this one while watching a movie or show. On top of that I also have a voip program that I use with almost a dozen other friends. When my computer is on, I am connected with these friends, whom most do not even live in the US. We have all decided to be constantly connected when our computers are on. So if any of us are on we chat in real time. We are a close group, we do everything from talk about daily events to watching movies at the same time. It might sound rather unusual, but it isn't that much different than any thing else really.

Not to mention that a majority of the work I do is using a computer so it is not that big of a deal for me to spend a lot of time when I am not working using one too. It is a good tool for a lot of different reasons. I mean I could go read a book, but how is that any different? A book is pretty anti-social activity but here I can interact with people and still catch the latest science news at the same time.

Which is all kind of my point. So why do people get all worked up about "our children" doing exactly what (many) adults are doing? This seems to be the type of world we are evolving toward, and kids, perhaps, are just on the cutting edge of this new multi-tasking cyber-world.

The old species, like my parents, who fear and loathe computers and all forms of technology, seem doomed.

As adults we often say we want a better world for our children, but I think what we really mean is that we want a world that is better for our children by our standards.

Children are not inventing and producing the technology they are consuming.
But they may grow up to do so.

There seems to be a bit of "Do as I say, not as I do" going on here.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y0Yg9wjctRw

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@Khethil,

Khethil;121320 wrote:

Good Afternoon,

I came across this article today, here's an excerpt:
[INDENT]"... The amount of time American children and teens spend watching TV, playing video games or surfing the Internet has increased dramatically, to almost eight hours a day, a new report finds."
[/INDENT]I know what I think is likely to result from whole generations of people raised by web pages, console games, PC games, advertisements and the television. But I'm curious to hear from you all - from philosophical level; what mindset, problems (or even perhaps advantages) might this trend spawn? Are we there already? At this level, is this acceptable?

Thanks

There are a couple of problems. First of all, children who spend their free time in front of a computer or TV instead of out playing are getting less exercise, which is one of the reasons children are much fatter today in the U.S. on average than they were in the past. This is likely to lead to all sorts of health problems for their entire lives, which is bad for them, and bad for anyone who wants to hire them for jobs.

Second, if they are not out interacting with people in person, they will not become good at interacting with people in person. This will cause them a good deal of trouble when they have to get jobs to support themselves, unless they manage to work at home on their computers (which is rare). And it will also cause them a good deal of trouble in their social life. If they want to masturbate to porn instead of having a real relationship with a person, then it may not matter to them, but I suspect that most people would really rather have something more than just porn and their own hands. In other words, there is a kind of isolation and loneliness that is likely to be the outcome. Like it or not, people are social animals, and it is generally good for them to socialize to some extent.

Now, before some looney misconstrues the above, let me add that I do not think it is inherently bad for children to use computers or to watch TV. Indeed, if they are going to be good at dealing with computers, practice is a good thing. But being good with computers is only one aspect of a person's life, and so there should be a balance of things that people do with their time. So, they might want to take Aristotle's advice about moderation in all things, and not be a one-sided person.

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@Khethil,

Well, it did say that they spent 1.5 hours a day texting. One assumes they have a social life.

The obesity issue is much broader than tv time...you won't become obese sitting in front of the tv if you don't eat too much. We are more sedentary as a society, not just children.

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@Khethil,

The fact that people are using text way of communication more also means that they have to get for this different social skills (and knowledge) than by personal interaction, because it is guided by different mechanisms. Lot of thinks are less obvious and some more, thats why, for example, have someone continuous need to post smile after every sentence, because thinks that the other side will not understand the tone or point.

Same thing is if you see the movie or play video game. You are getting during that actuation a lot of information to handle, otherwise you will just do not understand. Also the fact that you can talk about these issues causes conversation (if it comes to this) much more wide, because of increased volume of themes you can talk about.

Imagine what would happen if these things just dissapears now. People would more talk to each other, indeed, because they have to enjoy themselves. On the other side would strongly decrease volume of thinks you can talk about. - We have priviledge on the point that we have historical sources to see what was there without TV or the internet. - People would sit anyway and do nothing but drink or be oversensitive about relationships (Dostoyevsky, Bukowski).

Point is that we should see these new-age things as something what we have to handle, so we will not be fat antisocial jerks, but also understand its contribution.

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@Khethil,

I think I am definately a subject of this demographic, lol.

I'm 21, and spent most of my childhood watching television and playing video games, instead of doing homework or reading.

I excelled at drinking and partying. I really had no interest in current events, domestic or worldwide.

I texted and msn'd my social encounters. Rather than actually having personal face to face in depth conversations. Save for school and my core group of friends.

How do I think I turned out? I have more of an interest in philosophy, history, physics, biology, politics, and astronomy than I EVER have. I am more involved in politics than ever. I finally understand those posters in the library that say "Learning is fun" etc. I am more motivated and ambitious than I ever have been. I treat my body and mind very well. I eat right, exercise, and read, a lot. And most of my information, my referals to books, or movies comes from the internet.

I think that is has endless opportunity to be a good thing. I have never been so close and in touch with my family, and friends abroad. But also a bad thing when you rely on text messages for communication. Maybe a cliche to say, but it's just not the same.

It also doesn't help kids appreciation for the environment (hugs a tree), there is a massive and beautiful playground out there that kids are ignoring for 8 hours of video games, desensitising them to graphic and horiffic violence.

I think when it becomes socially accepted for people to wed and @#$& machines then we may have a problem.

---------- Post added 02-02-2010 at 10:25 PM ----------

I also think I have a hard time staying on topic. Perhaps a result??

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@Khethil,

Khethil;121320 wrote:

Good Afternoon,

I came across this article today, here's an excerpt:
[INDENT]"... The amount of time American children and teens spend watching TV, playing video games or surfing the Internet has increased dramatically, to almost eight hours a day, a new report finds."
[/INDENT]I know what I think is likely to result from whole generations of people raised by web pages, console games, PC games, advertisements and the television. But I'm curious to hear from you all - from philosophical level; what mindset, problems (or even perhaps advantages) might this trend spawn? Are we there already? At this level, is this acceptable?

Thanks

If not for the internet, where would this site be? Without this site, where would my intellect be?

Not gone, completely, but weakened.

People tend to think of T.V as mindless cartoons that brainwash children. Actually, T.V taught me a lot of life lessons and morals. "The Matrix" even got me in to philosophy.

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@Quinn phil,

Quinn;124562 wrote:

If not for the internet, where would this site be? Without this site, where would my intellect be?

Not gone, completely, but weakened.

People tend to think of T.V as mindless cartoons that brainwash children. Actually, T.V taught me a lot of life lessons and morals. "The Matrix" even got me in to philosophy.

Then is technology, the internet, movies, cartoons more of a way of "finding ones self." After all you had no direction from parents to watch the Matrix, no pressure to investigate philosphical ideas, but you did. Is it better now that we are provided the information and allowed to make an unguided decision for ourselves on whether or not we would like to learn about it? Whether or not we agree or disagree with it?

My parents were a little pushy with what they wanted me to learn, physics, chemistry, biology, math, calculus. Many subjects I LOVE now, I hated then. Perhaps due to the structure of the courses or maybe the fact I was told to take them. I wonder if I would have come across them in an informal manner I would have taken more of an interest to them. Maybe I just wasn't mature enough to enjoy them?

Perhaps where we are going is a future of children raised by robots, growing mature reading Kant, Hume, Nietzsche, and watching "The Matrix".

Maybe it's a good thing!!

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@Khethil,

Exactly. When we come across something in an informal way, we find more interest in it. I mean, c'mon, Biology is frekin' interesting! It talks about all of Darwin's ideas, and what's inside of us. How we as humans operate, how other creatures operate and behave. Exedra. It's very interesting to say the least, but the fact that I was forced to do work about it for a year made me hate it. If I had sought to learn Biology by myself, (As I had sought to learn Philosophy by myself), then I might've had a better interest in it.

TV is great because it is the number 1 way to educate a large percentage of children. Of course, people who watch TV like to relax their mind and humor it, rather than educate it. Good TV programs are something that can do all of that at the same time. With those kinds of programs, Couch Potato'ing around might become a good thing.

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@Quinn phil,

Television isn't the problem; nor is the internet, nor your iPhone - not your console game or your Wii. These are just things; things designed to engage your mind. They're no better nor worse than the exercise bike now being used to hang your clothes on.

What makes any thing "good" or "bad" is what you do with it; how much, with whom, to whom and perhaps what you're gaining or losing by that activity (or, rather, what you're not doing). Is there something you SHOULD be doing instead of sitting there staring at a screen; lost in your own mind? Like Alcoholics Anonymous says: Its a problem only if it causes YOU a problem - only you can decide this.[INDENT] My feeling is that a large number of people in my culture do over-use these things; and that they do so to the detriment of their own happiness. Isolation, lack of engagement with the physical or natural world, information without understanding or context, rotting bodies on the chair/couch, social dysfunction: all these are risks when such toys are over-indulged. The ease and profuseness of electronic entertainment mediums are simply too tempting. Again, how much is too much?

Do we suffer when when we don't engage the physical world because it's simply too boring or involves too much work? I think so - translate this to young humans who are crafting their view of this world while I again ask: Is this much television/gadgetry immersion a good thing?

You answer...
[/INDENT]So while I see the massive explosion of benefits of television and other electronic media forms, I also see the risk - the risk of over indulgence. If I were to make a stand on this issue now, it'd be this: While we pet ourselves for our technological integration, let's not forget that for all things there are risks, and not forget the pitfalls associated with this one.

Thanks for the contributions guys - many good comments.

1 Reply

@Khethil,

Khethil;125251 wrote:

- translate this to young humans who are crafting their view of this world while I again ask: Is this much television/gadgetry immersion a good thing?

You answer...

It seems youth who are completely engrossed in their gizmos are, for the most part, quite technologically adept. Or can atleast pick up a remote, game controller, phone, what ever it may be, and figure out how to operate it within a few minutes. The more they use it, the more proficient they become. This goes for the internet as well. The rate of technological progression is on a constant climb, so as years progress I think this will become more important than "traditional" intellegence and knowledge. Proliferation of technology is apparent, and if you don't stay up to date, you're knowledge and skill with electronics falls behind, I know mine does.

The ability to operate technology seems to be more important now than understanding exactly what it does.

Do I think it's a good thing? No. Social interaction, physical exercise, reading, are all too important to me personally. Maybe at 21, I'm becoming "old school." Wink

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