ShmoopTube

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Television spread fast and has had some serious staying power since it first hit the scene… [Different televisions through the years]

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So kinda like malaria, but…way more fun. [Man swats a mosquito]

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Anyway, when we've got a technology as massively impactful as television, we know it's probably [Television at a buffet]

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made some huge cultural ripples along the way. [Giant TV lands on the Earth and creates shockwaves]

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We don’t go from 6,000 televisions in 1946 to 115,000,000 televisions in 2014 without [Televsions appearing all over the US]

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some important changes.

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But what were those changes?

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Were they good, were they bad, were they ugly? [TVs good, bad and ugly dressed in wild west costumes]

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Well…yes.

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All of the above.

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We’ll start with the bad and ugly news…

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Some say TVs have destroyed everything good in the world…

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They’ve rotted our children's brains, brains, brains… [TV shooting machine guns]

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And they led to global dumbness. [Planet Earth with arms tries to push open a door that says pull]

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Okay, maybe that's a little drastic…

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But tons of researchers and social critics have complained about the negative effects [Kids jumping around in front of a TV]

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of television over the years.

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But why?

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Well, for one thing, they say that all this negative news has made us all depressed. [Woman crying watching the TV]

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These days we hear about every major disaster the second after it happens. [Guy looks shocked at explosion on his TV]

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Every scary new scientific study is ours to know in an instant.

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Sure, all this stuff is happening, and being informed is always a good thing…

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But it can actually make us depressed, according to some psychological studies. [Psychologist taking notes as woman cries watching TV]

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Plus, news coverage has tended to be increasingly negative and sensationalist over the years.  [Woman holding papers at a news desk]

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Here's another fun fact…

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People who watch TV all day, probably aren’t running any marathons. [Man eating fast food watching TV]

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Some researchers have shown strong links between increased TV-viewing and obesity rates, surprise surprise.

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Partly that's related to the fact that TV-watching involves a lot of sitting…

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But TV ads for junk food might also contribute. [Group of people watching TV on a sofa]

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Teachers and researchers have also argued that kids are just not paying attention like

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they used to, because of the passive entertainment that TV offers. [Kid watching TV on a tablet]

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But not everybody thinks that TV is turning us all into zombies. [Zombie switches the TV and starts eating a brain]

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Let's check out the good news…

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Some point out the serial dramas, in particular, have gotten more and more sophisticated in

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recent years and are completely worthy of academic study. [Man watching TV and taking notes]

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TV can also be informative, as stated earlier, introduce us to new ideas, stir our creativity,

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awaken our imagination, and encourage us to ask questions about the world around us. [Kid inquisitively watching TV]

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And certain TV shows have excellent portrayals of minority groups that have been ostracized

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in the past.

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So see?

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It's not all that bad.

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But there's also an argument out there that television encourages people to stay inside [Street is empty as everyone is inside watching TV]

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and stare at a talking box rather than go out and being part of their communities.

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People say that TV reduces social involvement and increases isolation. [Woman sat on her own]

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Whatever, we don't care...

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We’ve got plenty of friends…there's Joey, Phoebe, Rachel, Ross, Monica, and Chandler. [The cast of Friends appears on the TV]

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Why would we need any more?

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