By Kirsty Coleman-
Regulating television is an important discipline every sensible human being must develop.
Television has its obvious benefits, like the news which informs us about the occurrences in our world. Occurrences we can also obtain from other sources like newspapers or online sites like this one or others, depending on one’s preferences. Technology has become addictive to humans; they are almost an inescapable part of our regular lives. Everywhere, people are glued to technology of some form, be it a mobile phone, a gaming device, a laptop or the television. But do these things make us truly happy?
A huge correlation between children’s negative behaviour and watching television is easy to see. It has happened to all parents or child carers out there. There are occasions when a parent may demand the attention of their child, only to find they can’t fully engage because their brain is absorbed in the television screen. Turn the television off and they instantly become aggressive. A blazing row may soon follow, when all the loving parent wanted to ask was if they wanted beans or peas with their dinner. Why exactly does technology affect humans this way? It is not just children who are affected by it, adults also become quickly consumed in it.
Watching the same soaps at certain times each day, having to finish that series you started; it creates a control over the human brain. Too much time spent watching television can cause delays in children’s cognitive development, leading to problems in later life, such as struggling to deal with emotions and social difficulties. More worrying is the fact that many people never discover long life ambitions on talents because they spend too much of their time in front of the television, watching other people’s successes instead of striving to achieve theirs.
In fact, horror films, and even some of these real life American criminal documentaries can contribute to deviant criminal behaviour for some children if exposed to them at an impressionable age. Some of these programmes offer life lessons, but when overdone, it can be potentially harmful.
CHEMICALS
There is evidence to support that watching television releases chemicals from the brain, hormones called ‘endorphins’, which make you feel good. If releasing these chemicals whilst watching television, releases ‘feel-good hormones’, our body is going to crave more television, right? This is why it can become addictive.
What do we know about addictions? Addiction is defined as, ‘the fact or condition of being addicted to a particular substance or activity’. Most people, including myself, will associate the word ‘addiction’, with some sort of substance abuse, whether it be drugs, alcohol, or cigarettes, but as the definition states it can relate to an activity too. We know this, because people can become addicted to anything, from obsessive cleaning, to shopping, from sex, to gambling. Addictions leave the brain constantly hungry for more, so it is worrying that we can become so easily addicted to television and other forms of technology, when the achievement is so small compared to what the human brain is capable of.
ADDICTIVE
My partner has a very addictive personality and also suffers with depression and anxiety. When he is struggling with either of these, he automatically becomes consumed in technology, a natural barrier to try and take his mind away from thinking. Anyone who has met him wouldn’t think that he is the “type”, to sit watching hours of television programmes, scrolling through social media feeds, or searching for obscure things to watch on YouTube; when he isn’t having to deal with his depression and anxiety, he is full of energy, creativity, positivity, and nothing can stop him from striving to achieve. His actions of resorting to immersing into mind-numbing technology does not help him to become free of the low feelings he is experiencing, it merely supports the idea that even though watching television releases endorphins, which can make us feel good, it is not the answer to true happiness, nor is it a good thing to become engrossed in.
Television is too accessible these days, and I say too accessible, because there is not a second in the day or night, where it is impossible to watch television, and the choice isn’t limited either like it previously was. You can choose to binge watch a new Netflix series all weekend if you wish. Is this healthy? Some might argue that if watching television releases endorphins and makes you feel good, then there is no harm. The fact is no addiction is good for the mind, particularly long-term, because it leaves humans unable to concentrate elsewhere and incapable of developing naturally.
RELIANCE
The reliance on television is unhealthy and although there are plenty of educational programmes streamed, watching television doesn’t stimulate the mind in the same way as reading, or exercising, or painting. The mind can wander and lose concentration easily when watching television, and whilst it can do this during focused activities too, there is a greater reward by participating in a focused activity, perhaps the feeling of accomplishment, and so it brings attention back to the activity itself because we want to progress. Watching television is not an accomplishment. It leads people to neglect other parts of their brain.
If the television was removed from our homes, it would force individual’s to do something else. It would broaden our options The longer one endures without watching television, the easier it becomes to find alternative things to engage . Interest in real life activities suddenly come to life. I rarely watch television now, as it is too easy to habitually finish work, eat my evening meal, and follow on to watch another episode of Ozark, and too easy to become addicted. I feel energised, I feel motivated, I feel creative again. Living in the real world rather than living in a box is more productive. There are times when I feel like relaxing and watching television, of course, as it is impossible to not have that feeling, but I make the choice to watch a nature programme, or a factual programme, or something which makes me laugh. It is more rewarding to be selective with what occupies the brain.
GENRES
Television has several genres; factual, comedy, horror, sci-fi . How much we soak in of we watch deserves deeper thought. Do the horror films which show brutal death, bad intentions and severe emotional distress, numb your feelings in regards to real-life events? Excessive television can normalise a habit that is only productive when we are learning something useful. Why are there age certificates on films? A young child would most likely get upset at viewing a very violent scene in a film, because it is wrong, and children are innocent. As adults, we don’t tend to get upset at these things in films anymore because we have seen them so many times as we have grown up and been introduced to them through film and media . We know it is acting.
However, we also know young minds are fragile and we must be careful with what we allow them to be exposed to, but we mustn’t forget that actually, adult minds are fragile too. An important reason why television really must be watched in moderation, bearing in mind that time spent investing in real life matters now is what counts most for the future.