Humankind
is conquered by television. Never in history has so
much humanity collectively surrendered so much of its
time to this magic box. In an increasing number of countries,
people have spent more time watching television than
their total lifetime working hours. The so-called “armchair
theatre” or “armchair cinema” has provided modern men
and women with information and entertainment no other
mass media can possibly match. Indeed, its influence
is so great that it has come more or less to shape the
life style of modern men and women. A welcome and wonderful
invention is now unfortunately growing into a vehicle
for profitable over-advertising and the spread of unwholesome
or harmful stuff like sex and violence. The author is
presenting all the adverse effects TV has on American
culture. This, of course, is only one side of the picture,
and should not lead to the conclusion that television
is an evil force in modern civilization. Television
can be used to its best advantage if the men behind
the screen aim at serving the public interests.
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