Short Essay on The Uses and Abuses of Television

In most homes nowadays we can expect to find at least one television set each. Some more affluents haye mole than one. A television set is no longer a. luxury, it has become a common part of living.

The uses of TV (television) are many. As a means of communication, there is virtually nothing to match it. With it, we can watch a football match thousands of miles away by the more flick of a switch, in full colour and high fidelity sound. News that took months to travel from one place to another now takes just a fraction 011a second, and minus the distorting factor of human messengers. The impact of this improved communication on our lives are great indeed, We are not only better informed of current events all over the world but we are also exposed to a multitude of different cultures and ways of life. Never before did we have to face such a huge onslaught of information. Used with discretion, TV can provide us with much knowledge,.Used carelessly, TV can reduce us to non-thinking entities.

As a source of entertainment, again TV is matchless. With the development of video equipment, the range of programmes available is wide indeed. It provides hours of fun and enjoyment for young and old alike. The video comes are wonderful tools for developing hand-eye coordination Oh the whole, the usefulness of TV as a source of entertainment and recreation is undoubted. The danger lies in the possibility of addiction to TV. We do have TV addicts who virtually do nothing but watch TV all day long. This prolonged watching does not do any good for the addict. His vision can deteriorate and his thinking process can be so mucldlia7upihat he would not be able to think clearly.

Via TV, manufacturers are able to reach out to consumers more effectively. The advertisements on TV serve to inform the consumers about new products. However, nowadays s we are literally overwhelmed by dozen of advertisement clips on TV all saying how good their product. A couple of Clips in between programmes are welcome breaks, watch clip after clip for more than at a stretch is just too much. What is worse, at advertisement of a programme is definitely abuse. It is like having something forced down our throats, in addition to the mental jolt we feel when the continuity of the programme is interrupted. Such tactics are tantamount to force-feeding, like ducks to be fattened for the slaughterhouse.

The TV is an invaluable educational tool. It enables the education planners to coordinate and inform the school children about the requirements of various subjects.

Elsewhere, TV is used both as a surveillance tool and an eye in inaccessible places. For example, in banks and other large commercial centres, TV serves to maintain security. In deep-sea exploration, TV is used to reach places where no man can go.

To go into details on every use and abuse of TV would require volumes of books. Suffice to say that TV is here to stay whether we like it or not. How we make use of this wonderful invention is entirely up to us. Used with care, it is a boon to mankind. Used carelessly it can be a curse instead.