Blog Post #6

In class, we did presentations about different technologies and dove into the timelines and when they were created. We looked into their advancements and how far they have come since they were introduced into the world. I could sit here and blog for hours about the impact of social media on our society. To me, that is the easiest topic to talk about. There is so much that can be said. I want to focus on the impact of television.

Television was invented in 1927 and created by 21-year-old inventor, Philo Taylor Farnsworth. The average American family watches TV for 8 hours per day. Now, some may be advocates for limiting television time and promoting physical communication with the people around them. But the thing is, television is a huge part of communication within itself. It’s important to know this generation already relies on technology for travel of communication. I think so much can be learned from television. Aside from entertainment, it plays on our emotions and sparks immediate conversation. I can feel and understand the characters in a movie or TV show. I can step into their perspective and emotionally invest in their situations. I think that’s extremely powerful. We can also learn so much from these programs. They are informative and cause us to think about things we wouldn’t normally think about. We are taken into real-life situations (can be dramatized), but we can see what life is like through another person.

Television sparks conversation and connection. Some shows will provide a hashtag on the bottom screen to allow viewers to talk live online about their opinions and views on the program. Television also allows us to connect with people we don’t know. When your meeting someone for the first time, what TV shows they watch as well as movies, spark such great natural, raw conversation. People become vulnerable to sharing their passionate views over a show. The way TV connects people is truly amazing.

Physical communication is important, but it is also important to acknowledge the good it does for us.