Tv Television Addiction example essay topic

TV Addiction Marie Winn makes a convincing argument that watching too much television can be considered an addiction. Television has become a way of life for most families. Television viewing is so overwhelmingly prevalent nowadays that living without TV is often considered an extreme deprivation. TVs are everywhere, whether you are in a hospital, auto shop, or in the dentist's office, there's always a television by the waiting area. It's a useful tool to help you from the boredom of waiting. Sure, people got other things to do and there are magazines lying around the table but people are more intrigue on what they see on the Jerry Springer Show.

Television has been a part of most Americans' lives and many spend hours of their daily life being in front of the tube. Marie Winn says that excessive television viewing is an addictive drug. Someone who is addicted or hooked psychologically believes that they cannot function without it. I actually agree that television is addicting because it is very similar like drugs or alcohol. In this essay, I will compare television viewing with that of drug use in regards to addiction. I will discuss how they are a lot similar and also different.

Being addicted to something can lead to dependence. Alcohol and marijuana are drugs that are commonly used and abused in the United States. If one abuses alcohol for too long and becomes dependent, they are considered an alcoholic or addicted to alcohol. Consuming a heavy amount can lead to a coma or even death. Drugs and alcohol are addictive because it leaves natural feel good chemicals in the brain and people just can't get enough of it. This is the similar to that of watching television, it is comforting and it makes you feel good.

The only difference is that when individuals stop drinking or doing drugs, they undergo withdrawal symptoms like anxiety, tremors, sweating, weakness and depression. It affects their lives and also people around them. In comparison to drugs or alcohol, excessive television viewing is not that damaging. Stopping yourself from watching television actually has a positive influence over people because they switch to more productive and wholesome activities than just sit around the couch and be on the tube all day.

Some drug addicts use drugs as a medicine. They often use drugs to take the edge off stressful situations. Most of us use television as a tool to relax our minds after a hard day from work. Both TV and drugs have a similar effect on people by giving them satisfaction, relaxation, entertainment and putting them at ease. Drugs are a lot similar to television because it gives us temporary relief and relaxation.

With drugs or alcohol, when the high fades, users want to get that high again. Same thing with television, people get so accustomed to having it, they can't stop wanting it. Once you are hooked on the program you are watching, you just can't miss watching and wanting more. Alcoholics or drug addicts lead a damaged life both socially and emotionally. It prevents users from maintaining relationships with their family and friends. Watching too much television has a negative effect on people's lives.

When viewers stare at the tube, it hardly requires any sort of interaction with others, so the viewers are less social with others. In many cases, television can lead to less quality time for most families. Families now spend more time watching television than engage in meaningful conversations with one another. "It weakens relationships by reducing and sometimes eliminating normal opportunities for talking, for communicating".

^1 (582) The personal connection between families is lost. It is a lot similar with drug use because users tend to isolate themselves and lose their sense of "belonging" when they are using. Prolonged users are likely to get depressed and become lonesome. Also, they try not to be seen in public when they are using.

Being on the tube most of the time prevents viewers from completing their goals or accomplishes their tasks. It can be detrimental to a person's intellectual development because it hardly requires brain activity. With comparison to drugs, it's proven that it kills some of your brain cells and it can dramatically decline user's creativity and imagination. With television, most viewers watch sitcoms or any program that has no educational value. Majority of the viewers just like to be entertained, only some of the intellectual people would want to watch the news or any educational programs. As numerous studies have shown^2, most people who watch a lot of television are less fit and unhealthy.

How might viewing the tube lead to being unhealthy? One reason could be called the "couch potato hypothesis" where viewers sit, immobile, watching a screen instead of doing something else that requires physical activity like reading books or doing their homework. People are likely to indulge themselves on fatty foods when they are watching television. They usually eat fatty foods like popcorn, potato chips or pizza. Most men even have a six pack of beer in combination with the junk food they are eating. The media can also be influential to eating because numerous ads on TV are mostly about food.

Most people depend on television to entertain and also to get information on current events. Having a television set in the home has become very vital in today's society. Although Winn argues that excessive television viewing has a negative effect on people, it can be a valuable tool in today's households. If used properly or moderately, it can provide a wide range of valuable information and keeps viewers informed on current events. People can do exercises while watching television to help reduce the likelihood of being unhealthy. Families should also make an effort in improving relationships with one another by avoiding being in front of the tube and try to do more fun leisure time activities in the household like playing board games or a game of charades.

WORK CITED^1 Winn, Marie. "TV Addiction". The Writer's Presence. Ed. McQuade / At wan. Boston, MA: Bedford / St Martin's, 2000.

^2 Parker, Randall. "Drug Legalization, TV Watching, Laziness, Sex, Obesity" Para pundit. September 28, 2004.