Essay on Television the idiot box in the house for Class 12, Mains Exam (UPSC, PSC, SSC)
Television the idiot box in the house Essay : The invention of television by a young 21-year-old innovator Philo Taylor Farnsworth on 7 September 1927 in San Francisco, USA, brought about a paradigm shift in the way the entire civilization works. The concept of consuming entertainment in the comfort of living rooms was an alien concept prior to the advent of television. India witnessed a mass production of television after three decades after the first demonstration of working electric television. Its advent was widely accepted as a medium of transmitting information through national channels like the Doordarshan launch on air on 15, September 1959. However soon it turned out to be a curse than a boon with people getting addicted to it leading to inactivity and ineffectiveness in people, hence the nickname, Idiot Box.
Discussion
Television despite its usefulness like transmitting news about politics and sports, proving entertainment as a visual medium through reality shows like Indian Idol has earned itself the nickname of ‘Idiot Box.’
The name has been very correctly attributed to the electronic device for its non-interactiveness and non-responsiveness of television. It only offers passive participation which makes children idle and lazy.
Most parents are anxious about their children’s increasing television viewing time because:
i) Wastage of time: Children are getting too occupied in viewing television, losing time for academics, sports and exploring creative activities like indulging in arts and crafts, music and dance. The time wasted by watching television can be spent using it productively for acquiring skills such as developing and improving writing skills.
iii) Increase in diseases: Diseases like diabetes and eyesight problems are at an all-time high.
Television viewing is a passive activity during which children tend to consume snacks. Lack of physical mobility and exercise has led to increasing in patients of diabetes. A survey conducted by Pharmeasy reveals that about 98,000 school-going students suffer from Type1 Diabetes.
Eyesight problems such as myopia refer to shortsightedness or difficulties in seeing objects in a long distance. According to government surveys, 41% of school-going children under the age of 18 suffer from myopia.
IV) Deprives children of time to acquire social and language skills: This is contrary to popular notion, despite the television being a medium of communication, it is a hindrance for children to go out in the real world and interact with the surroundings. Children below the age of six are in a learning curve of social interactions. Television provides a fabricated version of social interaction that is far from reality.
Conclusion
To surmise, television is a double-edged sword which needs to be controlled in contradiction to be controlled by it. It is a medium through which people can communicate, transmit information and consume entertainment. It can be a source of creativity, developing the imaginative faculty however its negatives are more drastic than its positives. Watching television beyond check has led to an increase in diseases like diabetes, myopia and even cognitive problems such as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).
FAQs
Q1. When was television invented?
Ans: The invention of television by a young 21-year-old innovator Philo Taylor Farnsworth on 7 September 1927 in San Francisco, USA, brought about a paradigm shift in the way the entire civilization works.
Q2. When was television mass-produced in India?
Ans: Its advent was widely accepted as a medium of transmitting information through national channels like the Doordarshan launch on air on 15, September 1959. However soon it turned out to be more of a curse than a boon with people getting addicted to it leading to inactivity and ineffectiveness in people, hence the nickname, Idiot Box.
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