Essays

In most homes, nowadays, we can expect to find at least one television set. Some more affluent homes have multiple television sets. A television set is no longer a luxury, it has become an essential part of our lives.

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 cricket match thousand of miles away by the mere flick of a remote, in full colour and high fidelity sound. News that took months to travel from one place to another now takes just a fraction of second, minus the distorting factor of human messengers. The impact of this improved communication on our lives is 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 o life. Never before did we have to face such a huge onslaught of information. Used with discretion, TV can provide us much knowledge. Used carelessly, TV can reduce us to non-thinking entities.

Even as a source of entertainment, TV is matchless. With the development of video equipments, the range of programmes available has become wide indeed. It provides hours of fun and enjoyment to young and old alike. Video games are wonderful tools for developing hand-eye coordination. On 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 to a person. One's vision can deteriorate and the thinking process can get so muddled up that one would not be able to think clearly.

Through the medium of TV manufactures are able to reach out to consumers more effectively. The advertisements on TV serve to inform the consumers about new products. However, nowadays we are literally overwhelmed by dozens of advertisement clips on TV all vouching how good their products are, A couple of clips in between programmes are welcome breaks, but to watch clip after clip for more than five minutes at a stretch is just too much. What is worse, an advertisement clip coming on right in the middle of a programme is definitely an 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 slaughter house.

TV is an invaluable education tool. It enables the educational 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' at 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 at abandon, it can be a curse instead.