TV's effect on US-More than you may think

So, everyone knows that television is an inherent part of our lives in the 21st century (for most of us in the developed world, anyways). What type of an effect does television have however, on populations, trends, economies, and nations in general?

Everyone seems to say that "tv is bad", but nontheless the average american home has the tv on for over 8 hours a day. 8 hours a day! We watch a lot of tv, to say the least. And now, as people in developing countries start to get more money, electricity, and spare time they want televisions as much as their counterparts in the developed world (West+ Japan, korea).

However, the tv is not all that bad in relation to globalization. TV increases uneducated people's knowledge about things such as the environment, politics, culture, through shows on channels like History and Discovery. Soap operas are said to be major factors in contributing to women's empowerment, changing of old social taboos, and other societal factors that may be outdated.

Best of all, it has been stated by Indian's minister of health that television reduces birthrates. Funny thing is that people get so hooked up into watching television that they forget to have sex. It is pretty fun, come to think about it. Yet in countries such as Yemen, India, and other where growing populations pose a serious threat to the nation's resources, television may be a method of slowing down the nation's birthrate. It also keeps people happy.

For the same reasons, television is a potential way of lowering consumerism. We are obsessed with consuming 'things', and now people in developing countries want the same thing. Some argue that getting tvs is consumerism in itself, and it is. Electricity demand skyrockets, power needs of an area increase. But it may pay off because once they have access to tv, people will spend more time watching their favorite soap operas than going out spending needlessly money on things they don't need= shopping, driving for fun, etc.

Detractors argue that this method will raise an entire generation of couch potatoes. This could be true, as in America it certainly has hooked nearly an entire generation on the miracle of the tv. However, people still do work and have jobs and merely use television as a pastime when they come back from work. This, however, is a legitimate concern and will have to be addressed.

For more information, refer to this:

Revolution in a Box. Foreign Policy Magazine. November 2009.
http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2009/10/19/revolution_in_a_box?page=0,0