So can someone explain to me why when they talk on the news about the amount of hours we spend watching TV it is ALWAYS viewed as a negative thing, we're called 'TV Addicts' and the assumption is TV is bad for us and we are all ignorant couch potatoes?

So why is watching superbly produced and informative TV like Human Planet, Wonders of the Universe and Top Gear a bad thing, yet reading books is always seen as a good thing?

So why is reading Dick Francis or Harry Potter seen as a more useful and intelligent way of spending our leisure hours?

I'm finding I'm reading less and watching more and more really interesting and visually stunning TV since switching to HD - and yet I have the guilts for not reading as much?

I personally think quality TV expands my mind and provides a much more decent entertainment than reading a book. Don't they say a picture is worth a thousand words????

And I also find watching people like Brian Cox on TV much easier to understand than trying to read books by Stephen Hawkins.

Anyway, rant over

quote:

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Originally posted by Jasper
So can someone explain to me why when they talk on the news about the amount of hours we spend watching TV it is ALWAYS viewed as a negative thing, we're called 'TV Addicts' and the assumption is TV is bad for us and we are all ignorant couch potatoes?

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I'd write a witty, cogent and intelligently argued response to this but I've got to go- Jeremy Kyle is on the telly.

Jasper

You are so right, and i probably fall into the same catergry, i even have a TV in the garage, and either have sport or discovery channels on,
and as for reading, i really only do that when away with the caravan

However i DO NOT WATCH SHIT LIKE
im a fu8k wit get me out of here
deal or no deal
come dine with me
house hunt

and all the other day time shite, that has real people in, that are so boring, they have to go on TV to get a life hahahah

As for Brian Cox, brilliant, he really does have a pleasent nature, and is very easy to listen to

JAMES............................................

Interesting comments.

I find I'm actually watching less and less TV and being very selective about what I do spend time watching. Human Planet, Wonders of the Universe and TG are all on my list, but currently there's not much else TBH (although I did get sucked into watching the Borat movie last night on C4 - very amusing). I usually read for 1/2hr in bed before going to sleep as I find it clears my head of the daily dross + it's the only real quiet time I seem to get.

I also can't think of an example where the film of a book has exceeded the book (assuming you read the book first).

Not HD yet either, will probably wait until the TV or Digibox packs up before bothering.

Best of both worlds

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Why-Does-mc2-Brian-Cox/dp/0306819112/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1299590167&sr=1-1

Actually a very good book.

i think there are two points to this.

The traditional view is that TV is a fairly passive medium, you are given pictures sounds, voices, characters everything dropped into your lap.

reading requires co-creation on the part of the reader, as its only a partial source so the experience is in theory more richly rewarding as you are involved in it directly.

the other point is one that you illustrate very well with the examples you give. namely that there is good telly and bad, good books and bad books.

some books might be mildly diverting, and pass an hour or so, and so may some telly.

on the other hand some books might change your life. maybe less likely with TV? given the passive nature of consumption.

i wouldnt feel bad about it. life's too short.

Do you really hear that argument anymore? 5-10 years ago, maybe, then yes, it was said a lot. But from what I've read, people now browse the net more than watch TV.

So isn't it slightly irrelevent to call us TV addicts when there's something we do more?


P.S. We have a DVD player but don't watch TV in my house. Saves a load on the TV licence (although I actually think it's cheap at ~£140 for that many hours entertainment) and more to the point we have better things to do with our time. Like kickboxing (as a minimum we train 3 nights a week plus Sundays), socialising, DIY or even occasionally, talking to each other!

Cheers,
James

Very relevent to modern society IMO:


http://www.thedailymash.co.uk/news/science-%26-technology/everything-boring-except-computers-201103083605/

quote:

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Originally posted by Jasper
So why is watching superbly produced and informative TV like Human Planet, Wonders of the Universe and Top Gear a bad thing, yet reading books is always seen as a good thing?

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Not sure about books being more likely to change your life than TV. I think if a subject grabs you, and goes on to have a profound effect on what you do / how you live, the method of delivery is probably irrelevant.

On a slightly different note... Why would a soap opera on radio 4 such as The Archers, be any less pointless and mind numbing than Eastenders, Coronation Street etc? I personally have nothing to do with any of them but so often hear the 'middle classes' moaning about how dreadful main-stream TV (soaps in particular) is, but apparently are perfectly happy to listen to the same kinds of drivel broadcast by their beloved Radio 4.

quote:

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Originally posted by James
Do you really hear that argument anymore? 5-10 years ago, maybe, then yes, it was said a lot. But from what I've read, people now browse the net more than watch TV.

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I like TV and I look books.

I dont really see the two as competition.

Years ago I read the Howard Marks book, MR Nice. I loved it, I loved how such a clever bloke (PHD in nuclear physics), turned his back on it all and smuggled drugs. I watched the film last year, it was dog shit. missed huge amounts of relevant information out, im guessing due to budget constraints . many many locations which would have been costly.

I love human plant, the solar system thing with Brian Cox, just finished watching the first season of boardwalk empire and I couldnt live without the news (even though Ive already read the news on the internet come 6pm).

this week I read the new bernie ecclestones book, I have a new hero now, you would need 12, 1 hour episodes to serialise it - so it couldnt be done.

I believe TV offers small snippets of information, where as books give me the indepth knowledge. I dont believe brian cox could make a single series of 6 episodes covering all the information contained in one of stephen hawkings books (maybe not even a chapter). TV also removes the need to be imaginative as it gives us pictures of charchters and places etc. but reduced imagination must be tied to reduced creativity (maybe not, but I would have thought so)

however when bringing the internet into the equation I think we introduce a new problem, information is now in snippets and the way we consume those snippets of information is throwaway, you read the info an forget it, knowing you can go back and get it if required. I dont know if this is good or bad but im sure people wont 'remember' information like they have in the past.

just my 2pence

quote:

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Originally posted by daviep
Reading is a skill which is useful in our lives and we become better at with practice.

Reading helps us to improve our spelling and grammar.

Reading is probably better at expanding our vocabulary.

Reading a book allows us to absorb information better due to being able to re-read any parts which we do not pick up first time, and doesn't need to be dumbed down or condensed to fit in a time slot.

For me I'd much rather read a book than watch the TV, I've been staying in a hotel for the last week and haven't even turned the TV in the room on yet but I have spent a lot of time on LCB's and read two books.

Just my opinion

Davie

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If it weren't for a book this forum wouldn't be here. Don't think nearly as many people were inspired by "Build a Sports car" or "Top Jeer " or other similar TV programs to actually build a car so maybe books are better for you.

I think you guys might be missing my point here, I'm certainly not saying TV / Film is better than books, just that TV can be educational, inspiring and informative as well as entertaining and I wish the media wouldn't lump me in with morons watching hours of soaps and crap reality stuff.

I still love reading and when it comes to reference/instruction/manuals etc they are completely unbeatable.

I agreed with you, the two go hand in hand nowadays along with the internet.

I dont think i could live without all 3

but will the internet replace physical books?

I love to read books (sometimes using Kindle on my phone!) and usually have one on the go at any time. I also watch TV, but I'm very selective. I do too much internet! So, I agree with the OP - I object to being lumped in with the 'dumb masses' by the media!

I also get annoyed when the media generalise about other things, e.g. the recent bandwagon of "people waste too much food" - no, we waste very little in our house, buying enough for our needs and using just about all of it. We've seen quite a few other examples.

Brian Cox series is good

This is much better

Cox & Sagan in the same song

[Edited on 8/3/11 by Benzine]

I agree entirely with your sentiments, Jasper, and extend them to computer games . Something else I do that many others might view as indicating I have some kind of problem - especially at my old age (31). Having said that, whilst I'd rank a deep, involving game packed with imagination, story, characters, and where it trumps other mediums - interaction, right up there with a fantastic book, I'd very rarely consider TV to be quite as rewarding. All I ever watch are decent documentaries, bit of Top Gear and, religiously every month, the Sky at Night (Patrick Moore will never die!), although my wife is addicted to cooking shows and I dont mind watching them with her from time to time.

I watch an awful lot of TV, mostly docs on Discovery and the like, but also there are some great things on BBC4 and Sky arts.
It has given me a very wide general knowledge base.

There has been a lot of debate about how technology is killing childrens interest in reading and books. Personally, since I've had my HTC Desire I've read more book on the kindle app in the last 3 months than I have in the last 10 years.

Only problem is you don't get the book to put them on your shelf unless anyone knows how to print kindle books out.

I'm in the camp thats reading more books and watching less telly and everything has probably already been said.
One thing I haven't spotted so far, but which I refuse to read through again and check, is that noone has pointed out that Tv told you to stop watching tv and read more books.

As with all art forms and comunication in general there are good and bad uses, the difference is, unless your in a book club, awful books aren't plumbed into your house. Tv has the potential to show things and teach things that would be wildly impractical to do any other way and also creates alot of shared experiences, ask people your age about there memories and they'll likely remember the same sort of Tv as you.