Looking through the TV screen

Lately, when I meet someone new or catch up with an old friend, the question that pops up in my head after the good old, “How are you?”, and “What's new with you? “ is "Watch anything new?"

How indecorous right? It turns out that an entire generation of the human population has an insatiable need to know what the other person is currently binging. This information further leads them to momentarily surmise their entire personality and in most cases possibly define the course of the conversation.

Media culture has been ruling over us since the 2000s. and tv shows have become an anchor of self-knowledge. During the pandemic, people found a way to continue living through the media screen.

You are what you watch!

You see, TV shows are no longer just a source of entertainment. It is a carefully crafted universe that coaxes our thinking, entices our political preferences, starts a trend, or speaks volumes about a person based on their favorite tv show or characters.

The informative and explorative contents of these TV shows help people express their identity better and give them a chance to express themselves in terms of a character or icon they relate to. It unveils the viewers to an entirely new culture that supports and condones its conventions or beliefs.

Propaganda Propaganda Propaganda!

TV shows are often used to publicize a product or a point of view.

Did you know that the searches for "french" have increased by 47 % after the hit tv show Emily in Paris was aired? and there is an Emily in Paris tour in the French capital? Since The Queen’s Gambit premiered this October, chess sets have been selling out everywhere. Rather disturbingly, when Breaking Bad got popular, so did crystal meth – there is a 400% surge in smuggling of the drug.

Devil Needs Must

The depiction of violence, blood, and gore can have serious psychological repercussions on youth. Some people can get so immersed in fictional universes that it becomes difficult for them to distinguish between what is real and what is not. It replaces more enlightening ways of spending time. It’s also a matter of concern that the shows are imbibing wrong values that are destroying the cultural fabric of our society.

It's a dumbed-down instant gratification culture and the subjective qualification of whether tv is good or bad is beyond me. I enjoy a good tv show as much as the next person, for the information, exposure, and escape.

Reference

https://www.encyclopedia.com/arts/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/televisions-impact-american-society-and-culture