Advice and Support from Thousands of Users Just Like You

TV Is TV an art form or a "vast wasteland"? Share your thoughts on the hits and misses of today's television programming.

Reply
 
LinkBack Thread Tools
pinz pinz is offline
pinz's Avatar

pinz is away for a bit ... HAVE FUN.

Veteran

Join Date: Jun 2008

Posts: 2,354

See profile



Consider that the tell-a-vision has only been 'in our homes' in North America since the 1950's. Consider how it has shaped and manipulated our minds, and our children and now our grandchildren's minds. Our collective consciousness, our memory maps, even our unconscious. It has amplified our high points - remember the first Beatle performance - our low points- the day JFK or Martin Luther King were shot - and so it continues - we 'watch'.


Now this Medusa Media Marvel is AMPLIFIED by additional technology so that we, the former 'spectators', are increasingly becoming the 'players'... note the poliferation of 'reality shows' where 'everyday' contestents ' act out their 'fantasies', their 'triumphs' and 'tragedies'.


Increasingly, we believe that we only exist if we are ON TV. Witness Youtube etc. We shoot video through our cellphones and post to our blogs ... We BELONG.


Question is: is this incessant desire to BE on TV of ANY real value? Wouldn't it be better and BEST if we just turned to our neighbours and engaged in genuine 'LIFE'?
- June 4th, 2008, 07:37 am
Digg this Post!Add Post to del.icio.usBookmark Post in TechnoratiFurl this Post!Share on Facebook

#1   Reply With Quote
siren siren is offline
siren's Avatar

siren This wheel's on fire, rolling down the road

Enthusiast

Join Date: Mar 2008

Posts: 880

See profile



I disagree entirely. No one I know wants to be on TV. But I think TV has matured tremendously since the fifties. Firefly, Joshua, Big Love, Arrested Development, Boston Legal, Battlestar Gallactica, Dexter,Deadwood, Ugly Betty, My Name is Earl,Psych-I could go on and on. There are SO many fantastic fantasies right there in your living room. Pretty cool. I think we're so lucky. Siren
- June 4th, 2008, 05:56 pm
Digg this Post!Add Post to del.icio.usBookmark Post in TechnoratiFurl this Post!Share on Facebook

#2   Reply With Quote
pinz pinz is offline
pinz's Avatar

pinz is away for a bit ... HAVE FUN.

Veteran

Join Date: Jun 2008

Posts: 2,354

See profile



Fair enough. Perhaps I should have said 'wants to be SEEN/HEARD on the internet', not TV, in that the internet is kinda the first born of tell-a-vision. The Net is the 'next generation' of TV, literally.


No?
- June 5th, 2008, 06:37 am
Digg this Post!Add Post to del.icio.usBookmark Post in TechnoratiFurl this Post!Share on Facebook

#3   Reply With Quote
kli1000 kli1000 is offline
kli1000's Avatar

kli1000 is at work.

Newbie

Join Date: Dec 2007

Posts: 48

See profile



I would say that TV is an art form, but given the ever expanding scope of the medium (more channels), it has become a cluttered "wasteland" where finding the true "art" is often hard when one has to sift through the rubbish.


TV has been and remains (even in the expanded cluttered scope) a very powerful medium. It can shape opinions and remains the most effective way to reach the "mass audience."


And the explosion of "reality tv" has more to do with economics and has been around since the advent of the medium (witness the various variety shows, talk shows, cops, etc.). Yes, it seems that almost every show is now a "reality" tv show, but it's expensive making "art" and TV is about the bottom line.


As for the "audience" becoming the "stars." You are correct, mass media (print, tv, radio, internet) have changed the definition of "celebrity." As a result, lots of deluded people want their 15 minutes of fame. However, it's my opinion that these folks are driven more by greed than by an inherent desire to "perform." They see the value of becoming a "celebrity" and the rewards that come with it (witness Omarosa and her resulting "career").


In the end, technology has helped us stay connected and even connect in ways we never imagined, but at the end of the day, we're still human beings and nothing can replicate actual human interaction and "life."
- June 5th, 2008, 04:39 pm
Digg this Post!Add Post to del.icio.usBookmark Post in TechnoratiFurl this Post!Share on Facebook

#4   Reply With Quote
pinz pinz is offline
pinz's Avatar

pinz is away for a bit ... HAVE FUN.

Veteran

Join Date: Jun 2008

Posts: 2,354

See profile



Well said Kli1000.


I was thinking further on this - how we increasingly 'imprint' to the scintillating screen instead of on an 'everyday' person. (Kind of like those migratory geese in 'Fly Away HOme' to the tri-lite...) (Or lemmings to the sea....) I call it the 'cyborg-ization of our civilization'. People are so impatient with 'living beings': everything has to be instant gratification and NOW, NOW, NOW. 'Lights, Camera, Click'.


On the other hand, there seems to be a tandem explosion of 'virtual' creative thought and exciting exploration that one could almost consider a 'REALITY Renaissance'. I say 'almost' because more then 80% is so very superficial and narcissitic: YouTube camera swipes here and there, or boring blogs that extol the last uni-puke ... So much rubbish. Even so, the remaining 20% really do represent 'new voices' , daring documentaries, engaging art and wit, visions of other places generally obscured from the main stream of thought.


For the curious mind, there is much to learn and 'see'.


Ultimately though, aside from the perpetual hit of the 'new', I agree that actual human interaction is The BEST. Yet, it's strange even then, how we 'distance' ourselves and revert to our solitary pursuits and CONSUME 'media' ... thru a variety of different venues ... It is a constant 'feed'. People, one on one, are increasingly 'not enough' it seems, so HUNGRY are we all for 'THE NEW'.


...


I was also wondering if anyone is aware, or can redirect, to any primary research that evaluates the actual change in the brain that occurs during heavy 'watching' and/or 'interacting' with 'screens'. There seems to be some preliminary work being done in England. I spoke with a well-informed documentary filmmaker recently and he said that he wasn't aware of any reseach being done AT ALL, ever. Kind of amazing when you consider how many HOURS, DAYS, MONTHS and YEARS of our lives are spent 'glued to the tubes' It's gotta be affecting our minds - and our 'evolution' profoundly. Both 'individually' and 'as a group'. Maybe the best place to start would be the manufacturers of the actual technology, the biggies, like Sony, Time-Warner, etc. Who else?


Thoughts?


- June 6th, 2008, 01:12 pm
Digg this Post!Add Post to del.icio.usBookmark Post in TechnoratiFurl this Post!Share on Facebook

#5   Reply With Quote

ADVERTISEMENT

Uncle Apple Uncle Apple is offline
Uncle Apple's Avatar

Pacesetter

Join Date: Jan 2008

Posts: 257

See profile



Neither. Think of tv as an open book, only no pages just moving amages and dialogue. Or think of it as a video viewer into another reality.
- September 11th, 2008, 04:36 pm
Digg this Post!Add Post to del.icio.usBookmark Post in TechnoratiFurl this Post!Share on Facebook

#6   Reply With Quote
Reply

Bookmarks

« King of the Hill | Array | home and away »
Thread Tools

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts
BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is On
Trackbacks are On
Pingbacks are On
Refbacks are On

Latest on our Dating Advice Discussion Boards

“The first lady I went out with after my divorce (well still separated going through the divorce at the time) initiated physical contact on our second date. On initiating the contact she said very ... ” – 6dle899

Join the “Do the "rules" for intimacy change once you've been married and divorced?” discussion

“You know, I would just call him back, let him know that you thought about what he said, and he has a good point, therefore you will be spending the holiday with your own family. Nice and light, and ... ” – Lilycat

Join the “Made plans for Thanksgiving, now he is unsure” discussion

“Hi Nman729, Just for clarification, here – it is a violation of eHarmony’s Terms and Conditions of Service to provide personal contact information in any form before Open Communication is reached. ... ” – eH_Advice_Host_Kate

Join the “matches dont respond/their profile says contact them on face book” discussion

“Gr8Guyn2008, I meant "Call EH Support!" 1. If you turn off your matching, no. 2. If you end your subscription, no. 3. If you close your account, the messages you sent to someone and your ... ” – Coca-Cola

Join the “FCW - Interesting Problem” discussion

“*hicccups* I like wine!” – PY_2

Join the “Alcohol and dating...” discussion

“Also late to this thread but glad I found it.Guy-as someone who has had several back and abdominal surgeries, due to a fall from 38' off a telephone pole (I was an installer for Ma Bell), who lost ... ” – RoxyRedhead

Join the “Intimacy After Accident” discussion

“Believe it or not I do sympathize with you. It's so incredibly hard to want to be with someone that you can't be with for whatever reason. I hope it works out.” – trixie1868

Join the “Is it a Lie or Not?” discussion

“Hi. I am going to assume here that you are American born and bred, and not of Polish extraction yourself. You are really going through some major cultural differences here, and you have some big ... ” – Lilycat

Join the “My boyfriend..My daughter..My confusion?!” discussion



All times are GMT -7. The time now is 01:27 pm.

Discussion Boards Archive

Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.1
Copyright ©2000 - 2009, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Search Engine Friendly URLs by vBSEO 3.3.0