Advantages and disadvantages of TV

Advantages and disadvantages of TV
Advantages of TV
1. It can act as a very useful general source of information. You can watch the news on
television and see what is happening currently. You can watch history, travel, nature,
biography documentaries. Essentially, TVs can supply an almost endless flow of factual
information.
2. It can be a source of entertainment. Television can deliver comedies, drama, movies,
sports, and children's programs. Over the years, program makers have near-perfected
the art of producing watchable shows and a whole industry has built up around the
medium. Viewers now have more choice than at any time before, with a huge archive of
programs backing up current material.
3. It helps us with our everyday lives. Television gives us practical information such as
weather forecasts. It gives us information on how to do all sorts of things, such as buy
and decorate a house, cook meals, and where to travel to.
4. As well as a source of general information, TV can also give students more in-depth
educational information, which they can use to complete their school and college
courses effectively.
5. The video and audio format can sometimes be the best way of conveying certain
information. Watching the news, or see a movie on television, for instance, can
sometimes be a more powerful experience than reading about it online, or in a
newspaper, or book.
6. TVs generally have bigger screens than any other device. This usually makes them
the best way to play games, or watch movies and videos. It also means that they can be
very social, with the entire family sitting to watch a movie, or a group of friends gathering
to watch a sporting event.
7. It is generally a tightly controlled and regulated medium. Unlike the internet, for
instance, where it is possible to stumble across pornography, fraudulent adverts, or
disturbing images, Television normally provides safe viewing for children and families
during the daytime and early evening.

Woman watching TV. Television viewing peaked in the 1980s. Computers, tablets, cellphones and the
internet have gradually eaten into the market, resulting in a reduction in TV viewing. | Source

Disadvantages of TV
1. The commercials can be very disruptive and irritating and can undermine the
enjoyment of programs, especially if there are too many of them, or they are too
frequent. Repeated commercials can also be irritating.
2. Traditional television lacks a certain amount of flexibility in the internet age, where a
viewer can often choose from a wide range of programs online and watch them at the
times that suit them. You can't pause traditional programming either, if you need to take
a break.
3. TV can sap your time and end up being a passive excuse for being lazy, if you're not
careful. Phenomena such as channel surfing show how easy it is slip into an apathetic
state of mind. While it is often certainly relaxing, it is not necessarily a very productive
use of time, especially if overindulged in.
4. Television can influence society negatively as well as positively. Violence, sex, and
crime shows can all attract viewers, but they don't necessarily make for a healthy and
positive society.
5. TV is relatively easy for oppressive governments to control. They can dictate what
news and information their citizens have access to. Television can therefore be used as
a means of social and political control (although this has been undermined to some


degree in the modern age, with the introduction of the internet, which is less easy to
control).