Television Programming
In your own personal experience, have you watched television to find yourself emotionally invested in the characters and plot? Have you ever experienced something in reality and thought "I feel like I am in a movie", or wanted to do something in reality that was featured on television? As a matter of fact, these forms of entertainment have been engineered for the observer to remain engaged. Why is it that so much money and time is invested into these television series and movies? Have you ever considered that the consciousness of individuals, let alone the masses, may become vulnerable to social "norms" presented on television? What effect does television programming have on individuals and the greater society?
"We accept the reality with which we are presented."
The Truman Show
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"Television programming" is exactly what is happening when the observer is passively watching television. It is apparent that the psyche of the viewer can become susceptible after constantly being bombarded by various auditory and visual stimuli, seemingly identical to reality, from television programming over the course of a lifetime, when large populations of people repeat behaviors as seen on television.
It is not too far of a stretch to state that what is generally viewed on television is the politically-correct, public relations, or general consensus version of what is to be expected to be a rational behavior. The opinion of the viewer can be influenced by television shows; telling us how to act in relationships, how to make and who a friendship, who to hate, who to judge, and how to trust your neighbor and government. |
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A Hidden Addiction
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (2015), nearly 80% of Americans spend 2.78 hours per day watching television, compared to only 38% of Americans spending a mere 40 minutes per day socializing and communicating, and even less, about 20% of Americans spending not even 20 minutes per day participating in sports, exercise and recreation. While the motives for people watch television may vary, it is evident that watching television is the most popular form of leisure in the United States.
There are various types of behaviors that can become addictions; Sussman (2012), has identified 16 different categories that addiction may fall into, which are as follows: Drugs, Food-related, Compulsive anti-social behavior (e.g., aggression), Technology/communications related (e.g., videogames, television), Gambling, Working, Social group-related (e.g., sex, love, platonic relationships), Physical attractiveness-focused (e.g., tanning, cosmetic surgery), Fantasizing (e.g., isolation, laziness), Exercise-related, Spiritual obsession, Pain seeking (e.g., self-mutilation, skin picking), Shopping, Thrill/adventure seeking, Hoarding (e.g., small collectables), and Voyeurism (e.g., celebrity or other idolization, gossiping). About 10% of American's admit that they have an addiction to television (Sussman, & Moran, 2013).
Essentially, when you watch television, the brain releases endorphins into the nervous system, causing a euphoric effect. Similar to opiates, such as heroin, endorphins are habit forming and addictive. Similar to substance use disorder, addiction to television may exhibit dependence-like features. As seen in drug withdrawal, there may be a need to increase the amount of time watching television to achieve the desired emotional effect; and/or, there may be urges to continue the behavior when attempting to stop; and/or, the behavior occurs over a longer period than was intended; and/or, there is a persistent desire or unsuccessful effort to cut down or control the behavior; and/or, important social, occupational, or recreational activities are given up or reduced, etc. Shortly after the advent of television, early researcher Meerlo (1954), suggests that watching television is "food for the senses" and may lead to generalized apathy, neglect of responsibilities, negativism, and fantasy. But what is it that causes television addiction?
As with other addictions, the behavior may stem from neurobiological and social learning processes. McIlwraith (1998), found that individuals with high levels of anxiety, searching to use television as a distraction from unpleasant thoughts, may lead to television addiction. According the the Media Systems Dependency (MSD) Theory, individuals insecure of their identity, relationships or environment may become reliant on media. According the the Uses and Gratifications Theory, individuals that choose to watch television are searching to fulfill certain needs, such as: diversion (e.g., escape and release), personal relationships (e.g., substituting people for the television), personal identity (e.g., reinforcing values, attitudes), and surveillance. It should be noted that watching television, and any behavior for that matter, to escape reality may facilitate addiction. While these two theories based on different assumptions, both theories account for the following motives for watching television: learning, connection, and entertainment. While these motives are not necessarily problematic, the ability of television to satiate these needs may predispose an addictive behavior to vulnerable individuals.
There are various types of behaviors that can become addictions; Sussman (2012), has identified 16 different categories that addiction may fall into, which are as follows: Drugs, Food-related, Compulsive anti-social behavior (e.g., aggression), Technology/communications related (e.g., videogames, television), Gambling, Working, Social group-related (e.g., sex, love, platonic relationships), Physical attractiveness-focused (e.g., tanning, cosmetic surgery), Fantasizing (e.g., isolation, laziness), Exercise-related, Spiritual obsession, Pain seeking (e.g., self-mutilation, skin picking), Shopping, Thrill/adventure seeking, Hoarding (e.g., small collectables), and Voyeurism (e.g., celebrity or other idolization, gossiping). About 10% of American's admit that they have an addiction to television (Sussman, & Moran, 2013).
Essentially, when you watch television, the brain releases endorphins into the nervous system, causing a euphoric effect. Similar to opiates, such as heroin, endorphins are habit forming and addictive. Similar to substance use disorder, addiction to television may exhibit dependence-like features. As seen in drug withdrawal, there may be a need to increase the amount of time watching television to achieve the desired emotional effect; and/or, there may be urges to continue the behavior when attempting to stop; and/or, the behavior occurs over a longer period than was intended; and/or, there is a persistent desire or unsuccessful effort to cut down or control the behavior; and/or, important social, occupational, or recreational activities are given up or reduced, etc. Shortly after the advent of television, early researcher Meerlo (1954), suggests that watching television is "food for the senses" and may lead to generalized apathy, neglect of responsibilities, negativism, and fantasy. But what is it that causes television addiction?
As with other addictions, the behavior may stem from neurobiological and social learning processes. McIlwraith (1998), found that individuals with high levels of anxiety, searching to use television as a distraction from unpleasant thoughts, may lead to television addiction. According the the Media Systems Dependency (MSD) Theory, individuals insecure of their identity, relationships or environment may become reliant on media. According the the Uses and Gratifications Theory, individuals that choose to watch television are searching to fulfill certain needs, such as: diversion (e.g., escape and release), personal relationships (e.g., substituting people for the television), personal identity (e.g., reinforcing values, attitudes), and surveillance. It should be noted that watching television, and any behavior for that matter, to escape reality may facilitate addiction. While these two theories based on different assumptions, both theories account for the following motives for watching television: learning, connection, and entertainment. While these motives are not necessarily problematic, the ability of television to satiate these needs may predispose an addictive behavior to vulnerable individuals.
Negative Consequences of Watching Television
Evidence suggests that heavy television viewing can result in:
- political and/or social (e.g., racial stereotyping) biases and influencing purchasing behavior
- increased aggression or fear of being victimized
- attention and cognitive deficits (e.g., Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder)
- a potential negative impact on academic performance
- predicting later cigarette smoking
- sleep difficulties
- avoidance of relationship maintenance
- lower life satisfaction
- poorer body image among women
- sedentary lifestyle leading to lower aerobic fitness, obesity and metabolic syndrome
- greater body fat and higher body mass index (children 8-16 y.o. watching 4 or more hours of TV per day)
- lower life expectancy of 4.8 years (watching 6 hours of television per day)
Passive Learning - Influence on The Brain
Various studies have evaluated the impact that television viewing has on cognitive abilities, attention, behaviors, academic performance, and emotional development. Researchers have long-established that watching TV has been associated with lower intelligence quotient (IQ), impaired reading performance and verbal abilities, including verbal working memory (Takeuchi et al., 2013).
"My experience is what I agree to attend to"
William James
On the premise that passive learning is caught rather than taught, early researchers Krugman & Hartley (1969), set out to learn more about how watching TV is an effortless passive learning process that lays dormant, compared to dynamic learning which is active involving motivation, practice and achievement. Nonetheless, it is evident that one learns at the time of TV exposure; but how? William James noted that there are two types of attention: voluntary and involuntary. Voluntary attention cannot be continuous and is always derived from some object that is changing. In other words, we will only make an effort to attend to an object when some interest is served. Much of thinking, learning and reading represents an effort to attend, whereas viewing TV (and other changing stimuli) are less likely to require effort.
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The researchers evaluated the physiological responses (e.g., pupil, skin, heart, respiration, etc. ) of participants from a single commercial that had exceptionally high recall scores, yet virtually no excitation (no pupil response). While the opposite of excitement is relaxation, it is clear that relaxation is much more than the absence of excitement. Surprised to find that watching TV causes a relaxation response, a closer look at brain waves offers an understanding to the underlying phenomena. Brain waves cover a full range of human response activity from peak arousal to deepest sleep. Krugman & Hartley (1969), observed that viewing TV within 30 seconds causes a decline in arousal, via the presence of predominantly Beta waves (30-40 Hz), indicating alert and conscious attention, transitioning into predominantly slow Alpha waves (~10 Hz), a state of trance. Television is a communication medium that effortlessly transmits huge quantities of data not thought about at the time of exposure.
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Internal Alpha waves, stimulated by appropriate external stimuli, may vary from person to person. Some individuals may produce Alpha waves easier than others, whereas others who cannot relax easily may only produce them in certain conditions. Some individuals are able to "drive" their brain frequencies to the slow levels of Alpha, and others are able to block or unblock Alpha waves. The qualities of Alpha waves suggest that there are individual differences in susceptibility to various types of influences, based on different degrees of attention. Nonetheless, it is interesting that passive learning can occur in the absence of arousal. In addition, passive learning has an "advantage", in which some associate subliminal perception, extrasensory perception or hypnotism. However, the advantage is a property of the respondent rather the stimulus. Therefore, an individual can learn passively so long as the material is considered "acceptable". Furthermore, the relaxed and successful characteristics of passive learning can be enhanced by the artificial induction of Alpha waves, with the aid of a flickering light. An individual, for example, is much more welcome to the suggestion of a problem and may respond more successfully if the suggestion is made during an Alpha wave-induced condition. Various experiments have found that mass media may modify certain attitudes or behaviors among viewers. Much of what we know about experience has been defined in terms of what excites, although little is known about what relaxes.
Monitors Able to Remotely Manipulate The Nervous System
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A patent (6,506,148 B2) released in 2003 describes that human subjects exhibit a physiological response to the stimulation of weak electromagnetic fields (EMFs) pulsed within frequencies near 1/2 Hz or 2.4 Hz, while being online, or while watching TV, a video, or a DVD.
"Many computer monitors and TV tubes, when displaying pulsed images, emit pulsed electromagnetic fields of sufficient amplitudes to cause such excitation. It is therefore possible to manipulate the nervous system of a subject by pulsing images displayed on a nearby computer monitor or TV set." The pulsing image displayed on a computer monitor or television is able to be embedded in the material of a simple video or computer program, or it may be overlaid by modifying a videostream, as either a radio frequency or video signal. These pulsating EMFs are capable of exciting the senses in nearby subjects even if the images displayed are pulsed at subliminal intensity; the EMFs are able to affect the nervous system without the individual even being aware of it. |
Image from U.S. Patent No: 6506148 - displaying a subject exposed to a pulsed electromagnetic field emanating from a monitor which is responsive to a program running on a remote computer via a link that involves the Internet.
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"It has been found that, indeed, physiological effects can be induced in this manner by very weak electric fields, if they are pulsed with a frequency near 1/2 Hz. The 40 observed effects include ptosis of the eyelids (drooping of the upper eyelid), relaxation, drowsiness, the feeling of pressure at a centered spot on the lower edge of the brow, seeing moving patterns of dark purple and greenish yellow with the eyes closed, a tonic smile, a tense feeling in the stomach, sudden loose stool, and sexual excitement, depending on the precise frequency used, and the skin area to which the field is applied."
The implementations of this patent adapt to the source of video that drives the monitor, whether it be a computer program, a TV broadcast, a video tape or a DVD. In fact, this technology is basic enough to run on Windows 95 or 98.
The author, Dr. Hendricus G. Loos, concludes the patent by an official warning. "Certain monitors can emit EMF pulses that excite a sensory resonance in a nearby subject, through image pulses that are so weak as to be subliminal. This is unfortunate since it opens a way for mischievous application of the invention, whereby people are exposed unknowingly to manipulation of their nervous systems for someone else’s purposes. Such application would be unethical and is of course not advocated. It is mentioned here in order to alert the public to the possibility of covert abuse that may occur while being online, or while watching TV, a video, or a DVD" (United States Patent, 2003).
The implementations of this patent adapt to the source of video that drives the monitor, whether it be a computer program, a TV broadcast, a video tape or a DVD. In fact, this technology is basic enough to run on Windows 95 or 98.
The author, Dr. Hendricus G. Loos, concludes the patent by an official warning. "Certain monitors can emit EMF pulses that excite a sensory resonance in a nearby subject, through image pulses that are so weak as to be subliminal. This is unfortunate since it opens a way for mischievous application of the invention, whereby people are exposed unknowingly to manipulation of their nervous systems for someone else’s purposes. Such application would be unethical and is of course not advocated. It is mentioned here in order to alert the public to the possibility of covert abuse that may occur while being online, or while watching TV, a video, or a DVD" (United States Patent, 2003).
Influence on Children
Before employing the television as a babysitter, it should be considered that watching television during the development of infancy and childhood is considered to impair the development of verbal and total intellectual abilities. Researchers have observed that the following brain structures are crucial for the development of intelligence in children: medial prefrontal cortex, frontopolar areas, posterior parietal areas, and the left inferior frontal gyrus. The frontopolar area, the most anterior portion of the brain, is considered to be associated with the evaluation of internally generated information, and higher cognitive functioning involved in hierarchical organization. In addition, areas surrounding the frontal pole have been consistently correlated with intelligence in children and adults. Researchers have observed that these anatomical structures may be linked to verbal competence, aggression and physical activity (Takeuchi et al., 2013).
Mainstream Media - The Illusion of Choice
90% of American Media is Controlled by 6 Corporations (Bagdikian 2007). Considering that nearly every channel available on television is owned and operated by a select group of corporations with their own interests, it would be fair to say that the freedom of choice is an illusion. From a market that is monopolized, the consolidation of media plays an important role in delivering propaganda, social programming, and perpetual crisis narratives to the public.
Image from The Wall Street Journal
"If you repeat a lie often enough,
people will believe it"
Conclusions and Solutions
The brain needs a stimulating and creative outlet. When the brain is effortlessly force-fed information, your brain enters a standby mode leaving you empty and unmotivated. Compared to when engaging in live communication, or reading, or writing, the brain is actively stimulated. Watching TV is one of the biggest wastes of time in our modern society. We have the ability to take action into our own hands, but we must be aware that life is the product of our habits, which should be managed accordingly. Be in the moment, shut off your television, and expand your mind to access your unlimited potential.
If television viewing is becoming an identified additive behavior, there are various methods to "treat" this addiction. Below are some potential "treatments":
If television viewing is becoming an identified additive behavior, there are various methods to "treat" this addiction. Below are some potential "treatments":
- Promote other activities that involve live, social interactions
- Exercise willpower or enforce time limits
- Plan ahead what to watch, rather than going with what is on
- Limit the number and location of televisions in the home
- Learn mindful television viewing
- Consider motivational interviewing
References
American Time Use Survey. (2017). U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 4 May 2017, from https://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/atus.pdf
Bagdikian, B. (2007). The new media monopoly. Boston, Mass.: Beacon Press.
Sussman, S., & Moran, M. (2013). Hidden addiction: Television. Journal Of Behavioral Addictions, 2(3), 125-132. http://dx.doi.org/10.1556/jba.2.2013.008
United States Patent. (2003). Nervous System Manipulation by Electromagnetic Fields from Monitors. https://docs.google.com/viewer?url=patentimages.storage.googleapis.com/pdfs/US6506148.pdf
Takeuchi, H., Taki, Y., Hashizume, H., Asano, K., Asano, M., & Sassa, Y. et al. (2013). The Impact of Television Viewing on Brain Structures: Cross-Sectional and Longitudinal Analyses. Cerebral Cortex, 25(5), 1188-1197. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/cercor/bht315
Bagdikian, B. (2007). The new media monopoly. Boston, Mass.: Beacon Press.
Sussman, S., & Moran, M. (2013). Hidden addiction: Television. Journal Of Behavioral Addictions, 2(3), 125-132. http://dx.doi.org/10.1556/jba.2.2013.008
United States Patent. (2003). Nervous System Manipulation by Electromagnetic Fields from Monitors. https://docs.google.com/viewer?url=patentimages.storage.googleapis.com/pdfs/US6506148.pdf
Takeuchi, H., Taki, Y., Hashizume, H., Asano, K., Asano, M., & Sassa, Y. et al. (2013). The Impact of Television Viewing on Brain Structures: Cross-Sectional and Longitudinal Analyses. Cerebral Cortex, 25(5), 1188-1197. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/cercor/bht315
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