I grew up in the 90's, a simple time, with very little technology. The average household, had only one TV, usually in a common area of the house, such as, the living room. Cable was a privilege, that only some people could afford. For many years, I remember my family having antennas on the top of the TV, which we called "rabbit ears". They were used to make the picture quality on the TV better. We only had local channels, 2, thru 13, and most people considered it their lucky day, whenever they would tune into a channel, and find a show that they really enjoyed watching. Back then, families would usually watch the evening news after work and, maybe, a sitcom or two after dinner, and before bed.
In the year 2016, technology is more advanced than ever before. Everyone typically has more than one TV in the house. Everyone has cable. There are hundreds of channels to choose from. Also, there are smart TV's, which connects to Wi-Fi, which you can use to stream, Netflix and Hulu. Netflix and Hulu have tons of TV series' and movies for you to enjoy on your own time. There are lots of different ways, you can stream a show or movie, other than from your TV. You can stream from your phone, tablet, or computer. Even the cable networks, all have apps that you can download on your phone, so you could watch TV, even when you're not around an actual Television. With all this new technology, making television shows, so readily available, watching TV, has become, more of a "hobby", rather than, just something, to provide a little entertainment to help you wind down from the day, or relieve stress.
I like to joke around with my fiancé, and call him, a "television addict". As soon as he walks in the door after he comes home from work, he grabs the remote, and turns the TV on, and usually, he tunes into either, the Syfy channel or Netflix . He then props himself up on the couch, and stays there for hours, until he decides to go to bed. I know a lot of people watch TV after work, but he watches TV all day long. Even on his days off. There is nothing wrong with watching TV as a hobby I suppose, but that's just not for me. Just like everyone in America, I have my favorite weekly shows that I enjoy watching, however, I just can't get into binge watching shows. For whatever reason, I find that really boring. I'm the type of person that can only handle watching one or maybe two hours of TV per day. Even when I'm watching a show, nine times out of 10, I will pause the show to get up, and walk around the house, talk on the phone, or just do something else. Eventually, I finish watching whatever I started. I know my fiancé is not the only one who enjoys TV, maybe, a little bit too much. I challenge everyone with a so-called "TV addiction", to choose one night or day, out of the week, and do another activity besides watching TV. Now, if you're anything like Kristofer, you're probably thinking, "well ,if I don't watch TV, then what would I do?" The answer is, you can do a lot of things besides watching TV. You just don't remember all the activities we used to do in the the 90s, before television sucked you into it's black hole. One of my favorite things to do in the world, is listen to music. In my opinion, music, is more interesting than watching a TV show. When I listen to music, I shut out the world. I can listen to music for hours on end. The difference between listening to music and watching TV, is that when you listen to music, you can still do other things. Where as, when you watch a show, you are less likely to do anything else until the show is over. I also believe, that music is very therapeutic. Every song tells a story, and I guarantee that you will definitely find one that relates to your own life.I know for a fact, that you can't always relate to a TV show. Most shows that are on the Cable networks today, are about zombies, monsters, vampires and other things that aren't real.Another activity that I enjoy, is reading. Reading is also very entertaining, but most people hardly ever pick up an actual book anymore. Honestly, I've never been one to like reading silently, but I like being read to, even as an adult. One day I was just browsing the Internet and I stumbled upon audible. Audible is an Amazon company, that has a bunch of audiobooks that you can purchase.I decided to buy one in an effort to fight a boredom episode that I was having, and about an hour into listening to the book, I was hooked. Listening to someone read a book is something I find entertaining. Every time you read or listen, it grows your vocabulary, and you have the chance to learn about something new. That's something watching a show, won't do for you.
Watching TV in moderation, is the great American pastime. However, I personally feel that people have gotten out of hand, when it comes to television. People need to learn that there's more important things in life. I hope you all will take me up on my challenge, and agree to "put down the remote" one day each week. I imagine it will be hard at first, but I bet you will see all of the other wonderful, fun, awesome activities, you could be spending your time on instead of sitting in front of a screen.
