Tv Addiction - 876 Words

The word â€Å"addiction† is often used loosely and wryly in conversation. People will refer to themselves as â€Å"mystery book addicts† or â€Å"cookie addicts.† E.B. White writes of his annual surge of interest in gardening: â€Å"We are hooked and are making an attempt to kick the habit.† Yet nobody really believes that reading mysteries or ordering seeds by catalogue is serious enough to be compared with addictions to heroin or alcohol. The word â€Å"addiction† is here used jokingly to denote a tendency to overindulge in some pleasurable activity. People often refer to being â€Å"hooked on TV.† Does this, too, fall into the lighthearted category of cookie eating and other pleasures that people pursue with usual intensity, or is there a kind†¦show more content†¦A heroin addict, for instance, leads a damaged life: his increasing need for heroin in increasing doses prevents him from working, from maintaining relationships, from developing in human ways. Similarly an alcoholic’s life is narrowed and dehumanized by his dependence on alcohol. Let us consider television viewing in the light of the conditions that define serious addictions. Not unlike drugs or alcohol, the television experiences allows the participant to blot out the real world and enter into a pleasurable and passive mental state. Th eworries and anxieties of reality are an effectively deferred by becoming absorbed in a television program as by going on a â€Å"trip† induced by drugs or alcohol. And just as alcoholics are only inchoately aware of their addiction, feeling that they control their drinking more than they really do(â€Å"I can cut it out any time I want – I just like to have three or four drinks before dinner†), people similarly overestimate their control over television watching. Even as they put off other activities to spend hour after hour watching television, they feel they could easily resume living in a different, less passive style. But somehow or other while the television set is present in their homes, the click doesn’t sound. With television pleasures available, those other experiences seem less attractive, more difficultShow MoreRelatedTv Addiction822 Words   |  4 PagesIn her essay, Tv Addiction, Marie Winn compares television addiction to other harmful habits, and tries to convince the reader that heavy television viewing is as harmful as drug and alcohol, and it should not be viewed differently than other serious addictions. In fact, the most important factor that backs up her argument is her simplified definition for the word addiction, which is a tendency to overindulge in some pleasurable activity. (608) However, thinking logically, we could seeRead MoreTv Addiction Essays1048 Words   |  5 PagesTV Addiction Marie Winn makes a convincing argument that watching too much television can be considered an addiction. Television has become a way of life for most families. Television viewing is so overwhelmingly prevalent nowadays that living without TV is often considered an extreme deprivation. TVs are everywhere, whether you are in a hospital, auto shop, or in the dentists office, theres always a television by the waiting area. Its a useful tool to help you from the boredom of waitingRead MoreInfluence of Cartoons on Kindergarteners Essay example556 Words   |  3 Pagesfeel more confident; They talk and behave in the same manner as their favorite characters -feel more comfortable and confident[4] Addiction ; Kindergarteners may spend too much time watching cartoons becoming addicted to it Table 1: positive and negative impacts of cartoons on kindergarteners. 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Less than 50% actually have rules and regulati ons on what video games they are allowed to play and what TV shows they can watch. However, I believe that daily media use among children and teens needs to be controlled. If it is not, this could potentially lead to negative ramifications, such as carpal tunnel syndrome, obesity, internet addiction, and negative effects on the brain. For a start, the carpalRead MoreHow Internet Chat Rooms Are Dangerous. During This Day1071 Words   |  5 Pageseveryday tasks, whether it is shopping, calculating number or typing papers. The internet is being used increasingly, it has expanded to the point that you can access not only from computers but from cellular devices such as phones iPods tablets and even TVs making it extremely accessible from any location, although the convenience is great at times it can also be very dangerous at times for people not using it correctly. For children and teens becoming more social via chat rooms, blogs, and other socialRead MoreUnderstanding Addiction : How Addiction Develops The Brain Essay963 Words   |  4 Pagescortex (â€Å"Understanding Addiction: How Addiction Hijacks the Brain†). In â€Å"Violence in Movies, Music, and Media,† by Jeanne Nagle, dopamine is compared to a shot of a heavy-duty amphetamine (38). The entertainment an individual finds in shooting another person on a TV screen is the same as one who watches a violent movie that interests them as well. As dopamine is released, the brain naturally wants more as it is very addictive by nature (â€Å"Understanding Addiction: How Addiction Hijacks the Brain†). RosnerRead MoreAlcoholics Anonymous Meeting Essay804 Words   |  4 Pages I have never experienced what it would be like to be a part of an AA meeting. The only time I have had seen or heard someone mention meetings for alcoholics has been TV shows and movies, which would portray these meeting as a circle of strangers just deliberating stories of their life and how this disease has changed them forever. Therefore, I had no idea what to expect. I felt intimidated and had a sense of nervousness, so I decided I would not go alone and brought a friend. My expectation uponRead MoreTechnology Has Made Our Lives1684 Words   |  7 Pageswestern movie you saw on TV?   Google it, or you can ask Siri.   Siri knows just about eve rything; from where to find the best pad thai in your area to the time and channel the Jayhawks basketball game will be on.   Technology has made our lives easy and every question we have can be answered within seconds.   So, it comes to no surprise that many people might be addicted to their cell phones. Addicted?   What a strong word.   Technology isn’t a drug.   Ã‚  So, how can it be an addiction?   Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚   According toRead More Internet Addiction ( Pathological Internet Use ) Essay1313 Words   |  6 PagesInternet Addiction ( Pathological Internet Use ) The Internet has become one of the most universal methods for communication with over 100 million users worldwide. From e-mail to the possibly billions of web pages, there is an infinite amount of information flowing. And another enticing aspect of the Internet, is the opportunity to interact with other people. Chat Rooms and MUD (Multi-User Dimensional) games offer the person the ability to talk and mingle with others online. But with