Television can cause problems in society by showing racial discrimination, etc. For example, if black people are not shown in programs, one gets the impression that they are not important people. Television news can also be flawed. For example, we cannot believe everything the news anchor says as truth. Sometimes they give inaccurate information to deceive the viewer. So one has to be careful about the truthfulness of news. Also, the information given in advertisements can be misleading. Many companies are just trying to make quick money and will show any false claims to sell products. So we have to be careful while watching Television. (Bignell, 2004)
Finally, Television has many limitations which make it not useful for in-depth analysis. That is, Television can never replace the importance of books and libraries as sources of detailed information. If society relies on Television as the sole medium of instruction and knowledge than we are all doomed. (www.buzzle.com, 2011)
Hence, in conclusion, Television, along with other media, is neither wholly good to society or wholly bad. There are good and bad aspects to it and positive and negative influences on society. It is up to us to be choosy in watching Television. We do not want to be cheated by false advertisements and false news. We also don’t want to get wrong impression about women and gun usage. We should use Television for good things like developing knowledge and improving language skills, etc. So, we need to think about both sides of the argument and be selective in watching Television. It is apt to conclude by saying that books have more beneficial effect on society than Television.
References:
Paul Noll, Television Plays a Positive Role in Society, Arguments in Favour, retrieved from <http://www.paulnoll.com/Books/Clear-English/debate-01-television-pro.html> on 31st January, 2011.
Negative Effects of Television, retrieved from <www.buzzle.com/articles/negative-effects-of-television.html> on 31st January, 2011.
Freedman, J (2002). Media violence and its effect on aggression.: Assessing the scientific evidence. University of Toronto Press.
Bignell, Jonathan. An Introduction to Television Studies (New York: Routledge, 2004)