Neilson’s 2009 data showed that the average American watches approximately 153 hours of television every month. That’s about 5 hours a day! How is that even possible? That equates to about 2 months of nonstop TV-watching per year. No wonder we are all overweight and depressed with distorted views of reality. If that fat, disillusioned, average American lives until 65, that person will have spent about 9 years on their couch watching a blinking box.
I’m almost positive that number has gone up in the last year thanks to mind-blowing shows like the Jersey Shore.
I was stunned with this number until I considered my own television habits. A year ago, I didn’t have cable and I didn’t miss it. I was a full time student working a full time job who absolutely did not have time for television. Comcast Cable apparently didn’t like the fact that I wasn’t paying for 200 channels, so they offered me a deal. I accepted, and the rest is history. Consider me a full blown television junkie.
Television Shows I’m currently watching on a regular basis and my short rationalizations for each:
Modern Family-ABC: Hands down the best/funniest/smartest show on television right now. The writing and characterizations are spot on. Steven Levitan and Christopher Lloyd.. you are genuises.
Community- NBC: I have a soft spot in my heart for Chevy Chase. Plus it’s a little snarky. I like snarky.
United States of Tara- Showtime: Amy = Psychologist; Plot Base = Dissociative Identity Disorder; Psychologist + Dissociative Identity Disorder = happy happy joy joy
Real Housewives of New York City-Bravo: Oh the drama. I love watching grown women act like teenagers. It’s a train wreck and I can’t look away.
Lost- ABC: I told myself I wasn’t going to do it. It seemed overwhelming and complicated with a crazy involved fan base. But I jumped in with DVDs while the show was in its 4th season. Now I’m all caught up. And I'm a part of that crazy/involved fan base.
The Big Bang Theory- CBS: Jim Parsons plays one of my favorite characters on television. How you not cringe and embrace the wonderful awkwardness that is Sheldon?
How I Met Your Mother- CBS: This is just a great cast. The next Friends, anyone?
Project Runway-Lifetime: I like fashion. And I like creative people. I like watching creative people create fashion.
The runners up: I watch these on occasion, when I catch them.
Biggest Loser-NBC: I actually enjoyed this show until it turned into one big product placement. But I continue to watch every so often. Why? Whyyyy?
Glee-Fox: I absolutely love musicals. And I love that this show doesn’t take itself too seriously. Ryan Murphy created Nip/Tuck and Popular. Both were shows that I enjoyed. He does ‘over the top’ well. I watch Glee when I’m not overly embarrassed by the horrible lipsynching. The fact the Jonathan Groff is now on the show, will probably keep me watching.
Hoarders- A&E- This generates a mild case of schadenfreude. I wouldn’t say I’m actually taking delight in the hoarders’ misfortunes, but I’m damn glad that any level of mess that’s in my house is not nearly as bad as the mess in their houses. In related news, it also motivates me to clean and purge.
That’s a steady 9 hours a week of television watching for me. That’s a little embarrassing. I try to make a conscious effort to limit my tv time (if you can consider 9 hours a week “limiting”). But then there’s the occasional special or nightly news, and the shows that are on either before or after the show I am attempting to watch. So that 9 can actually turn into 10 or 12 by the end of the week.
It’s so easy to come home after a stressful day and zone-out in front of the tube. I have to constantly remind myself that the zoning-out disguises itself as a stress-reliever. When in reality, for me, it’s a stress delayer. I don’t need 12 hours of television in my week. Sure, it’s mildly entertaining (except for Modern Family which is ridiculously entertaining), but what is it really adding to my life?
Can you possibly live a fulfilled life if you’re watching someone else’s fake television life for 5 hours a day? I guess I’ll continue to be a conscious television watcher and stick to the shows I really enjoy. As long as I’m not scheduling my life around television shows, I’m ok, right?
[I don’t know what’s more disturbing: those people who watch 35 hours of television a week. Or those people who spend an hour reflecting and rationalizing the 8-10 hours of television that they watch.]
What’s your television-watching data? Can you defend your television choices? Enlighten me.
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4 comments:
I watch House and Supernatural regularly and then usually catch up on Community/The Office/30 Rock online.
I don't watch a lot of television on the physical TV (don't have cable, so that helps), but I catch up on shows like the Daily Show online. I think the statistics of television watching is probably underestimating it because of sites like Hulu.
We live in a world where we stare at screens all the time. Is that a bad thing? Well, I guess it depends on what you believe is good. Is there anything inherently better about staring at pieces of paper than staring at a screen? If we're obtaining information, and we're functioning in society as a whole, I'd argue, no.
If you haven't, you should read, "Everything Bad is Good For You" by Steven Johnson. It makes an excellent case for why life with modern technology/entertainment isn't necessarily proof of a dying species.
Oh, and I do enjoy Glee, too. It's camp level is well-balanced by it's... well, camp level.
Most certainly. Television isn't inherently "bad".. or "worse" than, for instance, staring at pages in a book. Just a different experience (of course). It's a little more work to stare at pages and conjur up images than it is to have images thrown at you. It's a matter of preference.
For me, technology overload-- television shows, twitter, facebook, blogs, email,.. gets in the way of living my idea of a fulfilled life. Yet, I still choose to engage in these things, so obviously I find some value in them. I wouldn't say we're a dying species. It all depends on your definition of "living" (and I don't mean that in the literal breathing, heart beating way) To me "living" involves interactions and experiences. And learning through those interactions and experiences. It's hard for me to advance the way I would like to advance while sitting in front of a television.
Can't knock technology though. Without it, I would have never met you.
-1000pts.
I had a long critique for you. But I'll save it.
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