The Broadcast into our lives. For Better, or for worse.

However one may feel about the ever-increasing impact of television on the human condition, whether you're one of those hindsight-guided transcendentalists who long for a world before the constricting grip of technology on society, or a cultured techno-cat who applauds the strides television has made in global communication, or even a post-modern theorist who sees the proliferation of the "televised mindset" as a one-way ticket to deterioration of human civilization, we can all agree that the invention and spread of the television has impacted human society more radically than any other invention, since agriculture and fire. 

It has bred a novel type of entertainment, lead to an entire plethora of similar technologies, cemented Corporatism, given birth to mass advertising, assisted in the Westernization of Eastern Worlds, and impacted culture throughout the decades. From the first I Love Lucy to House, television shows have always reflected the culture of the generation they represent. 

We are placed in front of a television from our earliest days, and will also likely enjoy the comfort of our favorite characters on our death bed...

Whether this is a good or bad thing, I would need 50 blog posts of this size to explain. I will however, urge you all to consider the time you spend in front of your TV. Was this time wasted? It depends. A general American teenager spends two to three hours in front of a television daily; that's 10,920 hours for a 15 year old. 1/12 of his life. 

I could never argue that television is inherently detrimental. That would be unreasonable considering the societal progress it has spurred. I do assert, however, that when one commits such a large portion of one's life to an entity composed of a complex series of wires and plastics, one should maintain an awareness. It is when one does so mindlessly, that a sort of technological slavery ensues.