What is the effect of watching
television on human productivity?
By José Aguilar
The T.V.
• Productivity: The quality of
having the power to produce.
http://wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=productivity
• What is television?
“The broadcasting of a still or moving image via
radiowaves to receivers that project a view of the
image on a picture tube”¹
• Great source of entertainment worldwide.
In the United States
• The average American watches more than 4
hours of TV each day.
▫ 28 hours per week
▫ 2 months of nonstop TV-watching per year²
• 99% of households have at least one T.V.²
Worldwide: T.V.´s per capita
http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/med_tel_percap-media-televisions-per-capita
Effects On the Body
• Obesity, Diabetes, ADHD
• Obesity due to physical inactivity and the
promotion of food high in fat and sugar.
▫ Reduced physical fitness
▫ All sorts of diseases
• Workers are proven to produce less when they
are suffering from obesity.
▫ Economics
Relation to Creativity
• Watching T.V. shuts down the left side of the
brain and causes the use of the right side.
• Television shows can be
considered a work of art.
• The mental state that remains after watching
television prevents concentration.
▫ Psychology
Cultural Effects
• Before T.V. people
▫ Talked more
▫ Listened to the radio
▫ Read more books (reading the book vs. watching
the movie)
• Not reading means less productivity.
▫ Reading exercises the mind for learning and
creating.
▫ Brings knowledge.
Ethical Implications
• No doubt, television is loaded with violence, sex,
and materialism.
• People tend to copy what they see on T.V.
▫ Shows often show irrealisitic worlds.
Can influence people´s priorities in life.
T.V.´s Historical Significance
• Influenced the development of historical events.
• The Vietnam War was called the first televised
war
▫ People could see the destruction and deaths.
• Makes it easier to acquire information, specially
current events.
• Relates to politics, can cause opposition or
support.
Benefits of Television on People
• Television attracts people because:
▫ Information
▫ Relaxation
▫ Entertainment (excitement, happiness, laughs etc.)
• This can increase productivity, every person
needs to relax and release tensions.
• In excess, it can harm productivity.
Conclusion
• Television has benefits, but also many
disadvantages which come from watching too
much T.V.
• In the U.S:
▫ Average more than 4 hours per day²/ 2 months
non-stop per year
• Easy to see too much, so we have to use it wisely.
Bibliography
1.)http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/television
2.) http://www.csun.edu/science/health/docs/tv&health.html
3.) http://www.limitv.org/health.htm
4.) http://www.insteadoftv.com/tv-zombie.html
• http://www.bestsyndication.com/?q=083006_television-life-before-tv.htm
• http://www.cybercollege.com/frtv/frtv030.htm
Pictures:
• http://www.bighistory.net/brief-history-of-television-tv/
• http://roshiamor.blogspot.com/2010/10/how-would-it-be-without-tv.html
• http://www.stop-childhood-obesity.com/childhood-obesity-facts.html
• http://www.ursispaltenstein.ch/blog/weblog.php?/weblog/comments/5365/
• http://www.realbollywood.com/news/2010/09/al-pacinos-machinegunauctioned.html
• http://www.doesgodexist.org/SepOct00/ScientificMaterialism.html
• http://www.celsias.com/article/algae-fuel-sparks-fly-report-military-fuelrelease/
• http://davepatania.wordpress.com/2010/06/15/relax/