Modern television has become an integral element of human life. It is with us everywhere. And at any time, not only day, but also night. Television is always willing to provide us with its blue screen, and life without it has become simply unthinkable.
Of course, all people are different. However, many have one thing in common - the morning, which begins with turning on the TV. Without this, sometimes we can’t fall asleep and just read some book.
Century of Information Technology
Currently, we are witnessing a gradual transition of human society to a new kind of civilization. Many scientists call it informational. This is due to an increase in the scale and complexity of the structures and contents of the streams that carry certain messages and news. At the same time, researchers have noted an increasing influence of information technology on the human psyche.
And this fact confirms our daily life. Indeed, over the past decades, an incredible stream of information has hit us. Modern media of all kinds have turned into a single global system located at a fantastic energy level. It can only mean one thing. The human mind has fallen into the artificial trap that he created, and today it is a kind of "squirrel in the wheel."
In addition, developing informational psychotechnologies are acquiring ever more sophisticated methods of influence that nature has not prepared for our brain. That is why we, as a rule, become completely defenseless in the face of this trap.
The effect of television on a person as a whole is also unfavorable. It is manifested not only in the negative impact on his health. This question is largely related to the psychological sphere.
Television in our lives
Sometimes it happens that living things, striving to satisfy their urgent needs, are in mortal danger. This is the paradox of the struggle for survival. For example, a fish swallowing a bait immediately gets on a hook. The mouse, which attracted the smell of cheese, is in a mousetrap. However, all the actions of representatives of the fauna are due to physiological necessity.
If we consider human behavior, then there are no reasonable explanations. Not in order to survive, people indulge in destructive vices and temptations. Sometimes they are not stopped even by a direct threat not only to health, but also to life. Temptation in such cases dominates the mind.
The same can be said when considering such a problem as the negative impact of television on a person. After all, sitting at the blue screen has become the most popular entertainment of our contemporaries. Most people define their attitude to TV as “love-hate.” The TV itself is perceived by them as a "drawer for boobs." However, despite the realization that the influence of television on humans is sometimes negative, the majority of the population of our planet enjoys sitting on sofas and armchairs without letting go of the remote control. Of course, parents sometimes grumble at children because they are difficult to tear off from the screen. However, they themselves are trying to keep silent about their own addictions of this kind.
Diagnosis - Telemania
For several decades, scientists have been engaged in research, seeking to study the effect of television on humans.They are especially interested in the question of the relationship between the scenes of cruelty that we observe on blue screens with those realities that exist in everyday life. In this case, researchers are trying to understand the reason that ordinary consumers between newspapers, magazines and television still choose the latter.
What is a teleman? Psychologists and psychiatrists determine a pathological dependence on something as a deviation from the norm, which corresponds to signs of an inadequate reaction to a specific stimulus. This is a large amount of time that is devoted to the object of dependence, and the use of it more often than accepted, and the refusal to perform professional, social and family duties for the sake of such a pastime, and withdrawal into oneself, as well as isolation. These criteria are great for those who sit for a long time at the TV screen.
Of course, one cannot say that the influence of television on a person is only bad. After all, it broadens the mind and educates, relaxes and entertains, allows for a while to forget about oppressive reality and enjoy the beautiful. With the help of television, we can even make purchases in the TV store. However, even those who understand that it is necessary to reduce the time spent in front of a blue screen, sometimes are not able to deny themselves the pleasure of watching television programs or interesting films.
How to increase your chances of winning? For this, it is necessary to carefully study how television is influenced by a person.
False relaxation
The amount of time that a modern person spends at the TV screen cannot but be horrified. On average, the population of large industrial cities spends three hours a day on this. This is approximately half of a person’s free time, excluding homework and sleep. So, out of 75 years of life, people spend 9 years watching television programs and just sitting in front of a blue screen. Someone can explain this with a great love of TV. Why then is there a concern about such a passion?
Scientists conducted a series of studies aimed at studying the body's reactions to the effects of TV. In this case, changes were recorded that occur in the electrical resistance of the skin and in the heart rate. All these parameters were taken using a special device before and after, as well as while watching TV shows. Similar experiments were performed not only in specialized laboratories. Indications were also taken in natural conditions familiar to humans. At the same time, the teleman was not just on his favorite couch in front of the home blue screen. He drank and ate, slept and worked. With him there was constantly a device that received sound signals. Upon receiving them, the teleman had to record everything that he was doing at the moment and how he was feeling.
Upon receipt of a signal while watching TV, a person characterized his condition as passive and relaxed. This was never recorded while reading. When the TV was turned off, the sense of relaxation disappeared immediately, but passivity remained. Viewers confirmed the fact that the TV seems to absorb their energy, leading to emptiness.
Drugs have a similar effect. Tranquilizers, which are eliminated very quickly from the body, lead to greater dependence than the fact that "leaves" slowly. So is the viewer. When he watches a TV show, he realizes that after turning off the TV, the feeling of relaxation will disappear. And he wants to watch more and more.
Attracting the viewer's attention
Why do people sometimes can not tear themselves away from the blue screen? This is partly due to the presence of a biologically orientational reaction in our country. For the first time this concept was described by the famous physiologist Ivan Petrovich Pavlov in 1927.The indicative is understood as our visual, auditory or instinctive reaction to a previously unknown or sudden stimulus. This is a person’s innate susceptibility to a potential threat. Typical examples of such a reaction are turning the eyes toward a source of irritation, slowing down cardiac activity, etc. Alpha waves are blocked, which in a few seconds return to their normal rhythm.
In 1986, a number of researchers studied the effect of various television techniques on the emergence of a tentative reaction. As a result, unambiguous conclusions were drawn that with a quick change of frames, original editing and sudden noise, which is usually used by television advertising, there is a significant increase in spectator interest. It was pointed out that the content is not unique, but the form with which the material is supplied.
The congestion of TV commercials and music videos has a strong influence on the appearance of a tentative reaction. Moreover, the nominal frequency of such receptions is one unit per second.
TV and memory
Can people tell what they watched? This problem has also been investigated by scientists. After the experiments, it became clear that a positive effect on human memory was exerted when viewing the pictures taken from different points and with several cameras simultaneously. A similar effect was noticeable with frequent frame changes. These are the methods used by television advertising. The recognition effect sharply weakened with a decrease in frequency indicators.
This can be said when studying children's educational programs. The applied television techniques provide invaluable assistance in learning, but with a sharp change of frames, the child’s brain is overloaded. And this negatively affects the perception of the material.
As for television advertising, its main goal in the abrupt change of unrelated scenes is to keep the audience's attention. People often remember the name of the product, but all the details in the clip pass by. The approximate reaction of the viewer is weakening. He is still confined to the screen, but already feels tired and does not receive any positive emotions in return.
TV and psyche
Specialists who studied the problem of the influence of television on a person do not at all say that you can’t sit in front of a blue screen. However, they caution those who devote too much time to this from the occurrence of various problems.
What is dangerous telemania? Scientists have conducted a lot of experiments to answer questions about the attitude to life of those who can’t take their eyes off the blue screen. The results were simply amazing. The influence of television on the psyche of these not quite ordinary viewers was confirmed. Regardless of the years they lived, they felt anxiety and anxiety, while at the same time feeling unhappy people, which can not be said about ordinary viewers. Such feelings came to them at that moment when they simply did not do anything or were left alone with themselves.
According to research, telemans more often fall into longing, are irritated and distracted. It is more difficult for them to switch and concentrate. Such people explain their addiction to TV by the fact that they want to escape from troubles and from sad thoughts overpowering them, as well as at least somehow fill their free time. In addition, according to research, TV people are less likely to take part in sporting events and often suffer from obesity.
Passion for television shows helps to reduce self-control and increases intolerance to natural everyday troubles, negatively affects the creative approach to solving problems and does not support the desire to achieve the intended goal.
Children's Telemania
According to statistics, almost forty-five percent of children whose ages range from 5 to 12 years old, spend all their free time on the TV screen. The influence of television on children is enormous and can turn them into real TV people. What attracts them to TV?
According to studies conducted by German scientists, viewers simply forget the contents of all TV shows over time. However, in the soul those emotions that were experienced at the same time remain. This is the key point that ties a small viewer to the blue screen. Indeed, in children there is a transformation of the received emotions into emotional attachments. In other words, the kids are drawn to the TV unconsciously. They seek to relive the feeling that has already taken place, and not necessarily positive. Of course, many parents paid attention to the fact that their child likes to watch horror stories. This is an emotional attachment to experiences of fear. Already an hour after the start of viewing, and sometimes even after fifteen minutes, other people's emotions that come to him from the screen are overwhelmed by the child.
Why can't kids watch TV? Specialists studying the physiology of the sensory organs have confirmed the fact that the children of teleman begin to suffer a complete loss of their ability to imagine. They do not need to think up and imagine. TV does it for them.
Harm to health
What are the negative effects of telemania? This ailment leads to such problems:
- to deterioration of vision, which is a well-known fact that does not require additional evidence;
- to physical inactivity and one of its consequences - curvature of the spine;
- to overweight due to a sedentary lifestyle;
- to sleep disorders, increased timidity, irritability and other neurological problems.
After turning on the TV, the child is under his hypnosis. The language of TV is the language of images. They are perceived by the right hemisphere of the brain and are directly related to the subconscious. All emotions that were experienced by the child while watching television are also included there. Due to the greater development of the right hemisphere, children become easily excitable.
Kids who have not reached the age of six perceive the information submitted to them from the screen is not critical. They are hardly able to distinguish truth from fiction. Everything that happens on the screen is taken by them at face value, passing into life and reflecting on behavior.
TV time
How long can children watch TV? Until the age of seven, doing this without adults is undesirable at all. Parents can only turn on the baby a certain educational cartoon, which goes for a short time.
It is good if adults while watching children's programs are next to their child and comment on the plot they saw. A joint discussion of what was served to small viewers is also desirable.
How long do experts allow children to be at the blue screen? It depends on their age:
1. Up to two years, this is not recommended at all.
2. From 2 to 3 years, only half an hour a day
3. From 3 to 7 years - no more than one and a half hours a day.
4. From 7 to 13 years - only two hours a day.
In addition, it is not recommended to install a TV in the children's room. Otherwise, the child will spend all his leisure time only in front of the blue screen. He will prefer his outdoor games, developing and useful activities. In this case, it will be very difficult to establish the necessary control over the baby. When the TV is turned on, it can become a familiar background, which can lead to the fact that the baby simply can not concentrate on thinking or reading. It will be difficult for a child to even fall asleep without a TV, which will certainly negatively affect his psyche.
