Is TV necessary

[Bob Jentges]

There is a new Pew Research Center Poll out today that includes many interesting results. I would be interested how the Forum members might react to the result in the poll indicating only 52% of those polled think TV is necessary?

[Jonathan Kovaciny]

TV news to me is worthwhile only for seeing images of far-off events; the story content is nearly always oversimplified. TV shows are generally a waste of life; an hour a day doing anything adds up to over two solid weeks (24 hrs a day) over the course of a year, or a month and a half of 8-hour days. I've got better things to do than that. I'll rent or download movies or the occasional TV series, but that's really about it.

[Reporter Dan Linehan]

If it were not for Battlestar Galactica, I might say I don't need TV...

But these surveys, to me, speak just as much about what Americans think they "need." It's a word that's always bothered me somewhat.

Television is not, of course, a "necessity" for anyone. People choose to use that word, I think, as a sort of rationalization. One doesn't have to examine their "needs" like they do "wants."

It's easy to fool ourselves into thinking we "need" something. Even to ourselves, a want is much easier to deny, and giving in to our desires can make us feel selfish and greedy. But the mere act of transforming something that is obviously a want (e.g. TV) into a need in our mind makes the guilt go away.

Anyone who has worked in the service industry can attest to the customers who said they "need" something from you. It bugged me.

[Bob Jentges]

Except for sporting events and C-Span I watch very little TV. Maybe many of those polled took the position that TV is nice, but not a necessity, which is similar to the way I see it.

[Robert Redding]

I'll admit HD helps make TV more tolerable -- to a point. Bad content is still bad regardless of picture/audio quality. Most TV news is, as mentioned, oversimplified (or over-opinionized - see any 24-hour news channel for copious examples). I can't watch it without analyzing every aspect to the point that I irritate myself, let alone any poor viewers in the room. John Stewart can be funny. I at least appreciate his brutal honesty. Can't say he's a bastion of class, however.

I enjoy the History Channel (sans their weak stabs at "reality" programming). The news should be the only true reality show. Unfortunately, it's rarely anything but

TV becomes less and less necessary as A/V becomes more mobile and accessible across platforms not tied to a, well, television.

Thank (deity of choice) for internet access.