Television

This page is about our views on Television, including watching television, and the placement of television sets in public spaces. We have a wide range of views on television, ranging from people who do not own televisions and rarely or never watch them, to people who watch them more regularly.

Some of the concerns we have discussed about television include the potential of television to encourage a sedentary lifestyle, which can have negative impacts on health, the potential for television addiction, and ways in which television could interfere with community.

We have also discussed potential benefits to television, including reducing feelings of loneliness or social isolation, which is sometimes associated with depression, and as a way of introducing new facts or ideas.

Televisions in public spaces

When a television is placed in a common area or other central location, especially when it is a larger, louder TV, it can make this space unwelcoming to people who do not wish to watch TV. We have discussed but not reached a complete consensus on the idea of keeping televisions out of public spaces except spaces where TV is integral to the purpose of the space itself, like a sports bar or dedicated TV lounge. We have also discussed the idea of setting TV lounges in side rooms, rather than main gathering spaces or thoroughfares.

Televisions in public spaces can subject people to media and advertisement without their consent. This is especially true in places, such as waiting rooms in doctors offices or hospitals, where the person's presence in the space is a result of some other purpose and not a deliberate seeking out of spending time in the space itself.

Television, loneliness, and social connections

We have discussed the potential of television reducing loneliness in the short term. This could be beneficial for an individual looking to stave off more severe feelings of depression attached to loneliness. But, in the long-run, for a community of people, this might not be the healthiest solution. If more people turn to television as a way of feeling socially connected, it could take away from community and real social interaction, and could also contribute to a more sedentary lifestyle, which is known to aggravate depression.

Viewed in this way, television could be viewed as a useful short-term tool for addressing severe feelings of loneliness, but not as a long-term, holistic solution for loneliness in society.