English 1000
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Post  adam O Wed Nov 28, 2012 2:56 pm

Adam Olson
English 1000
Why people like tv
Today in America and all around the world, people are drawn into a reality that is not their own. Whether it be news, reality TV, or video games people seem to be entranced by other’s real or fantasy life issues, and there is no specific group that is an exception (except the Amish), pretty much everyone, young, old, rich, poor, and all ethnicities dabbles in the activities of getting pleasure out of other people lives. But why are people so enticed by just sitting and learning about others? Do people enjoy learning about others or is does it give them an emotional rush that satisfies them? I think people don’t care about what happens, I think it’s the emotional rush.
Even in early human history people were excited by stories of others. In ancient Greece they put on plays and valued theatre. Then Shakespeare influenced theatre in the 1500’s. Then in the early to mid-1900’s the invention of motion pictures made the theatre really popular all across America. And that carries on to modern day where 99% of homes in America have atleast one TV, and the average American household watches 6 hours and 47 minutes of tv (Television & Health). TV has become one of the most popular things in America and people just can’t get enough of the drama.
News stations hold some of the most dramatic stories, and the sad thing is they are real. For some reason people feel they need to be informed of all the world’s problems. It is thought that people would watch the sad stories on the news so they know what is going on and have something to talk about. But studies suggest that people watch the news to for the empathy feeling. People are drawn to the victims and the viewers are curious to know what happened to the people in the tragic story (Hoffner 196). People want to feel for others and it helps them feel less selfish. The news lets people understand what is going on around them and helps them get an understanding of their own life. Also people do have a psychological need to know what is going on around them (Hoffner 197). Other example of our human need is gossip and being nosy. Almost everyone wants to know what others are up to, even if it has nothing to do with them.
One thing a good number of Americans love is reality TV. For some reason people are drawn to the candid camera watching people and their response to problems. But why? Some consider it to be a nonintellectual form of entertainment, But studies show people who enjoy intellectual and nonintellectual activities enjoy watching it (Reiss 52). People don’t watch it for the intellectual thrill. In fact the lack of intelligence is one reason why people watch reality TV. One thing people enjoy in reality TV is watching the mistakes people make. One thing about reality TV viewers is they are more likely to want fame and desire a high status. Reality TV appeals to those people. Reality TV shows such as Survivor and Expedition Impossible allow people to fantasies of becoming famous and wealthy through those shows (Reiss 53). It doesn’t have much to do with the plot of the show. It’s all about the goal and the drama on the way to reaching the goal.
Another form of entertainment is video games. Violent games are the most popular video games among teenage boys, and most moms are not a fan of that. Most moms don’t understand why their son likes to play a game where he would go around killing everyone while being a gangster, knight, or a war hero, but they are the number one selling games. It turns out that there are many appeals the games have instead of just the fun of killing people. Studies put on by the Pediatrics for Parents Journal show that 4 out of 5 boys find the challenge exiting (28). And boys in general enjoy being competitive in many things, and they are allowed be competitive in their group of friends through their game status or versing each other. Either way the games are more than just killing everyone.
With all of these forms of entertainment they satisfy an excitement that people want. They all have an emotional appeal that evokes empathy, a feeling of superior status, or competitive feeling. This shows people want more emotion in their life. People chase emotion and want to have something to feel. I believe everyone has an insecurity that is fixed temporarly by the alternate realities of TV or video games.
"Television & Health." [Only admins are allowed to see this link] Csun.edu, 2007. Web. 27 Nov. 2012. <http://www.csun.edu/science/herr/index.html>.
Olson, Cheryl K., ScD. "Why Do Boys Like to Play Video Games?" Pediatrics for Parents 25.3-4 (n.d.): 27-29. Print.
Hoffner, Cynthia A., Yoki Fujioka, Jaili Ye, and Arna G.S. Ibrahim. "Why We Watch: Factors Affecting Exposure to Tragic Television News." Mass Communication and Society 12.2 (2009): 194-205. Print.
Reiss, Steven, and James Witz. "Why America Loves Reality TV." Psychology Today 52-54 34.5 (2001): 52-54. Print.

adam O
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Post  adamlowe Thu Nov 29, 2012 6:26 pm

This is a very interesting topic. People are truly drawn to TV and it would be really interesting to see why and how they are. Try and get some psychology sources and maybe see why the brain is attracted to these non reality TV shows.

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Post  OliviaPeterkin Thu Nov 29, 2012 9:02 pm

I really like your opening sentence, I think it's attention grabbing. I can't get a good grasp on what your research question or topic is though, it seems that you;re covering all forms of media and its affect on Americans. And that just seems so broad! I think it would be better if you narrowed it down. Good sources! monkey

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Post  AustinTri Sun Dec 09, 2012 7:51 pm

I think this is really interesting because so much of the world is surrounded my media, especially TV that I would like to see some of the results that you come up with. You should think about social media also.

AustinTri
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Post  AustinTri Sun Dec 09, 2012 8:19 pm

I also think that you could talk a little bit about social media such as facebook or twitter. So much of the world revolves around this stuff. That would make for a diverse paper.

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