essay life without television

• Skip to main content
• Skip to primary sidebar

Life With No TV: Why We Gave Up Television

Several years ago I wrote an essay for a now-defunct online parenting magazine describing why we decided on a TV-free life and how life without television was a boon for our family and my personal sanity.  Screen-Free Week starts in a few days, so I'm republishing my essay today. The word "television" now seems so old-fashioned. After all, iPads, computers and smart phones offer ample opportunity to zone out even without an actual television.  Nevertheless, I hope my experience inspires you to the possibilities of living tv and screen-free, even if it's just for one week. 

Giving Up Television

Since confessing to friends and family that I unplugged and put the television away in a dark closet the responses have followed a predictable pattern:

“You are brave.”

“My spouse/kids would never let me!”

“I couldn’t do that. I need the break.”

“How do you keep them busy?”

“What about movies?”

“But I’d miss [insert favorite TV show here].”

“My kids only watch [insert number of hours or minutes here] a day.”

There is the occasional, “We also love having no television!”

My husband tells me his co-workers just make fun of him.

Most of the responses have two aspects, the first is that the speaker thinks I am a snob, that in getting rid of my television I now  believe my parenting is morally superior to theirs.  In fact, I’m not at all interested in engaging in hurtful judgements over a family’s television habits. The amount of attention small children require during the day is intense, frustrating, and overwhelming. Understandably, parents jump at the chance for the effortless relief television provides. I certainly don’t feel that my parenting techniques are better than others’ just because we no longer watch television, even just the 30 minutes a day, which was my supposed, and oft-broken rule.

The second aspect of other parents’ responses is that I am going to loose just a touch more of my sanity than before, now that I don’t have TV as back-up entertainment. Well, I have news for you: I don’t have any sanity to lose, so no problems, there.

In her book, The Plug-In Drug: Television, Computers, and Family Life , Marie Winn quotes The New York Times television critic, Jack Gould, who in 1948 (yes 1948 ) wrote:

Children’s hours on television admittedly are an insidious narcotic for the parent. With the tots fanned out on the floor in front of the receiver, a strange if wonderful quiet seems at hand...

Upon reading this, I realized that I was in serious danger of becoming addicted, not to my own television viewing habits (which are slight), but to my kids’. But the greater the fix I got, the greater my anxiety over what all that television viewing was doing to my kids’ brains. Oh yes, I’ve read the books and articles linking TV to poor performance in school, increased risk of ADHD, increased aggression, decreased family communication, among other dreadful, Armageddon-like complications. What I was witnessed with my own children was increased crankiness after the television, decreased interest in free play and the constant badgering to watch something.

Most importantly, however, was that I knew watching television was replacing crucial life experiences. I was worried that, as the sociologist Urie Bronfenbrenner wrote,

... turning on the television set can turn off the process that transforms children into people.

But as every addict knows, it is really hard to get rid of the drug.

The tipping point came one night when I had managed not to turn on the television, despite my husband’s late arrival coming home. The boys and I had completed a million puzzles (Yes, a million. I never exaggerate.) and the mood was relatively calm. I turned to my oldest son and said, “We didn’t watch TV, and look how much fun we had together.” He turned to me and lit up! Lit up! That was a much, much more powerful drug than tranquilizing my children in front of the TV.

The years in which my children will need my intense attention are short. In fewer than two years, they will both be in school. I’m not a parenting saint for turning off the television, I’m just trying to survive, drug-free, like everyone else. Or maybe I’ve just replaced one drug with another: human togetherness.

And in case you are curious: that photo IS our TV in the closet!

Reader Interactions

April 25, 2013 at 2:49 pm

Loved reading this. When I moved out from my parents house at eighteen I swore I'd never have a television again and I have stuck to it. My partner and I live a very television-free exsistence and have had many similar comments and snide remarks made about us and our choice not to watch the box! But I still maintain not having TV in the home is one of the best things in the world.

Erica MomandKiddo says

April 25, 2013 at 5:09 pm

The snide remarks always confuse me. I never make snide remarks about people who watch TV, plus why does anyone care if we don't have a tv!

maryanne @ mama smiles says

April 25, 2013 at 2:52 pm

We have a TV, but rarely watch it (more when Mike is home). It only works with movies, anyway. I was raised TV-free. Hooray for screen-free family time!

April 25, 2013 at 5:08 pm

It's just so much more peaceful.

Kelly at Little Wonders' Days says

April 25, 2013 at 3:15 pm

We don't watch a lot of tv, but I don't think I could personally could give it up altogether. I am entertaining the idea of a screen free summer though...perhaps with a movie night here and there. It doesn't sound like it was too painful to give up at your house...was it?

It take a while until the kids stopped asking for it. Once they realized the answer was always going to be no, they stopped. I think a movie night here and there sounds good. It's a treat, and family time. I've sometimes thought we might have movie night sometime, but I don't want to take the TV out of the closet, so we never have.

PragmaticMom says

April 27, 2013 at 7:34 pm

I can give up TV more easily than my kids though it's not so much the TV they watch but the screens. And now the texting. I wish we were better at being screen free!

April 28, 2013 at 5:25 am

Yehh, my kids aren't old enough to have phones, yet so don't quite know how I'll be handling that.

sustainablemum says

April 28, 2013 at 5:49 am

I have never lived with a TV, I grew up without one and we don't have one in our family home. Weirdly people don't notice when they come to my house just that something looks different. We do watch the occasional movie, documentary or DVD as we have a projector and screen we do this about once or twice a week at most and always as a family. It annoys me that people feel that they should remark as I feel like I have to defend my choice when, as you say, I would not comment on those that choose to have one.

Marybeth says

April 30, 2013 at 11:29 am

I know what you mean by the crankiness after a show. Especially if it's longer than 30 minutes! And the aggression- I have been seeing that more often lately. I am seriously considering screen-free summer. Leapsters, tv, computers. Thanks for the push!!!

April 30, 2013 at 11:55 am

Donna Gephart says

May 01, 2013 at 5:36 pm

Great essay! Barbara Kingsolver wrote one called "The One-Eyed Monster" about all the things her kids were doing instead of watching TV. I'd love to go TV-free in our house, but hubby wants it for the sports. Fortunately, our kids find lots of other activities to engage their minds and hearts. Nothing beat cuddling together with a good book when the kids were little.

May 02, 2013 at 6:25 am

I've never heard of Kingsolver's essay. Thanks, I'm going to look it up!

May 03, 2013 at 10:58 am

My MIL's comment: "Why would you want to do THAT?" Still makes me laugh!

May 03, 2013 at 11:30 am

That's a common one, too!

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed .

Paragraph on Life is without television in 100 to 300 Words

• Post author: Grammar Library
• Post category: Paragraph

Life without television might sound like a journey back in time, but it’s an adventure worth considering. Picture a world where evenings are filled with laughter and conversation, where creativity blossoms, and where families find new ways to bond. This is not just a dream but a reality for some. The reliance on television has grown so strong that the thought of living without it might seem daunting at first. Yet, embracing life without television opens the door to countless benefits, including improved mental health, more time for hobbies, and stronger family connections. Transitioning into a TV-free lifestyle might appear challenging, but it’s a step towards rediscovering the joy in simplicity and connecting with the world in a more meaningful way.

Table of Contents

Paragraph on Life is without television in 100 words

Life without television might seem unusual at first, but it opens up numerous avenues for personal and academic growth. Instead of spending hours watching TV, students can dive into the fascinating world of books, discovering stories, facts, and knowledge that enrich their minds and imaginations. This time can also be invested in outdoor activities, which are vital for physical health and social skills. Engaging in hobbies such as painting, music, or sports can foster creativity and discipline. Moreover, this shift encourages more meaningful family conversations and bonding activities, making the home environment more interactive and intellectually stimulating.

Paragraph on Life is without television in 150 words

A lifestyle devoid of television encourages students to explore alternative sources of entertainment and learning, significantly benefiting their academic and personal development. Without the distraction of TV, students have more time to focus on their studies, allowing for deeper understanding and retention of information. Libraries become treasure troves of knowledge, where one can immerse in subjects ranging from science to literature, broadening their horizons beyond the school curriculum.

Furthermore, engaging in community service or clubs offers practical experiences, teaching valuable life skills such as teamwork, leadership, and empathy. This shift not only enhances academic performance but also promotes a well-rounded character by encouraging activities that support physical health, mental well-being, and social interaction. Thus, living without television isn’t a limitation; it’s an opportunity to cultivate a rich, diverse, and fulfilling lifestyle that prepares students for future challenges and successes.

Paragraph on Life is without television in 200 words

In an era where digital screens dominate our lives, the concept of living without television can seem daunting yet it provides a unique opportunity to reconnect with the essence of learning and personal development. This lifestyle choice propels students toward enriching activities that contribute to their academic excellence and holistic growth. With the absence of television, students are naturally inclined to allocate more time to academic pursuits, delving into textbooks and supplementary reading materials that enhance their understanding and curiosity. This environment fosters a culture of active learning, where knowledge is sought through experiments, observations, and hands-on projects, making education a more engaging and interactive experience.

Additionally, without the constant lure of television, students discover the joy of creative hobbies such as writing, painting, or playing musical instruments, which not only refine their skills but also improve cognitive functions like memory and concentration. Physical activities and sports become a preferred mode of relaxation, promoting health and teamwork. Social interactions deepen without the barrier of screen time, leading to stronger friendships and family bonds. This television-free lifestyle cultivates a generation of learners who are more attuned to the world around them, equipped with a broad set of skills and a resilient, inquisitive mindset ready to tackle the challenges of the future.

Paragraph on Life without Television in 250 Words

Life without television might seem unusual at first, given its widespread presence in our daily routines. However, eliminating television from our lives can open up new avenues for personal and academic growth. In a country like India, where education plays a crucial role in shaping one’s future, focusing more on academics rather than spending hours in front of a TV screen can have a significant impact. Students can dedicate more time to their studies, engage in interactive learning sessions, and participate in extracurricular activities that enhance their skills and knowledge.

The absence of television encourages children to explore the rich tapestry of Indian literature and history, fostering a love for reading and learning about the great personalities who have shaped the nation. Additionally, it promotes physical activity and outdoor play, which are essential for healthy development. Families can spend quality time together, discussing their day, sharing stories, or playing board games, which strengthens bonds and improves communication skills.

Moreover, life without television reduces exposure to inappropriate content and advertisements, which can sometimes distort young minds. Instead, children can learn from real-life experiences, develop critical thinking skills, and cultivate a sense of creativity and imagination that television often fails to provide. In essence, a life without television can lead to a more enriched, knowledgeable, and healthy lifestyle, especially for students striving to achieve academic excellence and personal development.

Paragraph on Life without Television in 300 Words

A lifestyle devoid of television might initially appear to be lacking in entertainment and information, yet it harbors the potential for a profound positive transformation, particularly for students. In the country like India, where education is highly regarded as the cornerstone for future success, dedicating the time ordinarily spent on television to academic pursuits can be immensely beneficial. Without the distraction of television, students have the opportunity to immerse themselves in their studies, exploring subjects in greater depth. This absence allows for the cultivation of a reading habit, which is instrumental in enhancing comprehension skills, expanding vocabulary, and building a strong foundation in language and critical thinking.

Moreover, without television, students can explore creative hobbies such as painting, music, or writing, which are not only fulfilling but also contribute to cognitive development and emotional well-being. This shift towards more constructive activities encourages self-discipline and time management, skills crucial for academic success and life beyond school. Engaging in community service or learning new skills like coding or chess offers practical experiences that enrich a student’s profile and broaden their perspective, preparing them for the challenges of the modern world.

Furthermore, the absence of television fosters closer family ties, as it encourages family members to engage in meaningful conversations, share experiences, and participate in activities together, such as cooking, gardening, or playing sports. These interactions not only enhance social skills but also instill values of cooperation, teamwork, and empathy. Life without television also means reduced exposure to consumerist culture and stereotypical content, promoting a more realistic and healthy worldview.

In conclusion, while television has its advantages, living without it can open doors to a richer educational experience and a more balanced lifestyle. It offers students the chance to delve deeper into their academic and extracurricular interests, develop new skills, and form stronger family and community connections, laying a solid foundation for a successful and fulfilling life.

You Might Also Like

Paragraph on the clean and green earth in 100 to 300 words, paragraph on solar system in 100, 150, 200, 250 & 300 words, paragraph on eid al adha in 100 to 300 words for students, leave a reply cancel reply.

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

• Personal Finance
• Frugal Living
• Cars and Transportation
• Credit Cards
• Debt Management
• Financial News
• Real Estate and Housing
• More in Personal Finance
• Entertainment
• Food and Drink
• Green Living
• Health and Beauty
• More in Frugal Living
• Career Building
• Education & Training
• Entrepreneurship
• Extra Income
• Job Hunting
• More in Career & Income
• Consumer Affairs
• General Tips
• Organization
• Personal Development
• Productivity
• More in Life Hacks
• In The Press

Life Without Television

This page contains affiliate links from which we receive a compensation. Like many publications Wise Bread is supported by affiliate commission from partner companies whose products appear on our site. This may influence which products we write about and the location and order in which products appear. We aren't able to cover every product in the marketplace.

• Travel Rewards Credit Cards
• Cash Back Credit Cards
• 0% Balance Transfer Credit Cards

I haven't owned a television in over 7 years. I haven't lived in a house with a set in over 5 years. I spend my days largely television-free, and I actually like it.

This isn't to say that I don't watch some television shows over the internet. I have to get my Heroes fix somehow. But as someone with an addictive personality, I've found that keeping myself away from the boob tube has kept me happier and healthier.

While saving money on a cable bill is a good impetus for some people to cut the cable, I already pay $30 a month for internet, and cable wouldn't cost me that much more; a mere $5.

For me, it's not about the money; at least, not directly. It is about the following:

1. Time not spent watching really stupid crap

I'm the kind of person who can veg in front of the television for hours. I'll come home from work, plop down in front of the TV, and before I know it, it's midnight, and I'm rapidly losing IQ points watching local news — nothing is worse than local television personalities. And that's just with basic television! I shudder to think what would become of me if I had something like HBO. I'd become one with the couch, literally, within a few days.

2. I live by my own schedule

Not having a glowing television beckoning to me allows me the freedom to, say, go on longer walks in the afternoon with my dogs. What's the rush to get back inside? There are no shows that I need to watch. I frequently run into neighbors while strolling around the block who would love to chat , but have to get back to the house before Ghost Whisperer (or whatever) comes on. Sure, you could argue that I could still live by my own schedule if I had a TiVo or other DVR, but the truth is, I'd still be a slave to the shows I recorded. Back when I used to watch TV regularly, I would get so incredibly grumpy if I couldn't make time to see my favorite shows. I don't do that anymore.

3. The joys of radio

I've always liked radio better than television, and I'm happy to live in an area where we have a good public radio station. I enjoy talk radio — news, interviews, stories. In the same way that books allow your imagination to run wild, radio gives you the words and the freedom to create scenes in your mind. I like that, and I appreciate being able to enjoy a medium that doesn't require more than one of my senses at a time. With the radio on, I can listen to the news and cook dinner without taking my eyes from the stove. I've listened to the presidential and vice presidential debates on the radio this year, and find it to be a more than adequate way to take it all in. (Mind you, I did miss all of the Palin-winks and the frighteningly bright-white Biden teeth, but still.)

4. The joys of reading

I used to enjoy falling asleep in front of the television, but since I don't have one, I like to read in bed until I'm sleepy. Usually, I don't get more than a half hour of reading in before I start to doze off, but I can get through one book a month that way.

5. The joys of the internet

I love the internet — it's where I get the majority of my news, entertainment, and extracurricular writing. I can watch movies online through Netflix or Hulu , or on my DVD player in my laptop. I've never been one to tout the big screen experience — to me, seeing a movie on a small screen is just as rewarding as seeing it at the theater. However, watching a movie on my laptop while lounging in bed is not nearly as comfy as watching one on a television from my couch. The result is that while I do catch some TV shows, I watch many fewer than I actually would if I had a TV set up in my living room.

6. No remote controls

I used to get frustrated with my mother's refusal to accept new technology, but I have to admit that the multitude of remote controls in your average living room is baffling to me. Every time I watch a movie at my sister's house, setting up the television, DVD player, and sound system ends up feeling as complicated as performing a live concert. Remote controls are passed around the room like batons as we try to get the picture, balance, and volume JUST right. And one of the remotes is ALWAYS missing. In my house, I don't have a single remote control. Hey, it's hard enough to find my shoes and keys in the morning.

The Downside

I never know what people are talking about when they make inside jokes featuring plotlines from The Office or South Park. I don't watch these shows online because they don't interest me, but if I had a TV, I probably would watch them. So then I would know what people were talking about. But then again, I'd probably never leave the house.

I eventually have to explain why I never have a grasp of pop culture, and I hate sounding like one of those self-righteous jerks who never watches TV. I don't avoid TV to be more high-falutin' than other people — it's just better for me, overall, if I don't.

I can't invite people over to watch TV; this is a big season for debate parties, and I can't host one, because no one wants to sit around the radio with me and imagine how angry John McCain looks. Also, watching television or a movie is a nice way to end a date, but I have to skip that and go straight to the making-out part. Awk-ward.

I almost never see commercials. And commercials are a lot smarter than they used to be. The internet-TV commercials are exceptionally tame.

A picture paints a thousand words. Sometimes, descriptions of events simply can't tell the story the way footage of a suicide bombing or a miraculous rescue after a natural disaster can.

Do Wise Bread readers watch TV? Do you think it's worthwhile for you and your family?

Do you feel as though if you had TV, you wouldn't be able to turn it off? I understand the temptation, certainly, but it doesn't cost much to get a used TV off of craigslist (I lived off of multiple ones for 100 dollars combined for several years) if only to use it for those debates, sports events, or whatever else you could find value for. I can certainly understand ditching cable (though I wouldn't do it myself), but a medium sized TV seems like a relatively small investment compared to everything else.

Fair enough, I didn't read the beginning of the article all that much. So it IS mainly a self-control issue. I understand completely. If only there was a way to lock TV's out when there isn't an important reason for them (how about technology that keeps the TV off if there's only one person in the room, to keep it at least a mildly social activity!), so you could still have people over for watching parties, which, you gotta admit, is about as cheap as you can get.

My husband and I don't own a TV, either. Our original agreement was to try not owning one for the first year of our marriage - we're busy people and we didn't want our precious moments of downtime together to get hijacked by the tube. Now we've made it past the year mark (June 2 was our 1st anniversary) and we liked our experiment so much we're continuing it indefinitely!

One of our favorite results of this lifestyle choice is that our friends know we don't own a TV so they invite us to watch favorite shows/sporting events with them. It's made our viewing experience a social one, and we in return invite those friends over for potlucks, game nights, etc. at our place.

Another perk that I'd never have anticipated is how our living room doesn't have to be oriented around a TV, so we can comfortably include much more seating in our tiny apartment. That means bigger parties!

I highly recommend life without your own TV.

Hey Andrea. My fiancé and I have a TV, but only watch one show a week – and often we forget that! We love being TV free, and we love our local radio station (rrr.org.au) too – it has a real community feel. One of the presenters is even officiating at our wedding next year.

Quick tip: if you want to watch some of the best TV commercials, just do a search. There are quite a few sites that on them.

My wife and I gave our 32" TV to my mother in law whose last TV broke. We have since been TV free, mostly due to price, for the last several months. Our apartment provides high-speed internet free. We DON'T pay a cable bill! It feels almost criminal... But our home life is so awesome! My daughter and I are no longer passing ships in the night. My wife and I talk more and about more important things. My daughter is actively engaging in political discussions and other subjects of great importance. The list of the great changes that has occurred in just the last few months is long. I, and my wife agrees, we will never own a TV again. Its just not worth the financial, emotional, and time cost.

I have never owned my own TV and haven't lived with one for 6 years-ish. Our apartment is pretty boring though so I can't say, "Life is GREAT!" without a TV but I do agree that watching TV means wasting a lot of time. I always end up watching horrible stuff like Keeping up with the Kardashians or something if I am anywhere near a TV so it's best that I stay away. I have a baby too and I don't want her to grow up with TV. She was HYPNOTIZED by Barney when we were watching cable at he grandma's house. Plus those evil commercials try to lure children into eating horribly unhealthy looking foods like flourescent colored cereals and blue french fries.

I do watch DVDs on my laptop though of LOST. LOST is my crack.

My parents gave me a tv when I was 13. I had that tv until I was about 22, and I gave it to someone when I moved across the country. Since then I have only owned a tv when a roommate left it in my house, and even then, not for a few years.

My mom doesn't understand what a person can do with their time if they don't have a tv. She came to visit and was worrying about how I didn't have a tv. What would she DO!? So I said, if someone would deliver a tv to my house for under 40ish bucks, and it would make my mom feel better, I'd do it.

Well, craigslist had an ad for a FREE TV with delivery. A lovely guy who wanted to keep the old tv out of the landfill brought me one. I have watched it only a few times (Heroes season premiere) and I use it once in a while for video games. I think if I had cable I would sit around and watch it a lot, but I don't have cable. I kind of have no patience for just sitting and watching a show.

I do watch a LOT of tv online and on dvd while doing other stuff though.

Wow. It's a real trend, to not have a TV, but watch some shows on the internet or DVD. I grew up watching lots and lots of tv, but stopped really watching in 1988, and stopped owning a tv around 1994, but still watch with others. The shows are so confusing, lately. They seem to be better than in the past, though. Sometimes, I watch sports, even though I don't know any sports stats, because the plotline is pretty simple. For a while, I tried downloading pirated shows, but couldn't really muster much enthusiasm for it after a few months. I really enjoy video websites, though. Now, I'm living with my friend for a while, and he watches cable tv all the time. It's interesting, but some of these political shows and the nightly news are depressing.

...since reading the book "Better Off" by Eric Brende. The author lived with the Amish for a year. The book is basically about where the balance with technology lies; which types enrich our lives and which types actually impair them.

We do watch a few TV shows online, but that ends up being one show we watch together per week and a show that DH watches on Sunday morning while I sleep in. For news we listen to NPR. Honestly, with all the shows you can find online, I'm surprised most people still pay for cable. You can even find the Presidential debates in their entirety online.

One plus to not owning a TV that you didn't mention, you save a lot of money when you never see ads for stuff. I have no desire to go out and buy the latest thing, because usually I don't know it exists. I imagine the savings would be even higher if we had kids.

We haven't had cable in the 7 years we've been married. We haven't had the TV setup for the past 2, and for the 5 before that it was strictly for DVDs and tapes. Last year we gave away the TV entirely. The only time we have ever wanted it was within the past month. And then: just for the debates.

We now have hours and hours of our lives back for our son, our respective writing, cooking, photography, and ... well ... everything else.

I have not had a tv either for about 4 and a half years. I had a couple other reasons for kicking the habit.

1. No Propaganda! Their is ridiculous amounts of ads on TV always trying to sell you stuff but the worst is any news that seems to be on the TV is incredibly worthless and misleading.

2. Much more productive. I remember reading that the average American spends something like 3-4 hours watching TV a day. Think of all the more interesting things you could be doing during that time. For example, if you took 3-4 hours a day to learn a language you should be able to speak a new level 1 foreign language in 6-12 months.

Not to say that there is nothing good on TV but you can always get the one or two things you want to see off of the internet.

Great post. Echoes my sentiments. I've been doing my best to persuade my wife to have tv-free evenings, and only watch tv deliberately - when there is a specific show we want to watch. For me thats only one or two shows a week.

I've found that having a tv in the room is like having a third person in the middle of your relationship. A friend of mine even calls TV the "one-eyed god", which people worship every evening.

While I have good control over the time I watch TV(mainly sports, English premier league), my wife seems addicted to TV serials. The only way to get her out seems to be abandoning TV, so I am not planning to buy another TV if this stops working.

funny you should discuss this subject just now. I was off work last week and spent a day just veging out infront of the telly after not watching it for about 6 years. It was a real shock to the system! Made me remember just why I stopped watching it.

Like most people here I do watch shows I have downloaded, but never in front of a telly. I usually put them on my iPhone so I can watch them when I would otherwise be wasting time like commuting to work.

We have never had a TV in the 20 years we have been married. Our three teenage children seem to cope well without it. They seem to absorb popular culture through the Internet and newspapers. Commercial TV is fundamentally an advertising tool. I just couldn't stand the noise in the corner of our family room. The other point is that we don't have any time slots in our lives to watch it.

No TV here either. Our kids grew up without TV because we felt that there were better things to do with their time. We had one for a few years after they were grown up but got rid of it again when we realized how costly it was in terms of time and money. Life is back to being our own once again!

Even before that we didn't watch much. We still have a tv, but it's only for watching movies we get from the library. (I won't pay $ to rent a dvd/video.)

I don't watch much TV and never really did as a kid. DH and DS (6) always have the TV on. As a matter of fact, DH will walk in a room and turn the TV on like a bad habit. Sometimes he just turns it on and it just stays on the cable 'welcome' screen. To me sitting in front of the TV on a beautiful day is depressing. We have 4 TVs in our home and spend so much money on cable but I can't get DH to change his habits. I would say he is addicted. He comes home from work and watches. He has his list of shows to watch. I watch when I'm done my chores and am too tired to read. I use cable for the music channels.

I am 24 years old and I had a TV in my room since I was a young kid. I rememeber friends being jelious that I had such a huge TV in my room when I was in middleschool. Back then I thought it was great and I loved movies and that is the reason why Back to the Future is my favorite movie of all times. When I was younger and got sick mom would sit me down in front of the TV and I would litterally watch Back to the Future all day long, I loved it!

Back to today, and really even most recently, I just would rather be doing something else than watch TV. My father still owns the world record of recorded tapes, and now DVD's he records and I gave him my 32" TV from my room before I sort of moved out and into my girlfriend parents house. She bought a 42" LCD and when we first started dating we would have movie night at least once a week (this was 8 months ago) and now she can barely get me to sit in front of the TV. Her parents (I feel) are ruining their lives with TV, I feel like all they want to do is come home from work and watch TV.

Sure I watch video on the computer, I am watching Dan Gilbert's "Why are we so happy? Why aren't we happy? from the TED talks trying to find a section about how TV comotoses you within the first few seconds of watching it; now that I am watching it apparently I am thinking of another video however this is a great one too.

Anyway I digress, to be honest with you I could easily live without TV, read a book or work on a hobby, or find out something you can do more uniquly than anyone else in the world and make money doing it. It's all possible and its better then wasting one's life away in front of a TV.

I own a physical set. I canceled my cable a few months back. My internet was actually $15 a month more expensive without TV! So I turned the cable back on just to save money on my internet.

Sometimes I watch TV, but very rarely. I do watch shows on the internet though. I've been watching The Wire. I'm waiting for Lost to start back up. Other than that I don't really care about TV for all the reasons you mentioned.

www.goingcarless.com

And I'm not ashamed to admit it. Do I let it rule my life? Absolutely not. I own an inexpensive DVD burner and I record the shows I want and watch them on my own time without commercials. I'm also a multi-tasker... I can't sit in front of the TV without writing, drawing, knitting or sewing (or something), so I'm not turning into a vegetable.

For those of you who might say I can watch TV on the Internet... I can't. I've tried. The things I want to watch aren't always available online where I live. Believe it or not, my Canadian IP address excludes me from a lot of content, whether I want to watch it online or buy it in iTunes.

We own one TV in our home. And actually it is the only one we have ever purchased, as our previous set was given to us by my mother when she bought a new one. We only use ours to watch DVDs from the library, and Netflix.

We do not have cable, and cannot pick up any stations on an antenna (rabbit ears) unless we put up a 30 - 40 foot tower on the house.

We have a TV but ditched cable about 2 years ago. At first it was really hard for me. DH never really watched much TV so it wasn't hard for him. We only get PBS with our rabbit ears. It really has been liberating. I have 2 small kids so I barely have time to watch anyway. My co-workers think I'm crazy and don't know how I live without it. But when I hear them talking about how much time they spend in front of it and how much they pay for cable and DVR in every room it just amazes me. I still watch some TV. My toddler and I watch Sesame Street together twice a week and I sometimes watch TV on the Internet (I'm embarrassingly addicted to Ugly Betty). It's my one trashy, stupid TV show addiction. I don't know that I'd ever be able to go totally TV free but I don't know that I'll ever go back to having cable.

At ManlyHunter.com we were happy that you wrote this article. We beleive that people miss out on the more important parts of life like going outdoors or spending valubable time with family and friends. A Lakota proverb says, "When man leaves nature, he looses his soul."

We agreed that a funny part of television is that people watch shows about getting back in shape and living an active lifestyle. Although the people watching never actually life out what they invest so much time thinking about. If only people would jump on the stair stepper they can realize that most have televisions alreay exist on them. As for the men that sit on the couch and watch the tube all day, one thing is for certain. Men need to get off the couch and getting a life. We know too many men that get home after work and act like they have to be on bedrest for the entire evening. Some of them even fall asleep and leave that black box on. It's wierd how we miss something that could care less about us. Try saying hi to your family and friends instead.

Go ManlyHunter.com, your life will thank you.

I didn't even know that. I thought I was just cheap, interested in other things, etc.

For the 3+ years I've lived in my current town - no t.v. - I mean NONE. If you don't subscribe to cable or dish or direct t.v. there is no t.v. because we are in a deep bowl between tall hills. And before that I had rabbit ear t.v. I just couldn't get past going to friends or family who'd sit there and gripe about "pay so much for stinking t.v. and there is never anything on".

Well then why pay for it?

I have A t.v. I use it to watch vhs/dvd's. Actually, I rarely do that anymore. My son does.

Maybe some day I will get a computer and internet so I can watch stuff that way. But for all I use a computer for, going to the library for a free internet hour here and there is so much easier.

I have a tendency to get sucked into things. If there is a librarian telling me "Times up" its easier to get back into "living" lol.

There's a breed of intellectuals that look down their noses at popular entertainment, especially television. I don't dislike pop culture, I just do better if I'm not exposed to as much of it. Fewer neuroses.

To the "stop blaming" commenter (and there's always one of you) - I have not read a single comment here that BLAMES television for society's evils. We're simply expressing that we do better without it. You'd know that if you had read, oh, the blog post, or maybe even some of the comments.

I read all the reply. That was how I came to my comment. Maybe it was you that you did not understand my comment well enough.

It looks like there are a lot of us here that don't watch or have a TV!

My story goes like this: I moved out with a roommate for the first time about a year and a half ago. She didn't watch TV, and I didn't want to pay $50+ a month for basic cable in our area. I also didn't want to destroy the apartment trying to run the cable to the room we decided to put the TV set in.

Solution? A hand-me-down TV set and some bunny ears. That way I can catch the local news or rot my brain when I'm feeling peckish. Or watch a movie occasionally. But now I've gotten used to not watching it at all, I often forget I have a TV altogether!

As the OP mentioned, it's great for your pocketbook and general well-being, but it sucks for your social life!

Blame, blame, blame. Butches of BSs. TV controls my life. TV ruins my life. TV is the evil of all courses. STOP blaming. TV is a machine. You are a human. Human controls the machine, not the other way.

We, the human, have the power to turn off and turn on the TV. We, the human, have to power to make intelligent TV viewing decisions.

So STOP blaming machines for your miserable life. STOP blaming machines if it wasted your "VALUEABLE" time and life. STOP blaming machines if you did have time to read or spent time with your children.

If you did not read much books, it was you who made to decision to watch Television, not the TV. If you did not spend quality time with family members, it was you who wanted to watch Television, not the TV.

STOP BLAMING Television. Television is not the evil of all courses. Human is.

We've scaled way back on television viewing ourselves. In fact, we canceled all but the very basic cable package ($12/month) in order to get the seven or eight local channels (rabbit ears don't work well in our area). It has been a freeing experience because we do live by our own schedule now--not the T.V. Guide's schedule!

Our TV died a few months ago and we haven't bothered to replace it. It's funny how people keep offering us their old TVs when they find out we don't have one. We watch DVDs and things online using my laptop, including live video of both conventions and all the debates. I don't miss TV at all, except we can't really have people over to watch a movie on a laptop. We'll probably get a new TV eventually but not cable again.

Right before the kids were born. We use the Internet and Netflix, our kids have long attention spans and don't whine that they want what they see (which they do when they go to a friend's house with tv). It's great not to have the influence. And I'm an addict. If it was in the house I'd be watching tons of VH-1 Behind the Music and A&E biographies (which seemed to be my big downfalls when i had one).

 Go team! Nice to hear that so many are unplugged.

Margaret Garcia-Couoh

I've gotten to the point were the only time I watch Cable TV is when my mom is watching something and I sit down with her, or one of my favorite movies is on. A lot of the commercials that I run across what little I watch TV, tend to be down right dirty, and questionable, in their content (not including PBS of course). Which is the major reason that I'e almost stopped watching TV completely.

I do own a television, but recently moved to a house w/ a full basement and i am ever so glad to have the tv in the basement. There are no televisions upstairs and i plan to keep it that way. i have the bare minimum cable (about 12 channels) and rarely watch the television myself. The televisions are mostly there for my boyfriend and his 11 year old.

There are one or two shows I like to see, but unless I have my wife or mother reminding me they are on every week, I can never remember. I had two major things happen to detach me from the TV. Grad school separated me from following sports for long enough that at the end of it there was not enough interest to start following again, the players had all changed. As I was starting to watch again, as a single man, I felt it was a smarter move to get out there and do something. After another eight years of commitment first to extracurricular study and teaching, and another four years of ballroom dancing, I found it impossible to link my schedule to a TV schedule, and I found almost no patience for what I did find on TV. We have cable and a big screen TV, but mostly it hosts preschool friendly programming in this house.

TV has always been empty stimulation, but with the proportion of commercials now it is unwatchable. With as revenue that high they really should be paying viewers.

A twist on this... I do have TV and cable, but mostly for the people who rent from me. I only use the TV to watch DVD shows b/c I am deaf, and do not care about most commercial and cable TV offerings although properly captioned shows (Dr Who, etc) are lots of fun to go thru on my time. I actually did watch the debate last night and just cringed at the bits and bobs of ads, news networks and so on. Agh! I'd cut the cable, but the roommates watch that, so I take it out of their rent :-P

My husband and I have been TV free for 19 years. We prefer real life living, gardening, hiking, biking and talking with friends. I love having a living room where people are living! I do find myself in conversations with people about TV programs, and I have no idea what they are talking about. I just laugh. I listen to NPR and enjoy the points of view and the variety of subject matter. I do read the internet too. If I want a movie, I go to the theatre!

I do not miss it one bit.

Sure, there's a tv in my house (or two). But neither of them's mine. (My parents actually, since I'm living at home still.) I just never watch them. I guess that many in my generation have slipped towards internet...

I use my computer for almost everything. Watching movies and series, listening to music, reading news. And it's great, since it gives me more control over time and what exactly I want to do. Tv never seem to give you that. There's always that commercial break, or an additional program in-between the ones you want to see.

I just think that tv is outdated (I don't however, believe it to be "evil", is there actually some good arguments towards that opinion?). While it gives you acces to new things, they might be things you don't actually want acces to.

I actually have two 13-inch TVs, and neither of them is plugged in. Lately I've been watching TV online, watching at friends' houses, or reading recaps of my favorite shows (which are many times more entertaining than the shows themselves).

I don't know if I'll ever be completely without TV, but I've realized that it's in my best interests to be mostly TV-free. I want to be a writer, and if I watched TV at home I wouldn't write - plain and simple. I'd start with just one show and that would become 2, and next thing I know it's time to go to bed.

The same goes for video games. I've been quite the video game player over the last 15 or 20 years, but now I'm losing interest. Plus, it takes away from my writing as well - sometimes even more than TV. With games a couple of hours an rapidly become all night.

I am, however, a movie person. I go to the movies quite a bit and enjoy watching DVDs at home. For that reason I'll probably invest in a really nice HD set (if I can get a good Black Friday or after the holidays dealer), a sound system, and an upgraded DVD player.

the only reason I have tv is pretty much because i have roommates. if it were up to me, i would have smashed that thing a long time ago. in my defense, i refused to pay for cable tv, but we get hi-speed cable internet, so we split the cable to run into our modem and the tv. we only get a few channels like Bravo, Style, Fox News, Classic movie channel and jesus channels. But honestly, I really like Project Runway so that is really the only thing I look forward to watching.

The rest of the crap on there makes me want to vomit. Especially Fox News and the reality TV shows. Its disgusting that these people on reality tv shows think they are so important enough to spend thousands of dollars on a dress while the average working person is worried about paying their rent for the month.

I think television is very harmful in many ways. The amount of influence anything on tv has on the people who watch it is scary.

I could go on and on about it. I was a sociology major and now work in the nonprofit media sector so I know all about it! ha!

I own a TV, but it doesn't get any channels and we don't have cable so it's purely used when we watch DVDs. I love not having my life controlled by my entertainment and that was and still is the biggest reason why I don't have cable. That and it's such a time-suck people end up doing nothing but watch TV and I want a life more interesting than that. Good post!

I have been TV free for 11 months now, and I love it. We got rid of our set for a few reasons. One, the only time it ever got turned on was when my husband was home on his days off, and then he wouldnt get anything done or go out and do something fun or productive. Two, we had no real spot for it, it looked clunky and we dont have an entertainment center. Three, we didnt know there would be rebates for those converter box thingies an we didnt want to spend the money updating our set. Four, our kids can entertain themselves pretty well. And five, we have internet, we dont need TV. Plus, I cant get any work done if it's on. So I am actually really happy without my TV.

I've gotten rid of Cable but still own a nice hdtv for video games and the occasional movies.

I do miss National Geographic and Discovery Channel that I use to have on 24/7. I catch Heroes, Prison Break and a few other shows on HULU when I get around to it during the week. Though it kinda sucks when coworkers or friends spoil it when they discuss it heh.

Getting rid of Cable saves me about $35/month.

We do have a TV but no cable. We've never bothered with cable our entire marriage, and only watch it when we are staying with or visiting others.

We do however do the Netflix thing, watch online TV and check out locally accessible network channels if they are available with the rabbit ears (soon to be that new box thingy).

However, we do tons of other things too, so we feel we have balance. What an interesting conversation you've started here, Andrea . . .

Oh, and P.S?  I do have to confess to enjoying some of the cable channels when I have access to them. (HGTV, Fine Living Network, Sci Fi Channel, etc.) After a while though, they start to get repetative, so it's just as well to get a fix and have done with it, rather than paying the extra bill each month.

If not having one works better for you guys, that's great :) I plan to get rid of my TV when I start my family.

But I'd appreciate if people would lay of the generalizations. Just because I watch TV, doesn't make me a zombie. I read, write, draw, exercise, spend time with my friends and family and get work done. I can't get radio or TV reception in my apartment building, and my country doesn't have as much access to online video content as the US. I record shows and watch them instead of renting a movie.

TV or not... I personally think it's a matter of time management. You have to do what's best for you, and remove the temptation if you can't handle it.

I agree. The only spot where we differ is on radio. We listen to podcasts mostly. I can't stand radio commercials.

Evening walks have been the highlight of our family activities. My 1 year old loves them just as much as we do! He grabs his shoes and says, "ock, ock" when he wants us to go outside.

I don't think TV-watchers should take these comments to mean that they are considered zombies by those of us who don't really watch. I know plenty of people with TV sets who have the self-restraint (or possibily just the responsibilities) that keep their TV-watching to a minimum - just the good shows, and nothing else. But there are those of us who simply don't have that kind of willpower (or hobbies?), and we do better without.

A few years ago, I was dating this guy who was a media junkie - he could watch TV without surfing the internet, working, IMing, and talking on the phone all at once. I hate the constant noise and distraction, and so I finally got rid of the TV (it was my TV). He wouldn't speak to me for two whole weeks. This taught me two things: (1) if an appliance/electronic device can come between two people, the relationship is over and (2) TV is just not for me. The lack of the TV made my whole living room a more interesting and people-oriented place.

My wife and I watch a fair amount of TV each week and we enjoy it. We use a DVR to edit out commercials and watch our shows on our schedule.

The article gives reason for no TV as : "watching stupid crap" "live by my own schedule" "joys of" reading, internet or radio. "no remote controls"

Watching "stupid crap" on TV is your choice. There are a lot of good shows on TV, so if you chose to watch the "stupid crap" programming then thats really your choice. If you really don't like anything on TV then either thats simply your personal tastes or you havent' found the good shows.

You can use a DVR to watch shows on your own schedule. Or to save cost use a VCR to manually tape shows and then watch them any time.

I think the joys of reading, internet and radio are all fine, but mostly those are all just alternative forms of entertainment. How is radio fundamentally better than TV? This sounds mostly like personal preferences. I used to watch a lot less TV when I was playing online video games. It wasn't better or worse use of my leisure time, mostly just exchanging one form of entertainment for another.

I have a universal remote control that works just fine. Its not that complicated to use.

It seems that most of the dislike for TV revolves around either distaste of advertisement, people who spend too much time watching TV or personal preferences for other forms of entertainment.

Uh, yeah - I think that that was sort of the point of the article. I don't have restraint to stop watching. So I watch stupid crap. It's pretty obvious, I think, that this article is an opinion, and not meant to indicate that avoiding TV is a universal solution that will please everyone.

- I still have a TV. I use it primarily for DVD/VHS movies. I don't watch TV on the internet, due to dial-up access. TV is useful for local roads in winter. I live in an area where the weather and roads can get pretty bad. Beyond that I don't watch TV. I found TV to be a horrible demotivator, you sit in front of a TV and both time and the desire to do anything evaporates. - For those looking for TV alternatives, especially with no or few commercials, I offer these alternatives. - Librivox.org has audio books of classic literature, in MP3 or Ogg Vorbis format. Far better than TV. These are commercial free. - Archive.org has Old Time Radio programs, in MP3 and Ogg Vorbis format. These programs are from the "Golden Age" of radio. These tend to be shorter than audio books. Some program episodes have one or two old, generally inoffensive commercials. - Both Librivox and Archive.org-Old Time Radio encourage a vivid imagination and are better than TV.

...and the TV's been unplugged for a year. I do watch the debates online, and I like watching the Daily Show online.

TV is kinda like junk food. If it's there, you're really tempted to consume it. If it's not there, then it's easier to find better, healthier alternatives.

(Now I wish I could better control my internet time!)

I haven't owned a TV for 9 years and sure don't miss it!

I gave up cable in 2006. I only watch House, Psych, Lost and Survivor online, as well as the occasional movie. I like saving that $56 a month cable bill. When we gave up TV in 2006, it had only been on two years, we had been without cable from 1988 to 2004 before. With all of the free, online content, I don't think we will go back to TV or cable. I agree with the posts about being able to control spending more easily since we are not bombarded by TV advertising.

The only reason I have a TV right now is because my roommate has one and we get free cable from our landlords... who actually get free cable too because after their month preview was over the cable company forgot to turn all the extra channels off. I have to admit it's nice once in a while. Like for watching the debates. My roommate turns it on sometimes to the food channel, but then I find it sucks me in which is not so good. Personally I would rather watch a good movie than a television show.

Last year I went over to a friend's house every week to watch Lost. It was a fun social thing and I felt like I knew something about pop culture. We would sit around afterwards and discuss our theories and then got to see the next week whether or not they were validated.

So yes, there is good and bad. I like having one in my house as long as I can keep it from becoming an addiction.

Nice pic, by the way. Is that you?

Get rid of your TV. I still have one, but that is for DVDs. I save a bunch of money from not having a cable bill; I get to write my blog, and I can pursue other life dreams. Life really opens up. Besides TV really drains creativity, actions and general appreciation of what life can offer. Ditch it!!!

-Lee from www.cheaplee.com

We gave not having a TV a shot and LOVED it! We don't have one. I highly recommend giving it a try. It saves tons of time and everyone knows that time is money! ~The Bargain Shopper lady

We do have an old TV but we have the cable package that is below the one they will tell you about. It is the one cable companies are legally obligated to offer. I think we pay $10 or $11 / month. They had to send someone to the box outside the house and fiddle with it to get us this un-advertised package. This gives us about 20 channels.

For other programs that we don't get, there is nothing like http://hulu.com I love that site and my wife and I frequently watch a program or two in bed on a laptop. On a 15" macbookpro, you can watch these programs on hulu full screen and the resolution is perfect.

If you are a netflix subscriber, the netflix roku box is great for streaming those instant watch offerings. The roku is only $99.00.

I found great humor in your post, and totally agree with your view of TV. I don't watch much television, simply because I don't think its worth the time spent. I would rather be doing something else, like time with my toddlers. I do have a TV at home, though its old and definitely not a Flat Panel. I did buy a DTV converter box recently and wrote a post on that. About the only series I keep up with is Heroes, like you, and even that I watch most of it on NBC.com.

Thanks for your thoughts and humor.

I don't have a TV, either. (Whenever I mention that, I think of this article from The Onion: Area Man Constantly Mentioning He Doesn't Own A Television .)

That's not to say that I don't watch TV shows. I have a Netflix subscription, and I watch DVDs on my computer (both movies and TV shows). I think if I had a TV, I would just sit there and watch whatever's on, but by watching DVDs, I watch only those shows I have actively decided are worth watching. Plus, I don't have to sit through all the commercials, and I don't have to wait a week to find out what happens in the next episode.

I also think it's nice to be isolated from advertising. If I don't even know about the latest and greatest stuff available, I'm not going to want to buy it!

LOVE your post! I'm in the same boat - no TV and I love it. I've lost 104 pounds since I got rid of my TV a year and a half ago because now I get out and exercise instead of parking my butt on the couch (don't have one of those either).

It's amazing how much more you appreciate life when TV is out of the picture.

I very much like tv. great storyteller and communication medium. if its not for you, kudos. seriously though, is anyone really kidding themselves that the internet is better?

Brooke, I agree that the internet is not much better. I actually have a screen saver that says, "computer potato." I used to be able to control advertisements better but it seems fruitless on the internet now. I really have not missed the TV. I did wish I could watch the olympics, that was a bummer.

I haven't had television in decades. I was a tv junkie as a kid, but after moving to NYC, where there's no reception without cable, I was weaned but fast - I refuse to pay $90+/month for the thing! That was the best decision I've ever made, bar none.

Being without television is the most natural thing in the world. It's rather sad that the only conversations some people can have with one another is about whatever crap they watched the night before. Sometimes others treat me as a sort of Luddite fruitcake - how can you not watch Dancing With the Stars (or whatever the latest tv fad is)? Answer: Easily! Happily! Thrilled to have missed that! I read constantly, write, walk my dog, bike, play the piano, etc., etc. It's called real life, and it frightens many! "Where do you get your news?" they often ask. Yet I know just as much - more, actually - about current events than the tv addicts. Funny how a newspaper or web article can be more in-depth than a 10-second tv soundbite, eh?

I'd go so far as to say tv makes you stupid, but I don't want to sound like a Luddite fruitcake...

This was helpful. I'm going to shut off my DirecTV next month after the election... it's going to be my last toke of tube and then OFF. I'll keep the equipment around for games and DVDs, etc., but I think it's going to be nice not having the safety net of 24 hour entertainment around. Then I can also arrange my furniture into more of an imaginary campfire layout, instead of the "face forward and don't talk" elevator-style layout many living rooms have.

I agree with you about everything except for actually owning a TV... For similar reasons, I have decided that watching TV isn't good for me. So I don't watch TV. But I still have a TV....it simply acts as a monitor for movies. My laptop can play DVDs, but a TV does better justice to the whole experience (larger screen, couch to watch it on...). So, I agree with you, except that owning a TV is important, even if you don't use it for its intended purpose.

I have not had a TV for more than three years now. I am very happy I got rid of the dam thing. It is one of the best things I have ever done for myself and the atmosphere of my home.

thought I didn't have a TV because I couldn't afford one. It never occurred to him I just didn't want one and it never occurred to me that he might think I was too poor to get one, I have an otherwise well decorated apartment. 10 years ago I found myself with 2 tvs and a tv/vcr combo and 3 vcr's. I looked at this pile of crap and started calling folks to haul it off. They thought I was nuts, I didn't ask for money, I was disgusted with what it was doing to my life, sucking all my time, demanding my complete attention. I really resented it. I've lived with folks who had tv's and I can't stand more than about 30 minutes, I'm a playstation junky though, played Tomb Raider in 11 days, another reason to get rid of it. Otherwise I indulge in a short attention span with lots more playtime outside, I listen to lots of radio, I get desperate housewives on the net in a whole lot shorter time it takes to watch on the tube, I make my own movies with my puter, and I do alot more with my hands than I ever did with a tv. My new boyfriend likes that part best.

that some bull **** i love tv aint no way in hell i can live without it

if you dont have a tv then you are saving money an dyou probably go outside more. But havin a tv gives you entertainment and watching the news gives you an update on what is happening in your area today. if you diont have time for a tv then you shouldnt have got one in the first place wasting money plus if you are bored with your tv then you need to give it t somebody that wants one instead of breaking it.

I don't watch TV either. I haven't watched TV (apart from a few DVD films) for over 13 years now. My life is much better, for all of the reasons you give above. I am sure there are more people out there who would give up TV if they realised that they aren't the only ones doing so.

I will be joining you in a tv-free lifestyle shortly... Our TV is about to die and I'm preparing myself and my wife for the adjustment ahead. Excellent ideas as always Wise Bread!

I liked your article. Here in the UK, where I live, television is almost as dominant as it is in the USA and it seems to be growing in influence. I always feel encouraged when I come across other people who have taken television out of their lives, such as yourself and some of those who have posted in response to your article. I know a people who don't have TV personally, probably because I am so vocal about it, but I also like to come across people on the internet. I have just set up a social networking site for people who have got television out of their lives, or who might want to. It is open to everyone and has no political or other agenda. I would very much encourage people to check it out - lifewithouttv.org - and let me know what they think. It has lots of useful material on it.

Jim Goddard

Like you, I no longer own a television. My family had a TV when I was growing up, then when I went off to college, I did not own a TV. Later, I did pick up a throw away TV and VCR and had one for about 3 years until 2003. Since 2004, I have not had a TV. I do listen to radio once or twice a week, to Spanish language broadcasting (to improve my Spanish; I am a native English speaker). I do go onto the Internet, but I do not watch TV there either. I don't go to YouTube, neither do I have a Facebook nor Google+ account; I just do not need them. The only Internet site I regularly use is either Bing and Yahoo for searches (I stopped using Google in 2009), and the Weather Channel to find out the weather. Although I used to be very tech savvy (I was a programmer), I have become more reticent of technology lately.

We just sold our tv and accessories! This allowed us to create a music and reading room where pure relaxation and discussion can occur! Plugged some of the cash from the sale into books and a bluetooth audio system. Don't miss TV at all!

I love tvs so you are very good not to own one

We decided not to own a TV when we got married in 1968. The younger kids read books a lot, but the younger kids got into computers. They say the average American watches 9 years of TV lifetime. I wonder how much that will go up when the computers and smart phones are added in...maybe 20 years of one's life spent watching "screens"??

• Most Popular

For many Americans the thought of life without TV is akin to forgoing food, shelter or, God forbid, the Internet. But about 1 to 2 percent of Americans do abstain from the boob tube, and they might seem like strange bedfellows.

A recent study of those who live without found that about two-thirds fall into either the "crunchy granola set" or the "religious right, ultraconservative" camp, said researcher Marina Krcmar, a professor of communication at North Carolina's Wake Forest University. Krcmar interviewed 120 people from 62 different households who do not watch television, as well as 92 people from 35 households with TV, and described her findings in a new book, "Living Without the Screen" (Routledge, 2008).

Aversion to television , it turns out, is a common ground for the very liberal and the very conservative.

"I interviewed one guy who was 31, single, an artist living in Boston, who saw himself as countercultural," Krcmar told LiveScience . "The next day I had an interview with a religious woman with ten children who lived in the Midwest. These people seem like they would disagree about almost everything, but if you ask them about television the things that came out of their mouths were almost identical."

Why do people give it up?

Krcmar herself lives on the dark side, having given up television about 13 years ago.

"It's just something I don't want in the home — it's a perpetual annoyance, like a gnat," she said.

Sign up for the Live Science daily newsletter now

Get the world’s most fascinating discoveries delivered straight to your inbox.

The motivations for most people who abandon TV fall into three categories, Krcmar found.

Some give it up to avoid exposing their families to the excessive sex, violence, and consumerism they feel are promoted onscreen. Others object to the medium itself, claiming television intrudes too much into their lives, interferes with conversation and takes time away from the family. Finally, some people have a beef with the power and values of the television industry and don't want its influence in their homes.

In contrast to the average American adult, who watches three hours of television a day, non-watchers fill their time with a plethora of activities.

"Non-viewers had a greater variety of things that they did with their free time than viewers did," Krcmar said. "It's not just that they were reading instead of watching TV. They were hiking and biking, and going to community meetings and visiting with friends. Overall, they tend to do more of everything."

Are they right?

Science does in fact support many non-watchers' worst fears about TV.

"The research tends to show that increased exposure to television and violence results in greater aggression in children ," Krcmar said. "That's a pretty consistent finding."

Though not all children become more violent, and everyone reacts uniquely, it's fair to say that what we watch affects us.

When parents did cut television out of their homes, they reported that their kids didn't bug them as much for junk food and toys advertised on TV. They also said giving up television made their children easier to manage.

"It's sort of counter-intuitive, because people think their kids would drive them nuts without TV," Krcmar said. "But parents found that kids became very good at entertaining themselves and didn't need to be entertained all the time by something that was lively and active. They didn’t complain about being bored."

Downsides of life without TV

People who had relinquished television didn't report too many downsides. Most felt satisfied getting their news from newspapers and radio, and while some people said they felt less connected to pop culture, "many adults noted that as a point of pride," Krcmar said.

Even most kids in non-watching households seemed to agree with their parents that they were better off without the reviled medium, though a number of kids around ages 10 to 13 said they resented feeling left out when other kids talk about shows and actors on television. By the time they reached later adolescence around age 14 and 15, though, most had come full circle and said they didn't really like TV and didn't mind doing without.

For those who want to experience some of the benefits of life without the tube, but don't feel ready to go cold turkey, Krcmar said she thinks good things can come just by setting limits.

"I think you can have the benefits just by having kids watch less television," she said. "Be selective about content. You don’t go to a restaurant and let them eat anything on the menu. Instead you say choose something that's healthy that you would enjoy."

A similarly restrained approach to TV could go a long way toward protecting kids from the downsides of TV.

• 10 Technologies That Will Change Your Life
• Innovations: Ideas and Technologies of the Future
• Forget Crystal Balls: Let the Power of Math Inform Your Future

30,000 years of history reveals that hard times boost human societies' resilience

'We're meeting people where they are': Graphic novels can help boost diversity in STEM, says MIT's Ritu Raman

Canadian 'super pigs' are likely to invade northern US, study warns

Most Popular

• 2 Scientists just discovered an enormous lithium reservoir under Pennsylvania
• 3 Ancient Mycenaean armor is so good, it protected users in an 11-hour battle simulation inspired by the Trojan War
• 4 What's the highest place on Earth that humans live?
• 5 James Webb telescope sees 'birth' of 3 of the universe's earliest galaxies in world-1st observations
• 2 Jupiter may be the reason why Earth has a moon, new study hints
• 3 32 optical illusions and why they trick your brain
• 4 Space photo of the week: NASA sees a 'Platypus' move on Jupiter's moon Europa
• 5 Neanderthals could talk — but how sophisticated was their language?

Life Without Television Essay Example

• Pages: 2 (514 words)
• Published: November 5, 2016
• Type: Essay

The temporary absence of television turned out to be a positive experience for our family. Without our only set, we were worried about how to spend our evenings, but it gave us the opportunity to focus on personal interests, catch up on neglected responsibilities, and engage in meaningful conversations with loved ones.

Because there was no television, we had plenty of time to focus on our own interests. We spent the entire week reading, surpassing the amount of reading we had done in the previous six months. At the library, everyone except my father chose two books each, but he decided to go with one larger book instead. By Wednesday, all of us finished our assigned readings while my father continued with his own. Additionally, each of us rediscovered and enjoyed hobbies that we had neglected for a long time.

ext-align: justify"> We organized old and new photos in a scrapbook and divided gardening tasks among family members, including planting, watering, and weeding. In addition to that, my sister and I overcame our habit of procrastinating with homework by eliminating television distractions. This resulted in quicker completion of assignments. We created a schedule for homework and were able to finish all assignments on time. Moreover, we finally addressed long-standing chores that had been postponed.

While at home, we attended to several overdue tasks. My father successfully repaired some long-broken doorknobs, while my sister and I painted our respective rooms' walls. Additionally, our mom organized the kitchen cabinets. Amidst these chores, we managed to make a shopping trip with the main purpose of purchasing groceries and household essentials. En route to the

store, we stopped at Walgreens to buy hair dye for both me and my mom. After finishing all of our shopping, each of us took some time to catch up on neglected emails and paperwork.

Previously, television dominated our time and hindered us from having valuable family moments. Nevertheless, we eventually decided to reestablish our connection. Instead of mindlessly gazing at a screen together in the same space, we actively participated in significant discussions for several pleasurable hours. It became apparent to me that I had been longing for these instances of familial unity. Furthermore, after an extended period of absence, my family and I engaged in board games as a collective activity. We genuinely relished this experience as we occupied ourselves with games like Monopoly, Guess Who?, and Life.

Despite our television being repaired, we realized that if we allowed it to, it could easily dominate our lives. Therefore, instead of simply stashing it away in the attic, we consciously made a decision to approach our viewing habits with more caution. Now, we only switch on the TV for our favorite shows, specific sporting events, and the news. This way, we are able to enjoy television while still leaving time for other activities and interests. Thanks to this alteration in our behavior, we were able to spend quality evenings with family friends without any concern about missing out on any programs. It had been quite some time since we had experienced such enjoyable moments.

• Television Commercials and How They Perpetuate Gender Stereotypes Essay Example
• Thinking Outside Idiot Box Essay Example
• Television: the Undiscovered Drug Essay Example
• Television always present religious people as out of touch with the modern world Essay Example
• How film and television may contribute to the development of a destination image Essay Example
• Gender Differences in Family Viewing: An Analysis of David Morley's Article
• Television Families Communication Essay Example
• McDonald’s, Television, and Prevalence of Obesity Essay Example
• Importance of television in our life Essay Example
• "Thinking Outside the Idiot Box" vs. “Watching TV Makes You Smarter” Essay Example
• Television, Newspapers, Magazines, and Other Media Pay Too Much Attention Essay Example
• Tv Manufacturing Industry in India Essay Example
• Dish Network External Analysis Essay Example
• Activity Analysis Imc Plan of Television Essay Example
• Marketing Strategies of BPL Color Television Essay Example
• Broadcasting essays
• Reality Television essays
• Documentary film essays
• Lottery essays
• Oprah winfrey essays
• Game of Thrones essays
• Actors essays
• Celebrity essays
• Magic essays
• Media essays
• Movies essays
• Music essays
• Roller coaster essays
• Television essays
• Video Game essays

Haven't found what you were looking for?

Search for samples, answers to your questions and flashcards.

• Enter your topic/question
• Receive an explanation
• Ask one question at a time
• Enter a specific assignment topic
• Aim at least 500 characters
• a topic sentence that states the main or controlling idea
• supporting sentences to explain and develop the point you’re making
• evidence from your reading or an example from the subject area that supports your point
• analysis of the implication/significance/impact of the evidence finished off with a critical conclusion you have drawn from the evidence.

Unfortunately copying the content is not possible

Tell us your email address and we’ll send this sample there..

By continuing, you agree to our Terms and Conditions .

Television Effects on Society Essay

Introduction, whom does television affect, how does television affect the public, suggestions for reducing the time spent in front of screens.

Can you imagine our life without television? Modern technologies allow people’s watching programs and shows with the help of a lot of devices, and it is rather difficult to imagine the day without watching TV or using it as the background noise while being involved in the other activities. Today, a lot of people spend their spare time sitting in front of screens and watching many programs which are really not necessary to be watched because they do not include any useful information.

Furthermore, they can have even harmful effects on the public’s consciousness. Television is one of the most influential aspects of the modern life because it is actively used to influence the people’s attitude to this or that situation or phenomenon, and many persons become the victims of the television impact.

Thus, television has negative effects on society because it influences the individuals’ psychological state and mental abilities, their emotions and feelings, attitudes and vision of the moral values, the capacities to make the independent decisions and effective choices.

There are few people who do not feel the impact of television on their life because even when the public is not interested in programs and shows, commercials seem to follow us in all the aspects of the life with affecting the tendencies and fashion and influencing our choice every day. Television affects all the age categories of people. Nevertheless, the impact of television on children is the most dangerous because children have no abilities to assess the information presented in TV programs and shows critically.

Many parents are inclined to use television for attracting the children’s attention and entertaining them without concentrating on the fact that the impact of television on the children’s brain and emotional state can be negative. Moreover, today it is possible to notice a lot of toddlers who spend their time in front of the screen without their parents’ control. Thus, the impact of television on children is the quite controversial question.

However, adults also feel the great impact of television on their lives because there are tendencies to watch TV while having a rest, eating, communicating with friends, and completing different everyday activities ( Television , n.d.). That is why, it is necessary to mention that television affects the majority of people without references to their age and even without focusing on their social status because now television is the most available way of entertaining and getting the information.

What is the difference between the negative impact of television on children and adults? Today, many researchers and doctors pay attention to the fact that children are more influenced by the information presented in TV programs because of their limited possibility to distinguish between fantasy and reality.

The most problematic issue is the impact of violence depicted in TV shows on the children’s minds and psychological state. The violent actions presented in TV programs are perceived by children as real, and they can consider them as possible to follow ( Television , n.d.). Thus, television can change the peculiarities of the children’s perception of moral values and definite virtues.

Violence in TV shows and cartoons can provoke the children’s brutal actions and conflicts in their relations with friends and classmates in reality because children are inclined to reflect those behavioral patterns which they observe. Moreover, not only the character of information can be influential for children.

The practice of spending many hours in front of the TV screens can affect the children’s performance at school and their classroom engagement because the habit of watching TV provokes children’s being passive, their lack of interest in school activities, and reduces the concentration of attention ( How to promote good television habits, 2008).

The impact of television on adults and their emotional state can also be negative. Focusing on the character of the information presented in TV news and shows, it is possible to note that people receive a lot of information every day which stimulates their negative reactions, different types of emotional downs, apathy and pessimism. Commercials which are used on television can have a lot of negative effects on adults.

Those persons who are influenced by commercials are inclined to buy a lot of unnecessary products. They also can feel dissatisfaction because of the impossibility to follow all the tendencies and buy all the products promoted with the help of commercials ( Television , n.d.). However, many persons use television in order to entertain themselves. In this case, TV shows and entertaining programs make people be passive and contribute to developing the habits of the sedentary lifestyle.

The family tradition to watch TV in the evening can be discussed as good only when the process is not passive, the choice of a program is relevant, and the members of the family have the opportunity to discuss it. That is why it is also important to concentrate on the negative impact of television on the people’s health, especially on their eyes, which is affected by the usage of different technological devices.

To reduce the negative effects of television on society, it is necessary to cut the time which people spend in front of their TV screens. The practice of limited watching TV is important for children who should watch TV programs less than two hours a day, and it is more useful not to watch TV during the week days and reduce all the screen-based activities which are harmful for the children’s health. Children reflect the behaviors of their parents.

That is why adults should also have the special schedule of watching TV with choosing mainly the programs about nature, history or science. The negative impact of television can be effectively reduced when people do not watch TV while eating and communicating. Moreover, to have TV sets in bedrooms is also the harmful practice. The habit to watch TV in order to spend spare time can be successfully changed with the habit to walk with friends and children ( How to promote good television habits, 2008).

Thus, television can influence our attitude to life, our choice, and our decisions without our awareness of the fact. People can react to the information presented in TV news and TV shows consciously as well as unconsciously. That is why it is almost impossible to predict the effects of television on the next actions and behaviors or our emotional state.

The impact of television on the people’s minds and health is often negative because of the lack of controlling the time in front of the screens and the choice of programs and shows. Nevertheless, it can be reduced with decreasing the role of television in the people’s everyday life.

How to promote good television habits . (2008).

Television . (n.d.) Web.

• Watching Television: Genetic Influence
• TV Is Extremely Harmful to Children
• How TV Affects Kids
• BBC and Fox News Reports Comparison
• Television Advertisement' Negative Effects on Children
• Pop Culture and Print Media: Trends Propagated by the Print Media
• Social Media at Cape Breton University
• Reality TV Role in Human History
• Chicago (A-D)
• Chicago (N-B)

IvyPanda. (2020, April 21). Television Effects on Society. https://ivypanda.com/essays/television-effects-on-society/

"Television Effects on Society." IvyPanda , 21 Apr. 2020, ivypanda.com/essays/television-effects-on-society/.

IvyPanda . (2020) 'Television Effects on Society'. 21 April.

IvyPanda . 2020. "Television Effects on Society." April 21, 2020. https://ivypanda.com/essays/television-effects-on-society/.

1. IvyPanda . "Television Effects on Society." April 21, 2020. https://ivypanda.com/essays/television-effects-on-society/.

Bibliography

IvyPanda . "Television Effects on Society." April 21, 2020. https://ivypanda.com/essays/television-effects-on-society/.

Essay on Television for Students and Children

500+ words essay on television.

Television is one of the most popular devices that are used for entertainment all over the world. It has become quite common nowadays and almost every household has one television set at their place. In the beginning, we see how it was referred to as the ‘idiot box.’ This was mostly so because back in those days, it was all about entertainment. It did not have that many informative channels as it does now.

Moreover, with this invention, the craze attracted many people to spend all their time watching TV. People started considering it harmful as it attracted the kids the most. In other words, kids spent most of their time watching television and not studying. However, as times passed, the channels of television changed. More and more channels were broadcasted with different specialties. Thus, it gave us knowledge too along with entertainment.

Benefits of Watching Television

The invention of television gave us various benefits. It was helpful in providing the common man with a cheap mode of entertainment. As they are very affordable, everyone can now own television and get access to entertainment.

In addition, it keeps us updated on the latest happenings of the world. It is now possible to get news from the other corner of the world. Similarly, television also offers educational programs that enhance our knowledge about science and wildlife and more.

Moreover, television also motivates individuals to develop skills. They also have various programs showing speeches of motivational speakers. This pushes people to do better. You can also say that television widens the exposure we get. It increases our knowledge about several sports, national events and more.

While television comes with a lot of benefits, it also has a negative side. Television is corrupting the mind of the youth and we will further discuss how.

Get the huge list of more than 500 Essay Topics and Ideas

How Television is    Harming the Youth

Additionally, it also makes people addict. People get addicted to their TV’s and avoid social interaction. This impacts their social life as they spend their time in their rooms all alone. This addiction also makes them vulnerable and they take their programs too seriously.

The most dangerous of all is the fake information that circulates on news channels and more. Many media channels are now only promoting the propaganda of the governments and misinforming citizens. This makes causes a lot of division within the otherwise peaceful community of our country.

Thus, it is extremely important to keep the TV watching in check. Parents must limit the time of their children watching TV and encouraging them to indulge in outdoor games. As for the parents, we should not believe everything on the TV to be true. We must be the better judge of the situation and act wisely without any influence.

{ “@context”: “https://schema.org”, “@type”: “FAQPage”, “mainEntity”: [{ “@type”: “Question”, “name”: “How does television benefit people?”, “acceptedAnswer”: { “@type”: “Answer”, “text”: “Television offers people a cheap source of entertainment. It saves them from boredom and helps them get information and knowledge about worldly affairs.” } }, { “@type”: “Question”, “name”: “What is the negative side of television?”, “acceptedAnswer”: { “@type”: “Answer”, “text”:”Television has a negative side to it because it harms people’s health when watched in excess. Moreover, it is the easiest platform to spread fake news and create misunderstandings between communities and destroy the peace and harmony of the country.”} }] }

Customize your course in 30 seconds

Which class are you in.

• Travelling Essay
• Picnic Essay
• Our Country Essay
• My Parents Essay
• Essay on Favourite Personality
• Essay on Memorable Day of My Life
• Essay on Knowledge is Power
• Essay on Gurpurab
• Essay on My Favourite Season
• Essay on Types of Sports

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Download the App

• EssayBasics.com
• Pay For Essay
• Write My Essay
• Homework Writing Help
• Essay Editing Service
• Thesis Writing Help
• Write My College Essay
• Do My Essay
• Term Paper Writing Service
• Coursework Writing Service
• Write My Research Paper
• Assignment Writing Help
• Essay Writing Help
• Call Now! (USA) Login Order now
• EssayBasics.com Call Now! (USA) Order now
• Writing Guides

A World Without Television (Essay Sample)

A world without television.

Many people depend on television for their news, weather updates, and entertainment. Some would watch TV for at least an hour, while others would consume it for six hours or more. Likewise, households with two breadwinners tend to be places where adults allow their children to watch TV for long durations in order for them to work and conduct household duties. What will happen if the world has no TV? Possibly, everyone will be better off. Without TV, children will have increased physical activity and reading time, and families, including couples, will develop stronger relationships.

Devoid of television, children will be able to read and play more often. Kids can watch TV for hours from morning until evening if they can do so. As a result, childhood obesity has risen, while the practice of reading books has declined.  If television is removed in their lives, they have additional time to read. They can read individually and devour different types of books that will be good for their literacy development. Likewise, they can read to each other and expand their vocabulary in ways that TV cannot. Moreover, sans a TV that distracts them, children can have extra play time. They can go outside to play sports or stay inside and do anything that involves physical movements, like dancing and role playing. All these activities are socialization activities as well that can help nurture social skills. A TV-less world can truly be a boon for the physical, mental, and social development of the youth.

In the absence of television, parents will spend additional time bonding with their children. Parents would have to admit that many of them have turned their TV into the nanny as well as a pacifier to active kids who crave their time and attention. Sometimes, even when these adults are doing nothing, they would rather spend time watching TV or doing other things instead of communicating with their children. TV, after all, will keep their children busy. If TV is removed in their family life, however, things will change for the better. Parents will devote extra interest in connecting with their children. Most likely, mothers and fathers would devise ways to ensure that their kids are active. They may play sports with them, read to them, or simply go out and walk together. Instead of watching TV, they can talk to their children with greater frequency which can boost the quality of their conversations. Their offspring may have enhanced openness to their parents and improve trust in the long run. Erasing TV in the household can solve communication problems when parents and children interact with higher occurrence and conduct diverse activities that they can all enjoy.

When television is gone, couples, especially married ones, can have better relationships if they spend time together as well as do things as individuals. Many married couples grow far due to lack of time for one another, especially when they consume TV shows instead of talking. Without TV, they will be forced to converse and in the process, learn about each other, such as how their day went and what ails them. Additional deep conversations are critical to the longevity of their marriage if they result in greater trust and love. Furthermore, with extra free time, they can have more “me” time as well. Personal space is essential to happy relationships as it enables self-development and private activities. Eliminating TV consumption can produce positive effects for intimate relationships including marriages.

A world that lacks television may not be so bad if it will lead to more time for books, physical activities, family relationships, and self-development. As long as the extra time is used productively, a TV-less civilization may be a better one. TV addiction will fall and quality relationships will emerge. Hence, take out TV and people may improve not only themselves but also their families and societies.

Essay on Life Without Newspaper

Students are often asked to write an essay on Life Without Newspaper in their schools and colleges. And if you’re also looking for the same, we have created 100-word, 250-word, and 500-word essays on the topic.

Let’s take a look…

100 Words Essay on Life Without Newspaper

Introduction.

Imagine a day without a newspaper. It seems incomplete, doesn’t it? Newspapers have become an integral part of our daily lives.

Role of Newspapers

Newspapers keep us informed about the world. Without them, we would be unaware of global happenings.

Life Without Newspapers

Without newspapers, life would be dull. We would miss the joy of reading news with morning tea.

In conclusion, life without newspapers would be unimaginable. They are not just paper sheets, but a vital link to the outside world.

250 Words Essay on Life Without Newspaper

Life without newspapers may seem unthinkable to some, yet it is increasingly becoming a reality with the advent of digital media. Newspapers have been a significant part of human history, providing a tangible connection to events and narratives around the world. However, the digital revolution is changing the way we consume news.

The Changing News Landscape

The Internet has significantly transformed the way we access and consume information. Digital platforms provide instant, diverse, and interactive content, making them an attractive alternative to traditional newspapers. The immediacy and convenience of digital news have led to a decline in newspaper circulation.

Impact on Society

The disappearance of newspapers could have several implications. Firstly, it could lead to a loss of a sense of community that local newspapers foster. Secondly, the tactile experience of reading a physical newspaper, which many readers cherish, would cease to exist. Lastly, newspapers provide a critical check on power, and their absence could lead to unchecked authority.

Adapting to Change

However, the shift from newspapers to digital news is not necessarily negative. It reflects society’s adaptation to technological advancements. Digital news platforms can offer more comprehensive and diverse coverage, interactive features, and real-time updates. They can also reach a wider audience, fostering a more global perspective.

In conclusion, while life without newspapers may seem daunting, it is an inevitable consequence of technological progress. It is essential to leverage the advantages of digital platforms while mitigating potential drawbacks. The future of news consumption lies in striking a balance between tradition and innovation, ensuring that the essence of journalism is preserved amidst the changing landscape.

500 Words Essay on Life Without Newspaper

In today’s digital age, it may seem like the concept of life without newspapers is not far off. However, the importance of newspapers in our lives cannot be understated. Newspapers have been a vital source of information for centuries, shaping public opinion, informing decision-making, and fostering a sense of community.

The Role of Newspapers

Newspapers play a pivotal role in educating the public, providing a platform for debate, and promoting transparency in governance. They act as a mirror of society, reflecting the happenings around the world in an unbiased and comprehensive manner. Newspapers hold a unique position as a source of news, offering depth and context that television or radio broadcasts often lack. They also play a significant role in shaping public opinion, influencing policies, and driving social change.

Imagining a life without newspapers is to envision a world without a reliable and comprehensive source of information. A world without newspapers would mean a lack of depth in our understanding of global events. The absence of newspapers could lead to a significant gap in our knowledge, as they are often the first to report on critical issues.

Without newspapers, we would miss out on the insightful editorials, in-depth investigative journalism, and thought-provoking opinion pieces that stimulate intellectual discourse. These elements of newspapers contribute to the development of critical thinking skills and promote informed citizenship.

The Digital Shift

The advent of the internet has led to a shift in how we consume news. Digital news platforms and social media provide real-time updates and a plethora of information at our fingertips. However, the credibility and reliability of these sources are often questionable, leading to the spread of misinformation and fake news.

In contrast, newspapers follow stringent journalistic standards, ensuring that the news reported is accurate and unbiased. Therefore, while digital platforms may offer convenience, newspapers provide reliability, which is crucial in today’s information-saturated world.

While the digital revolution may seem to threaten the existence of newspapers, their importance remains undiminished. A life without newspapers would mean a lack of reliable, in-depth, and balanced news. It would result in an information gap, leading to uninformed citizens and a decline in intellectual discourse.

Despite the rise of digital news platforms, newspapers continue to hold a unique place in society. They are a testament to the power of the written word, symbolizing the importance of free speech, transparency, and informed citizenship. As we move further into the digital age, it is crucial to remember the irreplaceable role newspapers play in our lives.

That’s it! I hope the essay helped you.

If you’re looking for more, here are essays on other interesting topics:

• Essay on Life of Soldiers
• Essay on Life Is Beautiful
• Essay on Life After Pandemic

Apart from these, you can look at all the essays by clicking here .

Happy studying!

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Advertisement

How Timberwolves, led by Karl-Anthony Towns and Anthony Edwards, defeated Mavericks in Game 4 to extend West finals

Behind Anthony Edwards and Karl-Anthony Towns , the Minnesota Timberwolves salvaged their season with a 105-100 Game 4 win over the Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday.

Edwards nearly had a triple-double, leading the Timberwolves with a game-high 29 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists. Towns topped the 20-point mark for the first time this series, adding 25 points and five boards before fouling out late in the fourth quarter.

Luka Dončić posted his sixth triple-double of this postseason in the loss, with 28 points, 15 rebounds and 10 rebounds. Kyrie Irving fell to 14-1 in closeout games, scoring just 16 points and dishing out four assists on 6-of-18 shooting.

Dallas still holds a 3-1 series lead entering Game 5 on Thursday in Minnesota.

Postgame reading

• Jon Krawczynski: Karl-Anthony Towns ‘came through big time’ to help Timberwolves stave off elimination
• Key takeaways: How Anthony Edwards, Timberwolves forced the series to a Game 5

Find the best deals on tickets to see your favorite teams.

How Anthony Edwards led Timberwolves to Game 4 win over Mavericks to extend series

Dončić, Irving both take ownership for loss

(Photo: Tim Heitman / Getty Images)

DALLAS — There aren’t gimmes in the conference finals.

The Dallas Mavericks, a professional basketball team, knew that. What happened in Tuesday’s 105-100 Game 4 defeat to the Timberwolves was just a reminder with a hefty consequence, given that its chance at a series sweep has now been exchanged for another trip north to Minnesota. The team’s margin for error, always slim at this point of the postseason, had grown slimmer still due to center Dereck Lively II’s absence with a neck sprain. Without the rookie, the team had no real chance to overcome an abnormally poor evening from its superstar duo, Luka Dončić and Kyrie Irving, who both took blame for the defeat.

“I think that game’s on me,” Dončić said. “I just didn’t give enough energy.”

Dončić still managed 28 points while tallying up a 15-rebound, 10-assist triple-double, but he was inefficient (7-of-21 shooting) and occasionally looked bothered by Minnesota’s team-defining defensive physicality in a manner he hadn’t in the prior three games. (While Minnesota’s most notable adjustment was tasking Anthony Edwards as Dončić’s primary defender, reserve Kyle Anderson seemed to get under Dončić’s skin most often. Anderson has been the most effective defender on the star for most of the series.) Typical of his night, even when he hit a magical shot — a 30-foot and-one 3-pointer that could’ve cut the lead to two points with 12 seconds remaining — Dončić missed the ensuing free throw.

Irving was affected more by the ramifications of Minnesota’s defensive switch-up, which turned Jaden McDaniels into his primary defender.

“It has a huge impact,” Irving said. “He’s a 6-9 wing defender who I’m seeing now from the first time from the start of the game, but I love it. I relish in these types of battles.”

With McDaniels guarding him more frequently, Irving finished with 16 points on 6-of-18 shooting. He seized some of the blame that Dončić had claimed for himself.

“A lot of this is on me,” said Irving, specifically indicating he needed to start the game better. “I had spurts, we had spurts, but I’ve got to put a full 48 minutes of a game together.”

Continue reading.

Mavericks can’t quite overcome Luka Dončić and Kyrie Irving finally having off games

Kyrie Irving's perfect closeout record ends

Tuesday's Minnesota Timberwolves win meant that, for the first time, Kyrie Irving lost a game with the opportunity to advance to the next round of the playoffs.

Irving was an incredible 14-0 in closeout games before the Wolves staved off elimination in Game 4. And he was typically pretty good in those games, too.

• Cavaliers 101, Celtics 93, 2015 first round: 24 points, 11 rebounds
• Cavaliers 94, Bulls 73, 2015 conference semifinals: 6 points
• Cavaliers 118, Hawks 88, 2015 conference finals: 16 points, 5 assists
• Cavaliers 100, Pistons 98, 2016 first round: 31 points, 5 assists
• Cavaliers 100, Hawks 99, 2016 conference semifinals: 21 points, 8 assists
• Cavaliers 113, Raptors 87, 2016 conference finals: 30 points, 9 assists
• Cavaliers 93, Warriors 89, 2016 NBA Finals: 26 points, 6 rebounds
• Cavaliers 106, Pacers 102, 2017 first round: 28 points, 3 blocks
• Cavaliers 109, Raptors 102, 2017 conference semifinals: 27 points, 9 assists
• Cavaliers 135, Celtics 102, 2017 conference finals: 24 points, 7 assists
• Celtics 110, Pacers 106, 2019 first round: 14 points, 7 assists
• Nets 123, Celtics 109, 2021 first round: 25 points
• Mavericks 114, Clippers 101, 2024 first round: 30 points, 6 rebounds
• Mavericks 117, Thunder 116, 2024 conference semifinals: 22 points

Karl-Anthony Towns shakes off difficult stretch to extend series

DALLAS — Here the Minnesota Timberwolves were again, holding a small lead in the fourth quarter of these Western Conference finals, just like they had in each of the first three games against the Dallas Mavericks. The score was 92-90 with a little more than five minutes to play. With the way this series had played out in the first three games, the Timberwolves might as well have been down 10.

The Wolves had the ball in the frontcourt as the shot clock ticked down, and that’s when Kyle Anderson started to orchestrate. The ball was in Anthony Edwards’ hands, and Anderson motioned for Karl-Anthony Towns, the Wolves All-Star whose jumper has been broken this series, to get to the corner.

As Edwards drove to the paint, he rose and could have easily taken a tough, but makeable, pull-up jumper. But Anderson pointed emphatically at Towns in the corner, and Edwards obliged. It did not matter that Towns had struggled so mightily shooting the ball in the first three games, including going 0 of 8 from 3-point range in Game 3. Anderson trusted him and so did Edwards, who zipped a pass to him.

Towns was in foul trouble all game, and much of that was his doing with some ill-advised reach-in fouls. He had just five points in the first half, not helping his cause after going 15 of 54 from the field and 3 of 22 from 3 in the first three games. But he had started to catch a rhythm in the third quarter, and the show of faith from his teammates in the fourth seemed to embolden him. He rose and drilled the 3, his second of the quarter, for a 95-90 lead.

He added another 3 a few minutes later to help the Timberwolves avoid a sweep with a 105-100 victory over the Mavericks. Towns finished with 25 points on 9-of-13 shooting, including four 3s, and five rebounds before fouling out. There were still some head-scratching decisions and ill-advised fouls, but this is the shotmaking form Towns the Wolves have been missing in three very close losses to start this series.

“Everything came together for him,” said Edwards, who had 29 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists. “He was super confident. He wasn’t worried about any of the shots previous to the shots he hit tonight. He played exceptionally well, and he came through big time. He was the reason we won tonight.”

Karl-Anthony Towns ‘came through big time’ to help Timberwolves stave off elimination

When is Game 5?

The next game in the Timberwolves-Mavericks series will tip at 8:30 p.m. ET on Thursday.

The game will be broadcast on TNT.

This early play stood out to me in this game. Some real "We're not ready for Cancun yet" vibes from the Timberwolves.

Jaden McDaniels arm-wrestles Derrick Jones Jr. to deny the wing entry pass. Meanwhile, Mike Conley switches onto Kyrie Irving, Rudy Gobert switches onto Jones on the dribble handoff, Conley denies the pass to Kyrie and then deflects it for a turnover.

Winning relaxes these Timberwolves

These Timberwolves are loose after getting a win.

To end his postgame news conference, Anthony Edwards mentioned how he complimented Cowboys pass rusher Micah Parsons' wardrobe ... and told him he'd bring him a pair of shoes when he returns for Game 6.

Edwards also welcomed backcourt mate Mike Conley to the interview room while reminding reporters Conley is his "OG" and "old as f---."

All in jest, of course. Edwards exited with a "Thank you, Mike Conley."

"They're keeping me young, honestly," Conley said of his younger teammates. "I wouldn't wanna be anywhere else."

Funny exchange after the game between Anthony Edwards and Karl-Anthony Towns during their joint news conference:

"What'd I tell you about fouling?" Edwards asked with Towns sitting to his right.

" You had five! " Towns replied.

"I didn't foul out, " Edwards countered.

Good points all around. Edwards had a ton of praise for his teammate too.

"He was the reason we won tonight."

Without Dereck Lively II, Dallas didn't get quite enough from its stars

Glenn James / NBAE via Getty Images

Dereck Lively II, even as a 20-year-old rookie, is the Dallas Mavericks' third-most important player. (I'm comfortable saying that definitively even if there are reasonable arguments others could make for the team's starting wings.) With the youngster wearing street clothes on the team’s bench after a brutal head collision last game , Dallas’ closeout effort in Game 4 was always going to require other players stepping up from unexpected places.

Maxi Kleber, cleared to play for the first time since suffering a shoulder injury in the final game of the first round, was the first one. With a backup center void needing to be filled, Kleber stepped in quietly but capably . Dallas needed a player with more size than Dwight Powell who could be trusted to properly make rotations, which Kleber did.

There were bench guards who stepped up, too. Jaden Hardy, a second-year guard who hadn't been in the team’s rotation until Game 5 of the Western Conference semifinals, contributed 13 points off the bench . Dante Exum scored five more in a four-minute stint, his first points in the series.

These were the type of contributions Dallas needed to make up for Lively's crucial absence — if, alongside it, Dallas received the type of luxury shotmaking from its superstar duo that it's come to expect throughout this series.

Heading into the fourth quarter down five, it sure felt like that familiar formula was ready to be repeated.

But Luka Dončić (28 points) and Kyrie Irving (16 points) weren't as brilliant as they had been all series, combining to shoot 13-of-40 from the field. Dončić briefly restored that potential feeling of magic, nailing a 30-foot jumper with a foul with 13 seconds remaining. Typical of the duo's night, however, Dončić missed the free throw that would've cut the lead to two.

Dallas now heads back to Minnesota with an atypical chance to close out this series in a gentleman's sweep in a road arena. Dallas can win without Lively, but his return would surely make it easier.

For once, the Wolves were the team thriving down the stretch

The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again while expecting a different result. So naturally, the Wolves found themselves in a one-possession game against the Mavericks with Minnesota's season on the line.

This time, however, the Wolves did something unfathomable in comparison to the other games of this series: They protected a lead in the final minutes and matched Dallas point-for-point in the clutch.

The Wolves held a five-point game with five minutes left. Multiple times, Dallas knocked it down to a one-possession game, but the Wolves attacked intelligently to win Game 4. Anthony Edwards made great decisions on offense, setting up Karl-Anthony Towns for a big 3-pointer. He made his own pivoting whirlwind of moves in the paint to knock down a short shot. He pulled up for a long 2-point jumper to keep the Mavs at bay. The Wolves may have held their lead together with band-aids and thread, but it held it together nonetheless.

This was the Edwards we've been waiting to see in the clutch. Intentional. Calm. Cool. Collected (outside of fouling Luka Dončić on a 3-pointer while up six). While he still works on convincing the refs to give him the star calls, he closed like the star player he is and the one he's projected to become.

Now... can they do it again in Game 5? Or better yet... avoid a clutch game altogether with a big win? Sounds insane, but ...

'We gotta win again'

The Timberwolves "played well right out of the gate" en route to their Game 4 win against the Mavs, Wolves coach Chris Finch said in his postgame news conference.

"We weathered a lot of foul trouble out there, which was frustrating to say the least, but all credit to our guys," Finch said.

Karl-Anthony Towns fouled out late against the Mavs, while Rudy Gobert collected five fouls of his own. They combined for 38 points and 15 rebounds.

Minnesota still trails the series 3-1. When asked out the Game 4 win changed the complexion of the series, Finch was direct.

"It doesn't; we gotta win again."

Chris Finch gambled his team's season on his two bigs, Rudy Gobert and Karl-Anthony Towns, in the fourth quarter of Game 4, rather than playing Naz Reid, who’s been Minnesota's best player throughout the series. It worked. Gobert and Towns played most of the last nine minutes Tuesday, while Reid only played the last 13 seconds. If Jason Kidd had the edge for most of the first three games in rotation and substitution decisions, Finch made the right calls in Game 4. And his team lives to play at least one more day.

Timberwolves survive as only they can

Tim Heitman / Getty Images

The Timberwolves are on the board, in the most Timberwolves way possible. Nothing is easy for them, and this one wasn't either. They fought foul trouble all game and seemed to have the game iced with a six-point lead with 15 seconds to play. But they got some luck when Luka Dončić missed the free throw on a potential four-point play, allowing the Wolves to extend the series.

It was a redemption game of sorts for Karl-Anthony Towns. He has had a nightmare series, but hit 9 of 13 shots, including 4 of 5 3s, on his way to 25 points before fouling out.

This is the Towns the Wolves need in this series, minus the fouls. If they got shooting like that from him in the first three games (he was 3 for 22 from 3), this series would look entirely different.

Anthony Edwards was terrific as well, attacking the paint relentlessly and putting up 29 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists.

The Wolves now head back home for Game 5. They are still in a deep hole, but they fought like crazy to get this one, and may have revived Towns in the process. They have a chance, and that's all they wanted.

And that'll do it — once this pointless review of a clock malfunction is complete. The Minnesota Timberwolves have defeated the Dallas Mavericks 105-100 to force a Game 5 back in Minnesota on Thursday. Anthony Edwards and Karl-Anthony Towns made the big plays late to give Minnesota its first West finals win in 20 years.

OK, now it really might be over. The Timberwolves nearly broke their fans' hearts by taking forever to get the ball inbounds, but Kyle Anderson eventually found Naz Reid with a risky over-the-top pass that the Sixth Man of the Year put down with a (possibly ill-advised) layup to extend Minnesota's lead to five. Good thing Naz made it!

Belay that! Just when it looked like this thing was over, Luka Dončić just hit a pull-up 3 with 13.2 seconds left ... and got fouled by Anthony Edwards!

But Dončić missed the free throw, and Minnesota called timeout while clinging to a 103-100 lead.

And that might do it. The Wolves surprise Dallas by trapping Kyrie Irving with Rudy Gobert, and it leads to a turnover and a foul. Barring a miracle, the Timberwolves are going to force a Game 5.

With Karl-Anthony Towns out, Anthony Edwards needs to take over. And that's exactly what he did, hitting a pull-up midrange jumper to put Minnesota back up five with 38.8 seconds left after Dallas cut the Wolves' lead to 3.

And ... there's Karl-Anthony Towns' sixth foul trying to go for a Luka Dončić pump fake. The Timberwolves have no challenges left, so they're stuck. No more KAT tonight.

Can you have a redemptive arc when your team is down 3-0 in a series? Karl-Anthony Towns is having the closest thing to one in this game. Another 3, plus an Anthony Edwards layup, has Minnesota up eight with 1:38 left.