Analogue tv was replaced by Digital where I live several months
back.
I remember what it was like to wait all week to watch one half hour
show. I remember what it was like to only get two channels - if that,
and that often reception was iffy or inconsistent.
I am guessing that eventually people are going to talk about a new
kind of 'addiction': addiction to watching tv. This is not exactly
new, but as tv becomes more accessible through the availability of
numerous free channels and the choice of many pay channels, and the
phenomenon of illegal downloading increases, it seems to me likely
that this is an addiction/activity that certain people will find more
and more difficult to give up.
Just as playing video/computer games or seeking out porn produces
drug-like symptoms for some people, I think it's possible that
seeking out things to watch might also be an unconscious attempt
to self-medicate.
There are certain types of programs that work better for me.
Most people just take things in. I can understand the entertainment
aspect of watching is valid, but I don't watch strictly for
enjoyment. For me, it's mostly a desperation measure to try to keep
on as even a keel as possible. Either after, or as I go along, I take
notes. This makes it a less passive activity (and for me little
breaks are sometimes necessary - even moderately entertaining
programs can be hard to sit through, and I am 'enduring'.)
For the record, I'm don't disparage video/computer games or porn.
With video games, I think people are developing skills and reflexes
that not everyone else can, and that seeking porn might also be a
kind of self-medication.
With all the drinking and watching of tv/movies, I suppose at this
stage my brain isn't doing so well. Although most damage from
drinking is reversible, I suppose while caught up in heavy drinking,
cognitive function is impaired. However, I am still awake and
perceiving. I can't shut myself off, and even when drunk, I am not
completely gone, or able to shut out all difficult perception.
I feel like tv and movies help keep my mind at least somewhat active.
I don't have any way to connect to people, conversation, life. This
is a kind of substitution.
One of the dangers of watching a lot of tv is that you risk being
infected with psychologically damaging memes. Being exposed to
certain memes and images again and again possibly changes
expectations and hopes, as well as ideas about where we fit (or don't
fit) in life.
I relate to minorities who don't see themselves portrayed in
mainstream tv or movies all that often, or when they are, they aren't
portrayed in a positive light. It's pretty difficult to try to fight
back.
->exile on meme st: a diary
->xesce.net
