Why TV?

Why do people watch TV over reading a book or taking a walk? From my personal experience, my friend’s experience and my father’s experience, we watch TV to unwind, destress and find entertainment. Sometimes we watch TV for educational purposes, perhaps on a PBS special or documentary.

My friend, who is 21 years old, will watch around 5 hours of TV a day when she is at home on a break from school. During the school year, she mostly watches TV on the weekends for a couple of hours. At home, she will watch TV shows on cable, however at school she only streams shows from Netflix or Hulu or Amazon. My friend looks for TV shows that have story lines, like Dexter, or TV shows with drama like 90210. Additionally, she enjoys watching sports games on TV. My friend studied abroad in Spain and recalls watching the news on TV every dinner with her host family. However, in America, she rarely watches the news on the TV and if she does, she watches it with her grandma. She finds her news from other sources, like websites or news apps. For my friend, it depends on what TV show she is watching to determine whether or not she will have her phone out. If the show is detailed and complex, she will not be on her phone, however if the show is mindless, she will probably be scrolling through social media apps while watching the show.

My dad, who is 65 years old, watches around 4 hours of TV a week. He mostly watches movies on TV, and rarely finds himself searching for TV shows to watch. My dad watches TV for entertainment and relaxation after long days at work. He does not watch the news on TV – he does not think TV news is a good way to learn about current events. He reads the newspaper every morning, listens to NPR, and looks at news websites. My dad will never be on his phone while watching TV.

At school, the TV shows I watch are shows that I can stream on Netflix and Hulu and Amazon, and some competition shows that I stream through On Demand or other websites, or documentaries. When I watch TV, it is mostly to destress after a busy week of school, to relax after a long day or to hang out with my friends. When I watch TV shows I am looking for entertainment and also a way to take my mind off my schoolwork. I watch documentaries for educational purposes but also because of my curiosity about the specific subject, for example about the ocean or space, or major historical events. I do not watch TV for news – I find out about the news from my news apps or news websites. Similar to my friend, who is also 21 years old, it depends on the TV show whether or not I will have my phone out. When I watch complex TV shows like Game of Thrones, I will probably not be also looking at my cellphone. However, when I watch competition shows, like So You Think You Can Dance, I will probably simultaneously be scrolling through my phone.

Watching TV can be a welcome refuge after long busy days at work or at school. Binge-watching TV shows seem to be desirable for people because we want the entertainment but also an escape. We can escape by becoming engrossed in a storyline that can take our minds off of real life. It is somewhat surprising that we are still so consumed with watching TV when our smartphones and other streaming services have consumed our lives.