Why We Love Television

When viewing television, there is a wide range of ways in which one views what they are watching. Some simply view television shows to pass time during the day, some watch for mere enjoyment of a favorite show, and some watch to criticize. What is the advantage to tuning into to television you ask? O’Donnell(2007) states, “The advantage to you as a television viewer is that you will not only be able to make an informed judgment about the television programs you watch, but you will also better understand your reaction and the reactions of others who share the experience of watching”(3). For whatever reason you are watching television though, on all ends television plays a central role in many of our lives today. I myself am not an expert of criticizing television, but I enjoy it on many different levels and for many different reasons. I believe that television is a large part of our U.S. culture and society. It educates, informs, and entertains us. I sit in front of the television daily, whether I am watching reruns of Desperate Housewives, catching up on the News, or watching Family Guy for a good laugh. Although I may be not be a “well respected television critic”, I aim to further explain to you my goals for engaging with television criticism, my view and relationship to it, and how I hope relate it to you! My goals of criticism are to better understand the ins and outs of television. What makes each show unique? How do producers/ directors catch an audience’s attention and how do they keep them hooked? What makes one show more appealing than another? I raise these questions because after grasping a better understanding of why people criticize television. I am more curious every day to find the answers to these questions.
I hope to be able to use what I learn about criticizing in order to apply my skills and further share what I learn with you. I aim to share my findings in this blog to help you and me better understand how television shapes our culture, and how our culture and society shape what is on television and why we react to it in the way we do. I mainly want to figure out how television solely influences our culture and the ways in which this may be a good or a bad thing. After studying some texts dealing with criticism I have found that O’Donnell(2007) believes that we criticize to develop a deeper understanding of ourselves. O’Donnell(2007) states, “Critical awareness, however, enables you to move to a higher level that illuminates production practices and enhances your understanding of culture, human nature, and interpretation”(3). When viewing a show for not just mere pleasure you take into consideration the production aspects of what you are watching. Thinking about the production aspects and the nitty gritty of what you view helps to figure out what makes the viewers tune in and stay tuned into the shows. Viewing television in this way exposes us as viewers to aspects of ourselves and our culture that maybe we did not realize before. On the other end, Gronbeck and Sillars(2001) say, “A communication critic makes an argument that describes, interprets, or evaluates the messages to which people are exposed in public or collective ways”(5). Sillars and Gronbeck(2001) want to view the cultural and the hands on based side. They look at the evidence side of the criticism, and look at the significance, relevance, and coherence of aspect of their criticism. They need to convince audiences that their criticism is being read for a purposed, how it connects to their life, and display their argument with appropriate evidence. They take these aspects and relate it to the audience to show them how television impacts them and culture/ society. I would like to use the ideas of O’Donnell(2007) and Sillars and Gronbeck(2001), as well as other critics that relate to my blogging to figure out how and in what ways television shapes us as viewers and how our ideas shape television. I can share with you what I get out of viewing television, and why it will interest you. I hope to hear feedback and opinions of my findings and evaluations from you. I hope that the points I make will interest you and relate to what you believe, feel, and what interests you as an audience. By using my brain and yours, we will be able to see our reactions and the reactions of other to make informed judgments on how television shapes our culture and how our culture shapes television and the production of it.
I watch television daily and am excited to view my favorite and probably even least favorite shows to see how they tick, and how they make you and me feel. Growing up, I watched the typical Barney; later on the Saved by the Bell, some Nick at Nite and Full House; and more recently Desperate Housewives, Friends and typical HBO shows like Entourage. I enjoy watching television that is informative like shows on Animal Planet, Discovery Channel, National Geographic, and the basic headline news stations. Once in a while I even tune into cartoons! Cartoons never get old, but it is interesting to note how much they have evolved and changed from when I was young(early 90’s). As I have gotten older, my selection of what I view changes, as does everyone’s. What are some of your favorite shows? What are the reasons for them being your favorite shows and why do you watch them? Do you ever notice how our society shapes the shows on television, or how television shapes our culture and understanding of it? I hope that tuning into my blog will help you and I answer many of the questions I have raised above. Get ready for a fun journey of criticism!
O’Donnell, V. (2007). Television Criticism. New York: Sage.
Sillars, M. O. and Gronbeck, B. E. (2001). Communication Criticism: Rhetoric, Social Codes, Cultural Studies. Prospect Heights, IL: Waveland Press.