ipl-logo

1. Why Do We Still Need Escapism?

469 Words2 Pages

I am sure we can all agree that we have had those days when all we wanted to do was lie in bed, eat pizza, and watch Netflix. I am definitely guilty of this. The 21st century has witnessed the influx of new science and technology and with that, rise in the entertainment industry. TV no longer became solely a home commodity; there are TVs in airplanes, prisons, hospitals, barber shops, restaurants, and the list goes on. What is it about escapism that is so appealing? That is one question I would like to help answer because I, like many others, spend so much time doing it with a vague idea why. Escapism through film, radio, and magazine was especially popular during the Great Depression to divert the public's attention from the economic crash and widespread poverty. That age is over, thankfully. So why do we still need escapism? …show more content…

Technology offers new perspectives and interpretations suggesting endless possibilities in an alternate world. Our eyes help us gain experience and knowledge, but our limitless imagination gives a window into a different reality with different rules, different people, and different choices that brings inspiration and solace in our lives. Films, especially, capture, explore, and probe the world in a way no other instrument can. But all this suggest that our reality is not good enough, and taking a break from reality and immersing ourselves into another realm is sedative. I can certainly vouch for that. When I'm frustrated or dejected, instead of taking it out on other people or myself, I distract myself with a good book or an episode from my favorite TV show. When I more relaxed, I can address my problems logically without my feelings clouding my

Show More
Related
756 Words | 4 Pages

Overall, yes having so many TV shows to choose from is making our nation and our families more divided, because it also came along with new technology which gave people a way to watch TV where and whenever they want to. In the Paired texts “The Box That Changed America” and “Television Transformed” by Lauren Tarshis it

Read More
1377 Words | 6 Pages

Thinking logically, the people focus on television so much in this society because they do not have the

Read More
1429 Words | 6 Pages

The Overuse of Television Kameron G Loyd BYU-Idaho  During an average week, how much television does the average child watch? Parents, educators, and concerned citizens alike would be appalled at the answer of 1,480 minutes (BLS American Time Use Survey, A.C. Nielsen Co.). They would also be revolted by the statistic that 54% of four to six year olds would rather spend time watching television instead of spending time with their fathers (BLS American Time Use Survey, A.C. Nielsen Co.). In 1984, Neil Postman saw how devastating television watching was becoming to the culture of America, and gave a speech to the literary community at the 1984 Frankfort Germany Book Fair entitled “Amusing Ourselves to Death” which deals directly with this monolithic issue. Although the speech and subsequent article, published in Et Cetra, were directed at the publishers, writers, illustrators, etc., all those who read this article can also benefit from Postman’s overarching desire to decrease the hours of mind-numbing television watching.

Read More
580 Words | 3 Pages

Amusing Ourselves to Death by Neil Postman is a book that contends that we are living in the Brave New World that Aldous Huxley predicted in 1932. Postman states that television has become our “soma” and we rely on its instant gratification to comfort us instead of connecting with others to form meaningful, intellectual bonds. He says that it isn’t all of television that is the problem, the “junk” or entertainment for the sake of entertainment is just fine and is, in fact, the thing television does the best. Postman states that it is our immediate exposure to data, advertising and in-“televisible” things that cause a rift between viewer and culture. Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World says that people will give up everything for synthetic, superficial happiness.

Read More
447 Words | 2 Pages

The time spend on watching television is overwhelmingly exceeds any other human activities, like take care of children, socializing or outdoor activities, etc. The Simpsons often teases Americans love television. For example, when Bart and Homer asked Maggie what is her favorite, she immediately went to hold the TV; another scene is Homer tends to become fidget because he will spend a winter without television and beer. This is no exaggeration to depict real situation in current society. “Television viewing time in America has not fallen off over years, and that in its present state television may be reaching close to its maximum audience” (Robinson, 2001,

Read More
2800 Words | 12 Pages

Over the past century, film has served as a powerful means of communication to a global audience and has become a vital part of the contemporary culture in a world that is increasingly saturated by visual content. Due to the immediacy and the all-encompassing nature of film, the process of watching a film, is widely perceived to be a passive activity by the general masses. However, quoting Smith in his article about the study of film, “nothing could be further from the truth.” The study and understanding of film as an art form enhances the way we watch and appreciate films. It requires the audience's active participation and interaction with the film in order to fully comprehend the directors' intention behind every creative decision.

Read More
449 Words | 2 Pages

By immersing viewers in the environment and emotions of the silenced voices, technologies like VR and AR facilitate a deeper understanding and empathy. For example, in "Missing," users can virtually explore the life of a refugee, witnessing their journey, challenges, and dreams. This immersive approach helps bridge the gap between the silenced voices and the audience, allowing their stories to resonate on a more profound level.

Read More
1061 Words | 5 Pages

Many Americans didn’t want to have to deal with the struggles of their everyday life meaning they look towards the entertainment industry to achieve escapism. Escapism meaning “the avoidance of reality by absorption of the mind in entertainment or in an imaginative situation or activity.” (Dictionary.com). During the Great Depression, America began to show the need for distractions which was often expressed with fantasy in musicals such as The Wizard of Oz, which was released in 1939. (“Musicals in the Depression”). About sixty to eighty million Americans attended the movies each week.

Read More
1309 Words | 6 Pages

Jerry Mander in his book ”Four Arguments for the Elimination of Television” shows how television is creating addiction, giving as exemples a 3-year $5 million study done by NIH, that showed that television can be ”addictive and hypnotic”, and how political figures tried to stop such researches(”The President suppressed the study and commissioned another group to re-do it”). Mander also mentions about Marine Winn’s work, that talks about the effect called ”The Plug-In Drug” created by television, wich is wielding an addictive influence on the very young and it is causing dependency simply by showing ”ever-changing array of sights and sounds coming out of the machine” and ”wild variety of images meeting the eye”. As a result, the media is not just showing addictive programs but it also selects for us what to watch, and by creating dozens of programs they gives people the imprestion that they choose what they are watching, when in fact, the information it is easilty

Read More
315 Words | 2 Pages

In the essay “Avatar and the Gluttony of Technology” Ari Kelman emphases through the use of almost a comical praise to the enormously popular and high grossing box office movie, Avatar, with a extraordinary fondness toward the technological plots that the producers of the movie put in place. It is a very familiar setting to critics of the technological exploitations of the movie to deliver their storyline along with the behavior of the movies characters. Ari goes forth to state his discomfort with the subtle use of technology in the film. His argument reflects that as long as the producers of the movie rely on technology to deliver the various components of their film, as in the case of Avatar, then there is no need for the audiences to act marveled by the technology. If computers do or create all aspects of a movie, such as the characters themselves, including channeling human emotions and communications of those individual characters, we may as well manipulate everything with the same computers and have limitless creativity.

Read More
852 Words | 4 Pages

Peter Weller once stated, “Television is an isolating experience, sadly enough. But as good as it ever gets, it’s still isolating. You sit in your home and visit with no one.” Staring into the television screen, zoned out and mesmerized, our minds are living the life of the characters in the movie or TV show. In today’s society, people obsess over there shows instead of there family, friends, and children.

Read More
972 Words | 4 Pages

Bradbury’s American Classic was published in 1953, yet it depicts a future that resembles ours in many ways. The main character, Guy Montag, lives in world where people do not read books, appreciate nature, spend time alone with independent thoughts, or have worthwhile conversations (Bradbury). Instead, they watch meaningless television in excess. We should refuse for this to become true but we have allowed it to happen. It is our obligation as an intelligent species to prevent ourselves from becoming ‘couch potatoes’ who are fed useless

Read More
1830 Words | 8 Pages

According to Gilbert Seldes, “the greatest success of television has been triumphs of transmission, not of invention” (Sterne 503). The possibility that something might happen to disrupt the television’s everyday flow of information compels viewers to continue watching. The cable industry formerly recognized as, ‘Community Antenna Television’ originated during the 1940’s (Streeter 223). They aim to provide enhanced signal reception in remote areas, which was distributed on a coaxial cable network owned by AT&T throughout the fifties and sixties (226). Live television builds an audience by guaranteeing direct access to current affairs and providing accurate information.

Read More
1087 Words | 5 Pages

About an average of 32 hours and 47 minutes a week only Americans watch TV shows and 58 minutes a week watching things online (Schonfeld, 2012). Each day technology is developing and its becoming a big part of our society and our foreseeable future. A study shows that only 0.4% of the world population used internet in 1995, meanwhile 50.1% of world’s population used internet in 2016 (Internet Growth Statistics). People should be aware of the side effects of media, because teenagers get influenced by the things they watch and this could change the way they behave to certain things.

Read More
2990 Words | 12 Pages

Sandra Assouad Ahmed Sokkary Farida El Hagin Omar El Battat Television and how it affects our society Television is one of the most important miracles of science. It is a telecommunication medium that is used for transmitting and receiving moving images and sound. Televisions can transmit images that are monochrome, in color, or in three dimensions. Whether good or bad, television has found its way into the lives of people all over the world and it 's an important part of life for many.

Read More

More about 1. Why Do We Still Need Escapism?

Related Topics

Open Document