Knowledge Inside Squared Box

Christopher Neal

English 1302

Dr. Disheroon

22 March 2015

Knowledge Inside a Squared Box Many great inventions have held an impact on the past and the present of society, but the most entertaining has become a key source for knowledge. There was the cotton gin, the printing press, the automobile, steam engine, and the television set. Whether it’s the black- and -white television or the multi- color TV screen, television impacts the mind without the viewer’s consent. Watching TV makes you smarter because it enhances knowledge, strengthens the cognitive thinking of the mind, and impacts morals and values. Many people utilize television for entertainment, but it can be a tool used to test the mind and critical thinking.

Books are used excessively

There are television shows that are beginning to offer more knowledge than entertainment. In Steven Johnson’s “Watching TV Makes Us Smarter”, Johnson sheds light on a fact that television increased knowledge for the viewers. Johnson states, “the intelligence arrives fully formed in the words and actions of the characters on - screen”, meaning that the witty thing’s characters say on television test the mind of the viewer, especially if the viewer does not know the meaning of some words. So this shows that television increased vocabulary for many viewers. For Example, shows like Frasier and Murphy Brown helped depict the wittiness in characters that used profound words which captivated viewer’s mind. Even though a person might needed a dictionary to comprehend what was being said. There are many programs that are produced mainly to provide knowledge as well as entertainment. Johnson claims, “The true test should be whether a given show engages or sedates the mind”, meaning that the point should be if a television show can ease the mind. For

Many individuals tend to lose focus on certain aspects of life, but television could be the right tool to strengthen that weakness. According to Johnson, shows that exhibit multiple threading at a high level would be Hill Street Blues and Starsky and Hutch. The way Hill Street Blues strengthen the attention of viewers is by adding in many different plotlines into one episode. Johnson states, “The total number of active threads equals the multiple plots of Hill Street, but here each thread is more substantial”. Therefore, if the viewer missed a key plotline within an episode, they would become lost due to the importance of that key thread. This television show was so intriguing that the viewer had no other option but to pay complete attention; nevertheless, giving a boost to the cognitive side of awareness. Even with hit shows like Lost, The Simpsons 24, and Alias multiple threading is utilized at its best, with each scene layered with different network affiliations. Johnson claims , “ You have to focus to follow the plot, and in focusing you’re exercising the parts of your brain that map social networks , that fill in missing information, that connect multiple narrative threads.” These television shows that are popular to society should be watched excessively, because they increase knowledge and awareness through multiple threading.