The Uses and Abuses of Television
↬ The Uses of Television in Our Everyday Life
Television is considered to be the best means of entertainment. It is a wonderful invention of modern science. It is really a wonder how the voice is transmitted along with the image of the speaker through the television. This wonderful invention has been put to various beneficial uses for the progress and prosperity of mankind.
Uses : The uses of television are manifold. Some important uses of it are cited below :
Communication : Television is the most modern means of communicating ideas and thoughts. We can hear the speech of eminent persons. It has proved its superiority over newspapers, radios and other means. It helps us to get national and international news and views.
Recreation : Television is a source of recreation. After a day’s work a sport-lover can enjoy his game and a music devotee can get his lessons from it. A news-lover can get aware of the latest development of the world and a politician can know about various political issues.
Mass media : People are practically becoming knowledgeable in respect to what is right and what is wrong. They can assert their rights. This ensures peace and progress of a society. Television can play an important role in fighting corruption and crime in society.
Educative value : Television has a great educative value in teaching the illiterate and the students. As it is a very powerful mass media, television can help removing illiteracy from our society as well as from our country. Bangladesh Open University, for example, is rendering wonderful service through the television.
An aid to democracy : If democracy means a real bond between the government and the people the television is beneficial to democracy. Political leader can make the people aware of their programmes and thus can form public opinion.
Abuses : Television has some bad aspects or effects too. An undemocratic government may control it to exploit the people. It can be used for sensationalism and can have harmful effect on the moral life of the people.
Sometime youngsters become addicted to enjoying a watching TV all day long shunning away their studies. Some immoral pictures are produced which are really harmful to youngsters. Our youngsters are fond of watching western films. The impact of these films has transfigured their mind and as a result they prefer enjoying western culture to ours. Many times some television channels telecast various pornographic programmes. They mostly full of naked display of female body and vulgarism. The tender mind of young boys and girls are easily affected by them.
Raping, kidnapping, fornication, sexual abuse, immoral facts, hijacking, lotting, robbery, etc. are also shown on TV screen. Watching these films makes them aggressive, disobedient, kidnappers and what not. Under the influence of foreign culture they become demoralised. However, it is to be mentioned that it is not television but the people who run this are responsible for this.
The role of television needs no further telling people. Its programmes should be educative, instructive and harmless so that all the members of a family can watch it together with benefit and pleasure. And the authority should be alert in this regard that television shall have no bad effects on the youngsters.