Winn, M (1977). Television: The Plug-In Drug. In S. Cohen(Ed.), 50 Essays (p.438-447)
Marie Winn (1977) makes a great point about how television is taking away our family time. Winn talks about how having your kids watch TV is a good way to have time to yourself while cooking or eating dinner. I remember I watched TV 3-6 hours a day after school just to pass time. Once I got older (Sophomore-present day) I've noticed that I've strayed away from the screen tremendously. I think when you grow older, you get jobs and have more of a social life with the outside world you don't want to stay home or don't have the time to stare at the TV screen. I have a little brother in the 6th grade and he watches the TV just about the same amount as I did when I was his age. Winn makes a great point about family time because I do feel as if more time is spent watching TV rather than doing activities with my little brother. The question is, Do people nowadays even value family time? Do they want to spend time with their family? If parents don't use family time to get kids away from the screen, kids have no reason to stare away.
I agree! Families tend to be distracted from the mass media, setting aside valuable family time. I don't know if this is done on purpose, but I do think that it makes it easier for families to avoid confrontational discussions.
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