Getting rid of the Tube, can you do it?

[hectorberlioz]

A lot of people are pushing folks to get rid of their television sets. We know this argument I'm sure: TV eats time faster than you can eat cotton candy...

I won't say that everyone SHOULD get rid of their TV sets, even though I think it wouldn't be a bad thing if they did. For myself, I didn't grow up with a TV in the house. We had videos, and now DVDs. And yet I managed to watch enough TV (friends' houses, hospitals etc) that I became familiar with who was who, and so on. Besides, when I'm really bored I'll pick up TV Guide

And there is good stuff on TV, stuff like the History Channel, Discovery Channel...alternatives to the lame fiction-drama shows like CSI, NCIS, and CBS.

So the question is, are you controlling your tube time? Can you shake the addiction? Do you think you are addicted at all? Does old media (the radio, newspapers) interest you at all?

By way of confession: my "tube" has been the internet, so I'm guilty as the next person...

[Jonathan]

(Reading the thread title, a certain song by the Red Hot Chili Peppers comes to mind...)

Well, I watch very little television so I can't say I'm addicted to it. A normal week I'd just turn on the telly to watch House or some good movie. I wouldn't want to throw away my television but I know that if I did, I wouldn't miss it very much. When I did away with cable tv, I didn't miss that.

Old media interests me a lot. I listen to news and stuff on the radio and read newspapers (mostly online though!)

Who needs tv addiction when there's the internet?

[hectorberlioz]

Originally Posted by Jonathan

Who needs tv addiction when there's the internet?

So true

[Mari]

I don't have a television, but I have a computer with internetconnection
But I usually only watch movies and Japanese series, but not too much of those. Don't have time to watch too much tv anyway.
I really don't like reading newspapers or magazines, but if I'm in the train and I'm not sleepy, I might pick up one of the free papers and browse them through. The radio is different. I listen almost 24/7

[Nautipus]

I watch a few TV shows here and there, but I'd much rather watch a movie. And I usually only do that with friends anyhow. In either case, though, I'd rather read a book.

[hectorberlioz]

Go radio!

[Nautipus]

I like to listen to some of the old-time radio classics. You know, like Suspense, The Shadow, Lone Ranger, stuff like that.

[katya]

I use my TV somewhat for video games and occasionally movies (though it's usually the bf making me watch them, haha), but I hardly ever watch TV. My family was picked to be part of the Nielson TV ratings thing where they put a box thing on your TV and it keeps track of what you watch. There was a delay getting me in though because I didn't watch TV for a few days in a row and they were worried I wasn't using the box, hahaha. I don't think the TV's been on for a week or so.

I wouldn't get rid of it because I need it for video games but I don't watch TV, honestly.

The computer, that's another story. I'm always on this thing. It's for good purposes usually, like homework, learning, researching, etc., but I still think I spend to much time on it. When I'm on "because there's nothing else to do" I don't really like that. People do it with TVs too. I'd rather learn to read or exercise or something. I had the hardest time spelling exercise just now. i finally got it to stop coming up at spelled wrong but that was "exorcise". Though exorcising demons is another valid computer alternative, I suppose.

[BeardofPants]

We don't have a tv either - gave it up about a year or so ago cos we never watched it anymore. We bought a big screen LCD display instead and play DVDs when we want to watch something.

[D.Sullivan]

I don't watch it much, so I probably wouldn't miss it. Channels such as the Discovery and History channels are worth watching, certainly, but whatever else there is that's worth watching on tv (Battlestar Galactica, for instance) I just rent the dvd.

Radio's the bomb!

And yes, I would probably fall apart without the internet.

[katya]

I find that all the shows I get excited about on Discovery and the like are so basic and made to keep people watching for the hour and and yet I don't learn much from them usually... I find i'm better off reading a book about it or going online.

To finish answering the question i don't like newspapers because they are too big but I read NPR's RRS feed.. So yeah, I pretty much prefer computer for everything. And books for things I'm really really interested in.

[Earniel]

I wouldn't want to get rid of our TV, who -by now- should be a good two decades old. I'm too fond of watching movies, sci-fi series or documentaries. And since we've got so many video tapes by now, it would be an immense waste to get rid of it. But I'm all for controlling the time you spend in front of it. Somehow I have a lot more trouble with controlling my computer time... I suppose that is somewhat an addiction. Internet, TV, radio, newspapers, I like my media varied.

[Nurvingiel]

I also hardly ever watch TV. The only show that remotely interests me (Battlestar Galactica) I will someday watch by renting the DVDs.

We have a TV and use it only to play PS2 and watch Babylon 5 DVDs.

[hectorberlioz]

Wow, Battlestar Galactica fans...how good is that show, Nurvvy?

[Rían]

There's nothing that I actually make a point to watch on tv (like "Hey, show xyz is on in an hour, I gotta get home!").

If I'm tired or in pain, I'll plop down in the recliner sometimes and turn on the tv and see what's on, but it amazes me how often there is simply NOTHING good on (and we must have about70 channels!) The science/history stuff is often good, and the home improvement shows can be fun, and I enjoy that "Dog Whisperer" show when I find it, and sometimes one happens upon a good movie, but as I said, there's absolutely nothing on that I make a point to watch.

Yeah, the internet can be a real time sink ...

[Lief Erikson]

I think I'm pretty thoroughly addicted to films. And to the computer. There aren't TV shows that I watch, just films, but I watch a lot of them. It would be a lot easier to get rid of the television, though, than it would be to get rid of the computer, for me. Whereas the television is a great pleasure experience, the computer feels more like necessity. Rather like owning a car. How could I visit Entmoot or other websites without it? How could I write books, my most delightful pastime and my personal passion, without it (NO, I'm too addicted to this easy means of writing to do it the old fashioned way)? Computer games aren't that important. They're fun, but I could certainly drop playing them. Dropping the computer itself, though . . . OUCH.

[Tessar]

I don't watch TV, and these days I typically watch DVDs on my laptop.

Yes, Hector, I could easily get rid of my TV without blinking twice .

[katya]

Lots of people saying they don't watch TV. Is this (a) because Entmoot is a section of society that is superior to all others, (b) times are changing, (c) you're all deceiving yourselves and you really do watch more TV than you think, or (d) what? When I was younger i watched at least a couple hours a day, usually I'd flip it on as soon as I got home from school, and i know a lot of my friends were like that too. The surveys say that most Americans do watch a few hours a day. Hm...

[tolkienfan]

I really don't watch television either. I watch a lot of movies, but I only watch them on TV if there are no commericals. The only time I watch it is if I'm too tired to watch a whole movie and someone is already watching something on TV, if it's too early for bed I'll watch it with them. It's usually a game show or something. The last few years we didn't even really have TV, just 4 channels that only came in sometimes and really fuzzy. I almost never listen to the radio either. However, I could not willingly give up the internet. katya, I think either (a) or (d).

[Rían]

Good point, katya! I think part of it is that the Mooters tend to be highly literate people. I'd much rather sit down with a good book than watch tv, but I don't always have new good books.

What I am guilty of in terms of too much tv is letting my kids watch too much - the two youngest love cartoons, and the oldest loves sports, and that leaves me some quiet time. And I watched a lot when I was a young kid, too. But we also read together, and they're all good readers, although the middle one puts up a fight sometimes.