This generation, the unwieldy goggle-box, has been shrinking into a palm-size mobile phone, which we can watch all the TV content on it in any place, any time. Are you still sitting in front of the TV when you own a smartphone?
To be theoretical, the more often we can share information on the same platform, the more we can start a conversation with a common topic with someone you are not familiar with. So how I choose TV shows to watch? Generally, it’s about the trending and popularity of social media or a recommendation from my friends.
^Do you watch TV with your family?
Socially aware?
As mentioned above, watching TV can be a way to engage into more social interaction, as well as you can make this a context for better communication. I think it doesn’t matter if you didn’t watch the same shows or news. Like me, I usually start a conversation with unfamiliar friends by asking what they are going to watch or just recommend them a show.
Television is a leisure topic that almost everyone can accept for communication. Definitely, TV content builds a communication bridge between my friends and me or trying to start a conversation with a stranger in awkward silence. I frequently can find someone having the same favorite shows and drama with me, making some barely known friends get lots of stuff to discuss with.
Worth watching?
There are usually two purposes of watching TV, entertainment and accessing information. Focusing on entertainment, it’s normal to have a biased watching genre. I have been watching TV shows from different countries, not just local productions. It helps to understand various cultures, such as world views, values, historical background, and more detailly the verbal stuff like slang. By giving a few brief examples of recent TV shows, you may know more about that.
1. Mr. Sunshine: Korean love story with Japanese colonial rule background
2. Emily in Paris: American dream vs. French romance?
3. Bling Empire: Theatrical rich Asian’s gossip reality show
^These shows are on Netflix
Role of TV in my life
Talking about myself, I was an enthusiastic TV audience since I was a little kid.
I could learn from watching cartoons on TV, like reading text, pronouncing the alphabet, and constructing ideas. A very excellent source for a child to reach the world.
Nowadays, TV shows are essential in my life. I couldn’t kill time or switch moods without it. Also, I think watching TV together with family is never old-school, like discussing breaking news or the twist of a drama. It provides a platform for chatting and checking their status. Thanks to that, TV became a communicating medium for the people around me and me.
Identify with
TV is a popular media platform that spreads content with colossal influence. It can create or shape popular culture, sometimes might affect public opinion. That is why we can share the comment and thoughts in the “water cooler” talk. Television influences the information we receive, and we disseminate its influence through communication, over and over again. It’s kind of explaining how the TV generates the social means.
^The “Water Cooler” Talk
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