Aesthetics
Aesthetics "pertains to a sense of the beautiful" or "pertains to, involves, or is concerned with pure emotion and sensation as opposed to pure intellectuality" ("aesthetic", 2002). I like the latter. Asthetics is concerned with beauty and emotion that somthing provokes in one, whe one looks at a piece of art they can feel happy or sad and the same can be said for TV. A romance can be so touching it makes you cry and comedy makes us feel happy and horror will make you jump with fright, Gray's Anatomy makes me cry frequently.Tv shows not only provoke emotion and beauty but they inspire also.Whenever I sit down to watch TV shows with my mum I know I am usually in for exciting night of south with Marcus lush and some sort of exciting gardening show. I always make a big fuss about it as it’s not my cup of tea, however 10 minutes into the show I often find myself as enthralled as my mother, Suddenly I am captivated by the beauty of my very own country right there on the TV screen or by some little old ladies garden in England, and my mind begins to wonder to the potential of one day having my own garden like that or exploring the beautiful country side for myself. Although some people might say the aesthetics of the actual TV its self is simply remarkable I suggest that TV viewing gives us the opportunity to imagine, dream and feel inspired to create our own little garden or expression of beauty.
Mannes, J. W (1998). Aesthetics. New York: M. E. Sharp, Inc
I used this reference because I summed up what I was trying to say with this section of my blog. That Aesthetics is about beauty and emotion. The term sensation to me suggests it’s about provoking a feeling within one’s self. For me this is what watching TV can do.
Spirituality
I don’t consider myself to be a religious person, at times I struggle to find any sort of spirituality within myself and I know that I’m not alone in this. There is a programme which I enjoy watching intrepid journeys. It is about everyday New Zealanders traveling to a far afield country far removed from their own culture. I am always amazed by the different cultures and religions in these countries and how emotional these kiwis get simply being in the presence of such spirituality. Watching this show and other educational documentaries has motivated me to one day step out of my own comfort zone and opened my eyes to some what the world has to offer. One thing I do hold close to my heart and I guess my sprit in a sense of enjoyment, everything I do in life is motivated by enjoyment. Watching TV fulfils these for me.
Linking with history
“Television has transformed the day to day life of more people in the last 60 years than perhaps any invention in human history” (Harris, 2004)
The Televisor sold in 1930–1933 is considered the first mass-produced television, selling about a thousand units. Before this people sat around there wireless radio to hear of news and perhaps a song or two. Otherwise you could go to the cinema or to a play for entertainment, these were very social experiences. Now days TV is sadly often used as a substitute for many things. Parents can put on a cartoon instead of playing with their kids, teachers can put on a video instead of sharing there pearls of wisdom and kids can play video games instead of climbing tress. For me I was brought up with very strict rules around when I could watch TV and what I could watch on it. In fact my first memory of watching TV was at about age 9 watching Shortland Street. TV has done a lot for the way people live their lives both positively and negatively but it’s like anything……its good in moderation.
Harris, R. H. (2004). A cognitive psychology of mass communication. Routledge: New York
I choose this quote because I believe it portrayed the significance of the invention of TV and the impact it has had on society. I like that it does not take a stance on whether this has been a positive or negative impact, it leaves it up for the individual to decide.
Health
The invention of the TV seems to coincide perfectly with our downfall as a healthy and active society, but just like most things its not all bad as long as you watch it in moderation. Infact studies have proven that watching TV can have positive effects on our health. Time magazine (2007) cites that a research carried out by the journal of health communication showed that those who watched a series of episodes of the drama ER, in which a teenager is diagnosed with hypertension and is advised to eat more fruits and vegetables and to get more exercise, were 65% more likely to alter their eating habits than those viewers who never saw the episodes.Im not denying that people now days watch to much TV and dont enjoys the outdoors enough but for me watching TV is a way of relaxing and finding enjoyment which are two factor which contribute greatly to my overall health.
Tancer, B. (2007).Watch television, loose weight? TIME Business. Sept 19
I used this reference because it was a fact that I personally found interesting and relevant to my topic of health as it provided some statistical information. Time Magazine is also a reputable source.
Ambience
Ambience is the atmosphere created by the Activity or the feeling created by it. There are variables which contribute to the ambiance of my activity. To main ones are the Program being watched and who is watching it with you. At times the TV can be the source of arguments in our flat over who wants to watch what and this can create a tense atmosphere, giving the room a less than desirable ambience. At other times if we are all sharing a joke or some banter there is a light hearted felling in the air and the room has good ambience. It’s a fun place to be and can make you feel good while you’re in the room. The Living room is the center of our house and the TV is the center of the living room so more often not the TV dictates the ambiance of that space. The reactions of those in the room often reflect the mood or tome of what’s on the TV screen. Take the Rugby world cup for example. Watching this on the TV created a tense atmosphere in not only our living room but in living rooms all across the country. The county was united in front of their TV screens and the ambience would have been very similar everywhere you went, tense, because what we were watching on TV was setting the tone for this.
