Thoughts for March 26

These were great readings! Since I am part of a generation that grew up with TV more than radio, I found these articles very interesting.

Johnson's article was very interesting and I enjoyed reading about the history of how TV shows have evolved. I find it interesting that the change and development of shows is an indication that "the culture is getting more cognitively demanding" (p. 2). If I watch old re-runs of old TV shows, I do find them simple and boring at times. The comedy shows from years ago are one I enjoy and find that, at times, the humor and jokes are more enjoyable than the comedies today. But when it comes to story line and plot development, I completely agree with Johnson's stance on how they have developed through time. I love how Johnson states that "even the junk has improved!"

I also liked Johnson's concluding thought about having a rating system for mental labor used to watch a TV show. I can see how this could be helpful for parents and it would be interesting to see what items would qualify a show being mentally stimulating. But I agree with his point here completely.

The chapter on Television truly put into perspective how much TV our culture watches. I think I'm in denial about how many years of my total life will be spent watching TV. I know it will be a number that is embarrassing! At this point, I will continue to live in denial and just enjoy myself. I thought the discussion on television discourse was quite interesting. The idea that concepts and thoughts are first produced and encoded, which then must be transmitted and decoded by the viewer. Again, as the great divide theorists believed that a challenge with literacy was the readers need to infer the authors intentions, the same must be done with the television viewer--he must infer the intended meaning of the producer. And many TV shows have flopped because this has not be done well or the producer did not present a show that had enough mental stimulation.

This leads me to continue to think about the phenomenon of reality shows. I'm sure it's the unpredictability of them that engages people. Or just the fact that it is reality and not a made up world, although some reality shows have crossed this line in my opinion.

I find it interesting to look at soap operas to see how they have always had this complex story line. The chapter on Television had an interesting example with 'Dallas.' I can say that I would probably not admit to liking any soap operas, but secretly watch one just because I must know what will happen next and who will marry who. These shows with multiple story lines and characters have survived well. And they are intriguing!