Is watching television a waste of time? This is a frequently asked question; especially by people who are against the fact that too many of us spend too much of our days in front of a television or a computer screen, but is it really that bad?

The tabloids are swarmed with people telling us to get out of the sofa and stop wasting our time watching cheap reality, which, according to them, makes us even more stupid than we already are. Can it really hurt doing something you like, even though it means having to do this sitting down? What harm can it do? It must be something good about it as well?

It is a known fact that too much time sitting still, has a bad effect on our heath. A majority of overweight people do exercise too little and often spend too much of their time at rest. Despite this, we can not solemnly blame the use of televisions and computers for this. To watch television instead of being active is a choice we make and nothing you are forced to do. It is just as easy to choose to spend time with your family while going for a walk or while having fun otherwise, but stilling being active. On the other hand, it is not an unknown fact that, if you first have entered the evil circle, with sitting still will watch television and often additionally eating too much, it is hard to get out without help from others.

Looking at this, it is fair to say that too much TV watching can lead to serious heath problems, but, mind you, it is not the only reason. One of the easiest and most obvious solutions is to be active while watching television; a win-win situation.

In addition, the use of electronics like television and computers certainly makes us less social and often makes us forget our friends and loved ones, because we rather want to spend our time alone in front of the television or computer.

Also, heaps of people get so caught up in the action in their favourite reality shows, that they in the end start believing that their beloved character really did pass away or got married. It can actually go as far as to people sending flowers to “the funeral” or sending gifts to the “married” couple. Truly if it gets this far, which is fortunately only on rare occasions, it is clearly time to seek professional help. Nevertheless, people do get caught up in their favourite television shows and it often becomes something which they need to get through their everyday life. A small amount of people are truly addicted, while most people do watch just as a fun activity and often to escape their own reality for an hour or two.

Furthermore, we as human beings have a bizarre way of make ourselves feel better. A lot of us feel better about our life, even though few wants to admit it, by seeing other people, especially on television, hurting or having a miserable time.

An increased level of knowledge and awareness is one of the most positive results of the use of television and computers as a way to get people’s attention.

Of cause, reality shows like “Paradise Hotel” and “Big Brother” is not accounted for here. Documentaries, news and actually some soap operas lecture us about everything from discrimination and women assault to the history of the earth. For a lot of people watching something on the television or reading something on the computer catches their attentions in a greater way than books do.

My personal opinion is that television is an important part of our development and it helps us become more aware of, not only the treats and dangers we, in our society today, is faced with, but also helps us see how excellent our life’s really are in comparison to others. Besides, the television and computer are making it possible to get in tough with people from other cultures and from other walks of life, and this again is leading to the “shrinking of the world”. Even though there is programs and series out there, which is not worth watching, I feel that most of the programs you can watch nowadays have all some good qualities, depending on how you look at them.