In the article, Watching TV Makes You Smarter, Steven Johnson argues that many of the shows that our population considers unhealthy are actually relatively healthy for our brains. On the other hand, Dana Stevens argues in her essay, Thinking Outside The Idiot Box, that Steven Johnson’s thesis makes absolutely no sense and that television in no way gets our brains thinking or makes us smarter.
Johnson starts by explaining what he calls the Sleeper Curve. He does this by comparing older TV shows like Starsky and Hutch to recent shows like The Sopranos and 24. He explains how earlier television followed a linear narrative that focuses on only one to two characters while The Sopranos “will often connect to three different threads at the same time, …show more content…
He takes a look at earlier shows like The Love Boat and The Newlywed Game and compares them to newer shows like The Apprentice and Survivor. He explains how earlier reality TV is more structured, and the rules are mapped out beforehand, in turn requiring less focus to pay attention. Johnson compares the structural similarities in reality TV today to that of a video game. “…the rules aren’t fully established at the outset. You learn as you play” (290). By this video game structural method, shows like Survivor and The Apprentice keep the audience more engaged, critically think about what is happening and second guess the choices that were …show more content…
She argues that watching TV does not make you think more about everyday living which in turn does not make you smarter. When watching shows that include complex dialogue or plots, it does not actually make you think about real life situations but rather has you only thinking what the show is about and what will happen next. Television is a big part of today’s society and has taken over many people’s daily lives. They spend their entire lives around TV shows. “…Shouldn’t grown men and women be trusted to judge their own dosages, just as they would decide on the number of drinks they can handle at the bar?”(Stevens 298) She states that adults need to monitor the amount of TV that they watch to a healthy amount (298).There are plenty of people today who don’t think about how much TV they watch. They just watch it, but adults need to monitor how much TV they watch just as the amount of TV a child watches is monitored. Stevens mentions that National Turn Off Your TV week is a good way to test out Johnson’s thesis and to see if people would get
Johnson starts by explaining what he calls the Sleeper Curve. He does this by comparing older TV shows like Starsky and Hutch to recent shows like The Sopranos and 24. He explains how earlier television followed a linear narrative that focuses on only one to two characters while The Sopranos “will often connect to three different threads at the same time, …show more content…
He takes a look at earlier shows like The Love Boat and The Newlywed Game and compares them to newer shows like The Apprentice and Survivor. He explains how earlier reality TV is more structured, and the rules are mapped out beforehand, in turn requiring less focus to pay attention. Johnson compares the structural similarities in reality TV today to that of a video game. “…the rules aren’t fully established at the outset. You learn as you play” (290). By this video game structural method, shows like Survivor and The Apprentice keep the audience more engaged, critically think about what is happening and second guess the choices that were …show more content…
She argues that watching TV does not make you think more about everyday living which in turn does not make you smarter. When watching shows that include complex dialogue or plots, it does not actually make you think about real life situations but rather has you only thinking what the show is about and what will happen next. Television is a big part of today’s society and has taken over many people’s daily lives. They spend their entire lives around TV shows. “…Shouldn’t grown men and women be trusted to judge their own dosages, just as they would decide on the number of drinks they can handle at the bar?”(Stevens 298) She states that adults need to monitor the amount of TV that they watch to a healthy amount (298).There are plenty of people today who don’t think about how much TV they watch. They just watch it, but adults need to monitor how much TV they watch just as the amount of TV a child watches is monitored. Stevens mentions that National Turn Off Your TV week is a good way to test out Johnson’s thesis and to see if people would get