Has televison destroyed communication among friends and family?

My answer to this question is “no”. This statement would be more suitable for the internet and social networks.

To my mind television didn’t destroy our communication as it’s not another way of communication like the internet or telecommunication. We watch TV for fun, when we are bored or for some people is a habit to switch their TV on in the evening. I know, that some people spend whole days watching movies and series and reality shows and so on, but we can noticed that the internet caused that television is not so popular anymore. It’s more comfortable to watch a film whenever we want and without adverts.

We can even say that sometimes TV even enhances communication among people. For example, two people have obviously nothing in common, but they can watch the same program. Suddenly there is a topic to talk about.

Reading of books was much greater affected by the invention of TV than our communicating habits. Before that time people hadn’t had many other options to see a good movie or story, so they had read it in a book. In my opinion, we almost can’t compare book with TV, but for lazier ones is watching a movie much more comfortable than reading it. However, books are still very popular and hopefully TV and books will be two separated ways of entertainment forever and won’t threat each other.

Anyway, back to communication and TV. Maybe there are some cases when somebody sits all days watching TV and doesn’t realize the world around him. So we can say that the television caused it. However, I don’t think so. Probably this person even doesn’t know what he is watching and if we ask him he can merely answer. It’s not about TV, but about the person, who maybe has some problems and runs away from them for example by watching TV.

Frankly, while you are watching the TV, aren’t you usually talking with other persons in a room? Or if nobody but you is in a room you often do also something else. So TV isn’t something on what we must concentrate and can’t do anything else.

Finally, as I said at the beginning, my answer is “no”, TV didn’t destroy communication among people.