The Plug-in Drug: TV and the American Family, Part One

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Development of TV Industry

The influences of TV on families

Reasons and how to tackle it

Introduction to the Author

About the author: Marie Winn

Early life: Born in 1936 in Prague, Czechoslovakia, Winn is one of two daughters of a psychiatrist; her sister is the writer Janet Malcolm. Winn attended the Bronx High School of Science, Radcliffe College and Columbia University.

Pale MaleAn advocate for protecting wildlife, Winn gave the name Pale Male to the Red-tailed Hawk that nested on a Fifth Avenue building, receiving much press coverage.

Winn is the author of the influential The Plug-In Drug, an often scathing critique of television's addictive influence on the young, Winn wrote, "The television experience allows the participant to blot out the real world and enter into a pleasurable and passive mental state." In 2002, she added new material to update the study as The Plug-In Drug: Television, Computers, and Family Life, published on the 25th anniversary of the original book.

The Plug-In Drug (1977)

What are the recreational activities

BeforeTV invention??

Building blocks

Telling stories

Chatting

The development of TV industry in the US

30s: the test session

40s & 50s: rapid development

A number of TV stations were established;

Length of TV programs was generally increased to 50 hours per week;

Live broadcasts of dramas were extremely popular.

60s: maturity

TV dramas were broadcast in the way of recording instead of live broadcasting;

Various types of programs appeared.

Now:

The average number of televisions in one family surpasses the average number of family members in the US.

Over half of the American families, each of which owns 3 televisions in their home.

facts

The influences of TV on American families, especially children

① physical health

② indifference between children and parents

③ do harm to children’s integrated development.

The influences of TV on American families, especially children

Reasons for this

① parents’ defective way of bringing up children

② TV stations’ chasing for popularity blindly

③ excessive booming of media

How to tackle

① More communication is required

② family activities help recapture the kinship

③ watch TV programs that are suitable for all or most family members

Thanks!

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