Want To Quit Watching TV?: Effects of Quitting Television

When I was a young boy, I remembered having a huge wooden television. This monster had a big old dial that you have to turn in order to change the channel. Technology changed fast. It was just a few years later and Cable television became the luxury standard replacing antennas.

PBS was a channel we watched if we wanted to learn something and Fox was just entertainment. In the recent years, I've noticed a trend that I didn't like. Reality TV blew up and the shit started going downhill. Every channel became crap. MTV stopped playing music. News channels stopped reporting objectively and worked on feeding us propaganda. I got fed up with the garbage. It was mindless. I've quit watching television for about 5 months now. I get most of my information online anyway. The cable subscription wasn't worth it. It was time to quit.

I transitioned well. My girlfriend, however had a pretty rough time. She was addicted to MTV's lineup of FAKE reality tv shows like The Hills, Leguna Beech and all those other crap. "The Real World"? Ha! That title alone fails. I later found out that she was still watching her shows online via Hulu.com. I come to find out that News Corp, the same people behind Fox owns Hulu. Wow.

She argues that I spend a lot of time on the computer and while this is true, I can choose where, when, and what I read to an extent. I spend most of my time reading and listening to music and I've noticed that I sometimes get an "information overload." I've learned so much on so many different subjects.

Information Overload

This influx of knowledge has resulted in my quitting fast foods, video games, and Microsoft Windows! I'm eating healthier after watching "Supersize Me." That's a great documentary BTW. I quit World of Warcraft (pure poison!). And I'm using Ubuntu as my primary operating system.

I also learned a good deal about electricity when I built my electric bicycle. Learned that online also.

The internet has gotten me into politics. It's inevitable. When you learn how things work, you wonder why things suck so much. I won't get into that too much here. That's subject for another hub.

I can see how de'evils want to control the Internet. Learning so much online and increasing my productivity had brought up some questions that I have to ask.

Why is it that every year, there is a threat on net neutrality?

Why do politicians use safety as an excuse for censorship?

Why is there always a boogie-man to fight?

I read that television emits alpha waves that your body gets used to and become addicted to. It's definitely interesting to think about. Supposedly, video cameras pick up these wavelengths visually and render them as horizontal lines passing up and down. So those are what those lines are when you see a recording of a TV? I don't know.

I noticed when I used to watch TV that sometimes I turn it on for no reason. I don't even watch the tv. This is more noticeable in the morning. It almost feels like I need it on to start my day. Other times, the TV would be on and no one is watching. I then ask if anyone is watching and they all say, "No." When I turn it off, people tell me to turn it back on. It's almost as if we are addicted to the background noise.

There is something else that I noticed. I also read that the alpha waves intensify during commercials in order to hypnotize you into receiving information easier. I started downloading my favorite shows and saving them on my computer. I notice that I don't enjoy them as much watching them on the computer than on the tv. What changed? It's the same show. No commercials. I can watch them whenever I want. But they stay stored untouched for a rainy day. Maybe it's the advertisements. I suppose the shows that I liked had a sense of higher value on television because they portray it as "urgent". "Catch Survivorman at 7pm where he shows you how to make fire with an LED flashlight!" Wow, now I had to watch it! Whether or not the alpha waves are real or not, these are some of the things that I noticed and these are my experiences.

Last, I noticed that time goes by fast while watching TV. Not just hourly and daily, but months can fly by. I use to spend 8 plus hours in front of the tv. This while multi-tasking of course. Eating, doing homework (in high school). Anything. There had to be a TV around. Now, I look back on the time and compare it to now. It feel like it's been at least a year since I stopped watching TV, but I know in reality, it's only been 5 months. That the nice thing about quitting television, you have much more free time on your hands. Sure, you get bored faster but in order to compensate, your mind explores more. You read more about interesting subjects. Interesting subjects provoke thought. Making good use of leisure has been a skill in and of itself. Before, I would have the attitude of, "I have no time for that." Now I can do anything I put my mind to. I am being productive. I took up boxing and got into shape. I am just more aware.

I can say without a doubt in my mind that quitting television has been the best thing I have ever done. I took the red pill.

I hope you enjoyed reading this. If you decide to quit television, best of luck to you.