Trisha Verma
Sajjad Bazaz of the greaterkashmir.com shares his thoughts on the popular phrase of tv as an idiot box
He expresses that when he first started studying television (TV) as one of the core subjects while pursuing Masters in Mass Communication & Journalism in 1986, he found it to be synonymous with Doordarshan. During that time, the Doordarshan was the only TV channel available in the country. The variety of programmes produced to educate, entertain and inform the audiences were a delight for him to watch. Even if some programmes were not to the liking of a segment of audience, gluing to the television sets was itself an entertaining time as there were no alternative TV channels at that time. As a student of mass communication, for him it was always interesting to listen to the communication experts referring to television as an ‘idiot box’. Though the experts introduced television as the most powerful medium of communication, yet it was confusing as to when they simultaneously used to derogatorily refer to it as ‘idiot box’.
However, the fact is that this medium of mass communication, Television, has proved a powerful tool to transform societies and communities for betterment. In other words, this ‘idiot box’ is a powerful engine of social change which has the huge ability to mold public opinion. This audio-visual medium is loaded with a huge strength to serve as a catalyst in ending conflict situations by connecting people of different communities and regions. Today, the public including intellectuals as well as illiterates looks up-to television for something or the other as the medium offers a variety of experience by bringing a host of global, national & regional events of importance live into their homes. The beauty of the medium is that it has brought incredible things closer to common lives.
However, all these powerful positives are entirely dependent on the content of programmes run on the television. The drivers of the TV channels are loaded with huge responsibilities while tailoring content of the programmes. So, in a way, the quality of content of programmes decides whether television is an ‘idiot box’ or not.
It is not an ‘idiot box’ at all when it is used to run public-interest campaigns to sensitize people, spread awareness, and disseminate government programmes and policies for the good of people. A variety of infotainment programmes and helping the people to make informed choices about product and services available in the market doesn’t make it an ‘idiot box’.
Precisely, it would be blasphemous to call television an ‘idiot box’ as long as it serves the general public with genuine and decent content-based programmes loaded with education, entertainment and information without hurting the sentiments of a region, community or society.
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