The TV turn-on rate has experienced a cliff-like drop. If you don’t watch TV, will you read a book?

[Art Criticism] If you don’t watch TV, would you read a book?

　　When Neil Postman launched his media criticism against the background of the prosperous television era in the United States in the second half of the 20th century, he may not have expected that less than 40 years after the publication of "Amusing Ourselves to Death" in 1985, it would already dominate the public Television, which is the dominant media, will also be "cold".

　　Recently, a "Report on New Trends in Smart TV Interaction in China in 2024" cited figures showing that my country's TV turn-on rate has experienced a cliff-like decline in recent years, from 70% in 2016 to less than 30% in 2022.

This “dazzling” number has also become a hot search topic.

　　It’s no surprise that TV turn-on rates have plummeted.

In fact, the dominance of traditional television has already begun to shake with the rise of the Internet.

With the popularization of mobile devices and the development of network technology, people are becoming more and more accustomed to obtaining diverse information and personalized content from platforms such as social media, and small screens such as mobile phones and tablets that are adapted to the dissemination of fragmented content are constantly snatching the competition. people's attention.

As the audience's viewing habits change, smart TV systems that can interact and provide multiple choices have replaced traditional TVs that receive TV signals in one direction. "Swiping TV like playing with a mobile phone" has become a focus of user needs.

Nowadays, even the television itself is no longer a standard product in the home.

Data shows that in the first three quarters of 2023, the cumulative domestic sales of color TVs were 21.62 million units, a decrease of 13.02% compared with the same period in 2022.

And this has been declining for five consecutive years.

　　Although television has gradually faded its "glow", Neil Postman's views still shine with the "light of reality": he proposed that "the medium is metaphor", and strong media can redefine the real world with a hidden but powerful suggestive power. , and even shape the cultural spirit of an era.

The TV media’s dazzling images, exciting music, and uninterrupted visual enjoyment have affected people’s way of thinking, making them more inclined to perceptual and superficial understanding rather than in-depth rational analysis and thinking. This perceptual demand This further catalyzes the superficiality and fragmentation of television content. When it is used in public discourse such as education and politics, it is prone to pan-entertainment tendencies.

　　This warning against technology monopoly is not outdated today - in today's new media era, haven't mobile phones, tablets, etc. amplified the influence of the media?

Many people open short video platforms and social media casually and cannot stop for an hour or two.

Studies have long shown that after continuous bombardment of short videos, the surge of dopamine in the brain is enough to make people addicted.

And if the brain repeatedly processes fast and rewarding content, its ability will be changed or damaged when processing slower-paced content such as work and study.

"Attention span is shortening" "Concentration and self-control are declining" "Addicted to short videos"... Ask yourself, how many people will read a book seriously when they don't turn on the TV?

　　Of course, this does not mean that in-depth and serious content no longer exists in the new media environment.

After all, the development of media forms and technologies is irreversible, and the content ecology has also ushered in a big explosion of rich development. Nowadays, it is impossible for people to give up efficiency and blindly return to the era of printing.

Whether it is paper, television, computers or smartphones, they are essentially carriers that provide multiple choices for people’s spiritual and cultural needs.

Only when we are aware of the influence of media and can be more proactive in our thinking and behavior can we be less controlled by the big or small screen.

　　Not long ago, my mother mentioned the popular TV series "Flowers" to me on the phone, "It's been a long time since I watched a good TV series on TV." After listening to her recommendation, I didn't have a TV at home, so I picked up the TV series from the depths of the bookshelf. I read out the original text of the novel I had never finished reading: Compared with the audio-visual feast brought by movies and television, the meticulous dialect, rich details, and intertwined characters in the book made me recall the taste of reading even more.

(Worker Daily on Spiritual Song)