Advantages and disadvantages of TV Advantages of TV It can act as a very useful general source of information You can watch the news on television and see what is happening currently You can watch history, travel, nature, biography documentaries Essentially, TVs can supply an almost endless flow of factual information It can be a source of entertainment Television can deliver comedies, drama, movies, sports, and children's programs Over the years, program makers have near-perfected the art of producing watchable shows and a whole industry has built up around the medium Viewers now have more choice than at any time before, with a huge archive of programs backing up current material It helps us with our everyday lives Television gives us practical information such as weather forecasts It gives us information on how to all sorts of things, such as buy and decorate a house, cook meals, and where to travel to As well as a source of general information, TV can also give students more in-depth educational information, which they can use to complete their school and college courses effectively The video and audio format can sometimes be the best way of conveying certain information Watching the news, or see a movie on television, for instance, can sometimes be a more powerful experience than reading about it online, or in a newspaper, or book TVs generally have bigger screens than any other device This usually makes them the best way to play games, or watch movies and videos It also means that they can be very social, with the entire family sitting to watch a movie, or a group of friends gathering to watch a sporting event It is generally a tightly controlled and regulated medium Unlike the internet, for instance, where it is possible to stumble across pornography, fraudulent adverts, or disturbing images, Television normally provides safe viewing for children and families during the daytime and early evening Woman watching TV Television viewing peaked in the 1980s Computers, tablets, cellphones and the internet have gradually eaten into the market, resulting in a reduction in TV viewing | Source Disadvantages of TV The commercials can be very disruptive and irritating and can undermine the enjoyment of programs, especially if there are too many of them, or they are too frequent Repeated commercials can also be irritating Traditional television lacks a certain amount of flexibility in the internet age, where a viewer can often choose from a wide range of programs online and watch them at the times that suit them You can't pause traditional programming either, if you need to take a break TV can sap your time and end up being a passive excuse for being lazy, if you're not careful Phenomena such as channel surfing show how easy it is slip into an apathetic state of mind While it is often certainly relaxing, it is not necessarily a very productive use of time, especially if overindulged in Television can influence society negatively as well as positively Violence, sex, and crime shows can all attract viewers, but they don't necessarily make for a healthy and positive society TV is relatively easy for oppressive governments to control They can dictate what news and information their citizens have access to Television can therefore be used as a means of social and political control (although this has been undermined to some degree in the modern age, with the introduction of the internet, which is less easy to control)