In a previous post, I discussed my complete and total addiction to political news. A new study published by our nosy friends at Nielson that says that in September 2009, the average U.S. Internet user spent 68 hours online. This includes work and home usage but, at least to my reading, is active Internet usage. This seems like a lot but, for perspective, another study from the same organization says that people watch an average of 141 hours of television.
While 57% of consumers watch TV and use the Internet at the same time, the time they spend doing both is a relatively minuscule 2 hours and 39 minutes per month.
This means that people are averaging almost 7 hours a day in front of one screen or another. Given that people sleep 8 hours a night (and I think I am being exceptionally generous here), Half of a person’s waking hours and almost a full-third of their life is in front of a monitor.
I am absolutely terrified at this. I think it the whole thing grows even scarier when you consider that most of these people (read: you and me) are not consciously aware of doing this. Rather, they are using the TV and the Internet as a life space-filler.
I am astounded at these numbers and so cede the floor to a good man, Mr. Howard Beale:
Because less than three percent of you people read books! Because less than fifteen percent of you read newspapers! Because the only truth you know is what you get over this tube. Right now, there is a whole, an entire generation that never knew anything that didn’t come out of this tube! This tube is the Gospel, the ultimate revelation. This tube can make or break presidents, popes, prime ministers… This tube is the most awesome God-damned force in the whole godless world, and woe is us if it ever falls in to the hands of the wrong people, and that’s why woe is us…who knows what shit will be peddled for truth on this network?
So, you listen to me. Listen to me: Television is not the truth! Television is a God-damned amusement park! Television is a circus, a carnival, a traveling troupe of acrobats, storytellers, dancers, singers, jugglers, side-show freaks, lion tamers, and football players. We’re in the boredom-killing business! So if you want the truth… Go to God! Go to your gurus! Go to yourselves! Because that’s the only place you’re ever going to find any real truth.
But, man, you’re never going to get any truth from us. We’ll tell you anything you want to hear; we lie like hell. We’ll tell you that, uh, Kojak always gets the killer, or that nobody ever gets cancer at Archie Bunker’s house, and no matter how much trouble the hero is in, don’t worry, just look at your watch; at the end of the hour he’s going to win. We’ll tell you any shit you want to hear. We deal in illusions, man! None of it is true! But you people sit there, day after day, night after night, all ages, colors, creeds… We’re all you know. You’re beginning to believe the illusions we’re spinning here. You’re beginning to think that the tube is reality, and that your own lives are unreal. You do whatever the tube tells you! You dress like the tube, you eat like the tube, you raise your children like the tube, you even think like the tube! This is mass madness, you maniacs! In God’s name, you people are the real thing! WE are the illusion! So turn off your television sets. Turn them off now. Turn them off right now. Turn them off and leave them off! Turn them off right in the middle of the sentence I’m speaking to you now! TURN THEM OFF!
Pffft. On second thought, what does he know?!
(Photo via dana.ocker)
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