The television is much more than just a ubiquitous item in our modern age—it is an iconic object that ushered in, facilitated, and grew together with our new age. It is almost impossible to find somebody who is not subjected to the constant stream of media that uses television broadcasts as a conduit. There are several different ways to own a television—everyone does it for their own particular reasons.
People who enjoy watching regular programming definitely form the majority of television owners. Think of people who watch the news after work, have a couple of shows a week they loosely follow, or watch movies on the weekend using their DVD player. These casual users make up the majority—they own the object but are not controlled by (or obsessed with) it.
Another type of television owner is the obsessive type—many studies have shown that addiction is definitely an issue when it comes to TV. The average American, for example, watches four and a half hours of television every day—just imagine how many hours the excessive users must spend in front of it. Cable television and several other subscription-based services are usually purchased by those who love television this much.
Yet another type of television owner uses it almost exclusively for video games. The popularization of the Nintendo Wii, the Playstation franchise, and the X-Box has spawned a whole new generation of “gamers” willing to purchase larger and larger screens so that their television can serve as an entertainment center. Indeed the line between the internet and television are slowly blurring—it is possible to surf the internet on your TV now and watch TV on your computer as well.
Owning a television can be exciting in this day and age—the future holds many technology-driven surprises for us.