Television as a Tool

Like many Americans, I spend a lot of time watching television. There are some excellent television shows out there, and many are available on streaming services such as Amazon or Netflix. Some of my favorite television shows are Sons of Anarchy, Peep Show (a British comedy), House of Cards (Netflix original series) and Storage Wars (unfortunately the most recent season costs money on Amazon). In part, I like watching television because it helps my writing. There are some great writers out there who use language in wonderful ways such as Matthew Weiner (The Sopranoes and Mad Men). Watching some television shows is like reading books. I believe that when watched in moderation, television is a useful tool for writers.

I always sensed that television--at least now, in its second golden age--can make us smarter. (According to Robert J. Thompson, director of the Bleier Center for Television and Popular Culture at Syracuse University, the second golden age of television began with Hill Street Blues in the 1980s and extends to this day.) I kind of fall into the camp of Steven Berlin Johnson and his Sleeper Curve theory. Basically, Johnson argues that increased complexity of video games, movies and television series is making us smarter. Of note, Johnson has no strong scientific proof for this theory and is probably mistaking correlation with causation. In other words, he’s mistaking the correlation between higher IQs in recent years and the increasing complexity of television shows, movies and video games for causation. Nevertheless, the Sleeper Curve makes good intuitive sense to me, and it warrants testing.

In addition to the lessons in popular culture, style and voice, television helps me appreciate popular culture and history. For example, I have no idea what it’s like to live in prohibition Atlantic City unless I watch a show like Boardwalk Empire. I’m more apt to remember the television show than any early history lesson.

It should be noted that watching television can be a slippery slope. You need to balance it out with the reading of primary sources and other secondary sources. You need to look at some magazines, journals and books. (With many books, light reading will suffice.)

When used in moderation, television is a sharpening tool that can help add to a writer’s skill set. And I think that television will continue to get smarter. We live in a time of fragmented audiences, and television networks compete intensely to garner audience. This competition will enable only the best television shows to succeed.

What do you think?

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