The Evolution of Television: A Hesitation

It has been proposed that television is a strictly one-way form of entertainment and media. Concepts, ideas, and beliefs are portrayed to us in an endless stream of images and sound. The audience can do nothing but be recipients of this media. With no way to respond to television, some people say that our society is being destroyed. They say that we are being told what to think and what to believe on some subtle level. This can only be combated by making television a better, more advanced reflection of the beliefs and general attitudes of the society. A proposed idea is making television a more interactive form of entertainment. The basic idea is giving the audience more control over what they see on television through the use of internet and so forth. The ultimate goal being the transformation of television into essentially a giant real life computer game. All you have to do is press buttons to stimulate content on the television. Am I taking this concept in too absurd a direction? Well it can't hurt to consider absurdity. The big question is whether or not a more interactive, two way link between television media and the audience will solve this rising "brainwashing" problem. I, however, do not believe that will work. Television is a phenomenon that both changed the world for the better and the worst at the same time. It is a medium that links the entire world together. But, for most of us, it is also the only window we have to the rest of the world. The furthest that television can conceivably go in relation to audience interaction is American Idol. The only thing the audience can do is influence such mundane content as the simple act of voting yes or no. To go any further would be to culture a society enslaved to the television more than it already is. The television would become the sole source of any and all information. The advanced human population would in essence become completely reliant on the television. If the television becomes some all-important device, and the audience believes that what they see is controlled by them, then it is that much easier to gain control over it. Perhaps a organization, company, or government would gain sole control over this media and only pretend to let the public control it. Then we are back where we started. Only this time the public will believe they have total control when they are instead being misled. So what reality do you want? The one where you know that you don't control the airwaves, or the one where you think you do but still don't? You don't have a lot of time to make a decision.