television: The Plug-In Drug by Marie Winn

Winn, M.(2011). Television: The Plug - In Drug. In S.Cohen, 50 Essays (pg.438-447). Boston: Bedford St. Martins.

This essay by Marie Winn discusses a vague history of television and the different ways it affects family life.  Not much more than 50 years ago after the introduction of television, it has been a big influence on families. The television was very expensive when it first came out, but the idea was that three quarters of all American households would own two or more television sets by 2000. The television was supposed to be something the whole family could do, but they didn’t predict how much it would change the lifestyle of families and especially children. Television has become a very common thing for children to do and do a lot of. As the television became more and more popular and in almost every household the idea of bringing families together diminished. Life when TV only had a couple channels and only some shows on at certain times was more interactive for families and even the community. But nowadays there are endless things to watch on television. Parents used to spend more time doing things with their kids, kids played outside, and families played board games. “As family ties grow weaker and vaguer, as children’s lives become more separate from their parents’, as parents’ educational role in their children's lives is taken over by the media, the school, and the peer group, family life becomes increasingly more unsatisfying for both parents and children.”