TV - A full time job
Are you watching too much TV? Do the math, see how many hours you come up with in a week.
According a Media Post article and new data from The Nielsen Company, State of the Media 2010, the average American watches 35.6 hours of TV week, or close to the equivalent of a full-time job.
Looking at age demographics, Americans older than 65 watch an average of 48.9 hours of TV each week. In contrast, Americans age 2-11 watch an average of 25.8 hours of TV per week.
Like many people I'm sure, I have a hard time trying to fit in all the things I have to do and want to do in a weeks time. I'm willing to bet that watching 36+ hours of TV isn't something anybody wants or need to do.
These numbers continue to astound me. I'm sure many of these hours are spent multitasking, from the time people get home from work until the they go to bed. Cramming in dinner, homework, baths, etc. But TV? Do we really have to cram that in too? How much news does one really have to consume in one day, and that rerun of King Of Queens, is still the same as it was when you saw it the time before.
If this is you, I'd encourage you to turn off the TV and turn on some music. Give your eyes a break from the screen, and interact more with the people around you. I'm not totally knocking TV, I just think we should step back and look at these numbers, and ask yourself is there something you would rather be doing?
Comments
Melissa,
These stats are shocking! After reading your article, I quickly tried to calculate how much TV I watch during the week, hoping to uncover some "extra time." Last night, we actually kept the TV off (except during dinner, sad I know) and I know I was more productive. However, I still got into bed at 11:30....sigh. Thanks for sharing. I couldn't agree more with your advice.
This is probably the main reason we don't take to the streets as regularly happens in other countries (Egypt and Tunisia currently). We simply turn on the TV and watch pundits rant and rave about it and feel better.
For me it's not a TV habit I'm worried out, it's those fancy interwebs that make me nervous.
Leave a Comment