TelevisionÅ|is it a force for good or mostly a total waste of time?

Yuriko writes:

Most people like watching TV. Some people say it's good for us, but others say it's just a waste of time. I think there are both points, positive and negative.
First, it's easy and popular entertainment. We can enjoy dramas and watch people's daily life or more unusual situations. Some of them affect people's choice of jobs or love. I'm not sure if it is good or not, but it can open the door to a new world. Also we can watch sports and movies without going to the stadium or theater. Many Japanese people like watching baseball or soccer games on TV and cheering their favorite teams. So it can be a source of communication by talking about what they watched with others. Personally, I prefer music and comedy programs and they make me happy. Variety shows and cartoons are a pleasure for us too.
Second, it gives us a lot of information. We can watch the news on TV soon and know what happened clearly by the images from all around the world. There are useful programs for each of us. For example, some programs give recipes for easy cooking, housework, saving and fashion to homemakers. Children can learn from educational programs. Students can study to use it, for instance, there is the broadcasting university (like the Open University in Britain) and some programs which teach languages, history, math and so on like school's classes.
However, some people are addicted to TV. I know it's difficult to control, because sometimes I turn on the TV with no purpose and just watch trashy programs for hours. I don't know why, but I do that especially when I'm tired. I can do any other good things in that time, for instance studying, hobby or just sleeping. It's bad for out health because the lack of sleep, getting fat and failure of eyesight.

Read more