WaTcHiNg T.V. IsN'T JuSt wAtChIng T.v. (AnYmoRE)

In the book that Steven Johnson wrote he was very up front about the television topic. “While others just let you settle into the couch and zone out.” (63). I think of this as two ways. First, way is that Johnson is saying that people that watch television are couch potatoes, which goes back to saying he is very forward. Second, is that he is saying that television has become more laid back. That television is not complex it requires not thinking on the humans behalf you get all your knowledge from watching the characters.

 In the first part of the book Johnson has a theory, the Sleeper Curve, which suggests that the most debased forms of mass diversion video games and violent television dramas turn out to be nutritional after all. Johnson talks about how television has changed over time. Which, overtime I do believe that is true, why television has nutritional value is because television has become more complex in the past several years. The biggest theory Johnson has is the Sleeper Curve, but he has two other theories’ that I think are help the Sleeper Curve.

  First, thing that Johnson talks about is multiple threading, which is when a television show (movies) has a main plot then they also have side plots going on at the same time. “According to television lore, the age of multiple threads began with the arrival of Hill Street Blues in 1981” (63). This is when television became more complex and had many more threads to follow. The threads made people want to watch more and more of the episodes because I think it made you want to become one with the character because now they are bring up personal issues in television shows. I watched a show The Closer and it was very interesting after reading Johnson’s theory on television I started comparing what he said to what my show was going through.

 Secondly, Johnson talks about flashing arrows, which is when you suspense is built up at a certain part of time during the movie, by music or maybe the suspense of knowing what is going to happen. Johnson mentions that this type of cognitive work is preventing people from getting smarter. It does not have you fill in information that television shows give you when you watch them. In my show that I was watching and comparing I wasn’t noticing any of these flashing arrows maybe because it’s a cop show and who knows. (Interesting)

 Finally, Johnson has a unique way of thinking. To come up with theory’s like what he does is fascinating to me.  One thing that I would like to have seen more would be more research done that Johnson would have put in the book, other than that I liked the book. I would suggest to read this book it has good ideas in the book, which make you think..