And television presents all content or subject matter as entertainment. It’s entertaining, which, again, isn’t a problem in itself-but television goes further to suggest that we should naturally judge everything by its entertainment value. Unlike reading, television offers a constantly changing spectacle that provides emotional gratification without demanding literacy or any particular thinking skills to understand it. Television doesn’t extend literacy, but it directly attacks it. However, it was a false hope representing what McLuhan called “rear-view mirror thinking”-viewing new technology as an extension of the old-for instance, thinking of a car as a fast horse or a lightbulb as a stronger candle. The Entertainment AgeĪccording to Neil Postman in his book Amusing Ourselves to Death, in television’s early stages, some people hoped it could be used to support and extend literacy. Keep reading to learn why Postman believes that we are amusing ourselves to death. Postman argues that television directly attacks literacy and suggests that we should judge everything based on entertainment value rather than importance. In his book Amusing Ourselves to Death, Neil Postman discusses the impact that television has had on our society. What were the early hopes for the invention of the television? How did entertainment value slowly replace trustworthiness? Are we amusing ourselves to death? Like this article? Sign up for a free trial here. Shortform has the world's best summaries and analyses of books you should be reading. This article is an excerpt from the Shortform book guide to "Amusing Ourselves to Death" by Neil Postman.
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