Today, I remembered the jingle of an ad that I watched when I was a kid and that scared me. To think that advertisers can still get into your brain 25 years after you watched their ads, just shows you how powerful their ads can be, especially on children.
When I was a kid, I was probably watching around 1h of TV everyday which was still reasonable compared to a lot of my friends. And you don’t really understand how it happens but you tend to switch channels randomly, not really focusing, not finding what you want to watch but always being there for the advertisers to brainwash you with their stupid ads to make you buy products that you don’t even need.
Then at 18, I went to college and I was too busy studying and I did not have a TV anyway so I stopped watching TV all together and I began to feel a freedom that I have never felt before. I had internet so I could actually decide exactly what I wanted to watch and when. I ended up being more proactive, not passive and there was no need to watch these awful ads anymore. I was utilizing my time in a much more useful way. I rediscovered reading, going to concerts, writing and exercising. I have not had a TV for 15 years and I feel so much better. I still think I could have used my time better and have a lot more activities during my childhood, and I regret it.
Furthermore, I do not have this urge to consume anymore (I believe that there might be a lot of subliminal messages in them), and my credit card is certainly thankful for that. I still remember a few years ago hearing colleagues singing jingles for a car insurer at the office and I thinking that corporations really took over our brains. In the US, there is approximately 36% of commercials for an hour TV show. TV channels even reduced the number of frames per TV shows (that’s why you usually hear the actors speaking before the images of the next scene!) in order to pack even more ads. But wait, there is more, have you noticed product placement in your favorite shows, like the completely obvious Microsoft ads within Hawai 5-0.
Today I have traveled to more than 40 countries, lived in 5 on 3 different continents, and I keep learning and that’s how life should be, not spending it in front of a screen like a vegetables.
Have you ever felt the same way? Don’t hesitate to share you own experience in the comments or ask me any questions.
Post republished on my new website: https://queo.io/en/blog/stop-watching-tv-get-life-back/