Chapter 41

Author Martin Esslin believes television is a medium dominated by narratives that have the power to shape our behavior and desires and is used by corporations selling products and services to do so. The statistics are amazing. Americans watch an average of four hours of television every day, which means that watching television is the dominant leisure activity for most people. Esslin goes on to discuss how some television viewers tend to think of actors and actresses they watch as somebody they know. This is called a parasocial relationship and it suggests that something is missing in the lives of people who have these illusions. The topics covered by narratives on television range from full-fledged violence to sexual innuendo. Narratives can be found everywhere and we should be alarmed by what they are doing to us as a society.