"The power of an instrument that spoon-feeds tens of millions at a time on a twenty-four-hour basis is almost unimaginable. We are addicted to television as a constant source of information, entertainment, a break from our dreary workdays, an escape. We may not like everything that’s on the TV, but we can’t turn it off. According to Nielsen statistics, U.S. viewers spend four hours, thirty-five minutes per day watching television. And they don’t always do it because they love what’s on—they do it because it acts as a sort of narcotic. TV isn’t crystal meth, but it’s certainly alcohol for the senses. According to Scientific American, people watching TV “reported feeling relaxed and passive. The EEG studies similarly show less mental stimulation, as measured by alpha brain- wave production, during viewing than during reading. . . . Habit-forming drugs work in similar ways.” In short, scientists conclude that “TV does seem to meet the criteria for substance dependence.” The power of television ought not to be taken lightly."
[Ben Shapiro "Primetime Propaganda"]
