After the invention of television, the medium of knowledge transfer shifted from text-based to picture-based.
And it raises a serious question: how seriously should someone be expected to engage in chart or data analysis on a news channel, when the system prioritizes eye-catchy visuals and entertainment instead of thoughtful information?

Neil argues that television is a powerful technology capable of reshaping culture.

Purpose of Television

Postman states that the primary function of television in America is not education or public service, but to gather an audience to be sold to advertisers.
Television achieves this best by being amusing, regardless of the value or seriousness of the content.

  • Television’s job is audience collection, not truth or depth.
  • Entertainment becomes the mechanism through which attention is captured.

Critique of News & Seriousness

Postman critiques the illusion of seriousness in televised news.

  • News appears serious, yet is continuously interrupted by commercials.
  • The structure makes it difficult to treat news as a meaningful civic activity.
  • Newscasters are often selected for appearance and charisma, not journalistic expertise.
  • Viewers may end up watching the anchor, not the news.

Political Discourse on Television

Postman argues that political conversations on television are reduced to performances, not thoughtful argument.

  • Complex issues are compressed into extremely short statements and rebuttals.
  • Debates function more like entertainment events rather than forums for reasoning.
  • The format values style over substance.

Impact on Information & Literacy

Despite being surrounded by more information than ever, society is becoming poorly informed.

  • Television presents a fragmented world, built from fast-moving images rather than logical sequences.
  • Historical context and complex ideas are difficult to communicate visually.
  • If a story has no dramatic pictures, it is often ignored.

The “Now This” Phenomenon

Postman explains that news transitions are intentionally abrupt.

  • The phrase “now this” disconnects each story from the previous one.
  • Audiences are implicitly told to forget what they just heard and move on instantly.
  • Serious reading demands continuity—television destroys it.

Changes in Students & Contradiction

Postman observes a decline in students’ sensitivity to logical contradiction.

  • Television and film teach the brain to accept sequences of images without reasoning.
  • Stories are consumed without needing to understand logical connection.

Information Satiation

Postman describes a crisis where the problem is not lack of information, but overload.

  • People struggle to determine what information is relevant or meaningful.
  • Excess data leads to confusion, not clarity.

Image vs. Discourse in Politics

Television shifts attention from what is said to how it looks.

  • The focus moves from reporting facts and arguments to evaluating image, expression, and charisma.
  • Political success becomes tied to likability, not agreement or substance.

Thinking is not a performing art — which is why it rarely appears on prime-time television.

conclusion

Television transforms public discourse into entertainment, weakening seriousness, depth, and rational thinking in news, education, politics, and culture. It rewards appearance over reasoning and creates a society overloaded with information but lacking genuine understanding.

Links :