Sometimes, watching the television does more than just provide us with some entertainment. It can also educate us, and make us aware of subjects and issues that we might not previously have given a lot of thought to.
Perhaps a documentary about the financial world gets you thinking about the best annuity rates , or a daily soap opera that mentions a current event that you were previously unaware of stimulates an interest. Certainly, the television can have a big influence on our lives.
In a way, the television has replaced traditional fireside story tellers and even books as a source of information. The question is though - What does the future hold for television?
In recent years, the internet has gained ground as a form of both entertainment and as a source of information. In fact, many people see it as being a major threat to television, as many people now consume information and media over the internet. This number is expected to increase in coming years, and perhaps even make the television redundant.
Many people expect to see a closer partnership between internet media and traditional media occur, and the lines between them all blur even further. So far, television has maintained its hold due in part to the money raised by advertising. Should the internet be able to produce the amount of advertising money needed to make and produce programmes, it may gain dominance.