Television programs require cognitive processing from "summary" of Everything Bad is Good for You by Steven Johnson
Think about your typical TV show from the 1970s. Whether it was detective dramas or situation comedies, the plots were usually straightforward and easy to follow. You could tune in halfway through an episode and still have a good sense of what was going on. The characters would explain everything to you, and the conflicts would resolve neatly by the end of the show. Fast forward to today, and television is a different beast altogether. Shows like "Lost" or "The Wire" demand your full attention. They have complex storylines with multiple characters and intertwining plots. You can't just jump in and out of these shows; you need to commit to watching from the beginning to fully understand what's happening. The reason for this shift is that television has evolved to cater to our increasingly sophisticated cognitive abilities. In the past, TV programs were designed to be passive forms of entertainment. They didn't require much mental effort on the part of the viewer. But as our brains have developed over time, so too have the shows we watch. Today's television ...
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