03-21-2007, 07:01 AM
Yes, I use a computer a lot more than I watch TV, and a lot more than the average person does.
1. My job involves looking at/using computers all day long. So that's 8 hours/day x 5 right there.
2. I also teach classes on computer usage. That's another 8 hours a week.
Even putting those aside, however, I still put in at least two hours a day on my own personal computer. But I don't think this is a fair comparison.
Most of us (ie power users) are not just staring at the screen. We're DOING things, and the computer is one or the primary tool to accomplish that. I don't think of video editing, for example, as "sitting in front of the computer."
TV, on the other hand, is passive. You might be learning something (or oggling someone) but you're not really DOING anything.
To me, that's a big difference. Enough of a difference for me to say that people (adults in general, but children in particular) should not spend large amounts of time watching TV (ie being passive).
1. My job involves looking at/using computers all day long. So that's 8 hours/day x 5 right there.
2. I also teach classes on computer usage. That's another 8 hours a week.
Even putting those aside, however, I still put in at least two hours a day on my own personal computer. But I don't think this is a fair comparison.
Most of us (ie power users) are not just staring at the screen. We're DOING things, and the computer is one or the primary tool to accomplish that. I don't think of video editing, for example, as "sitting in front of the computer."
TV, on the other hand, is passive. You might be learning something (or oggling someone) but you're not really DOING anything.
To me, that's a big difference. Enough of a difference for me to say that people (adults in general, but children in particular) should not spend large amounts of time watching TV (ie being passive).