Populuxe Television



The idea of television has existed since radio and movies came to be widely used. People thought that eventually there was bound to be a marriage of the two. Ancestors of the modern television were being built by ambitious inventors during the 1920's. Dr. Herbert Ives flew the stars and stripes in color on a television screen in 1928. Finally, in 1929, Vladimir K. Zworykin developed the first practical television. During the Populuxe era the TV was mass produced for the multitudes of people that could afford them and sought to buy them. The television as it existed in the Populuxe era varied in style from a rounded, space aged looking monitor to a black box with a screen. Styles and colors changed rapidly to soak up as much revenue as possible. Information as well as amusements are beamed through the television to its viewers. The actual TV is lifeless without broadcastings to receive. During Populuxe one could watch the presidential inauguration, or the news; Howdy Dowdy or the Cleavers. The television was also a revolutionary new means of advertising, bringing a plethora of new products into the home.

The Populuxe television replaced the radio in the home. The radio had hitherto brought the family news and entertainment over radio waves. An evening at home meant listening to the radio. With the introduction of the TV, not only the observers ears were occupied, but also their eyes were fixed upon this contraption. Television was one hundred times more powerful than radio; the addition of visual stimulation made TV seem very real.

The people of the Populuxe era were the perfect population to bring television into the common home. They had the excess capital paramount to make a luxury popular. The television effectively rearranged the manner in which people lived. It demanded that the living room be adjusted so that all furniture faced the tube as if in silent homage to some god of media. It rearranged eating habits so that the family could watch a favorite show, not to mention eat their TV diners. The television brought people together to watch favorite programs or to witness certain cultural events. TV became a convenient window to the world. Of course television also became a status symbol. TVs got bigger, displayed color and had new styles -just like everything else- that the Populuxe citizen had to keep up with.

The modern TV is a huge menacing monster when compared with the Populuxe TV. Not in the physical sense, but in cultural meaning. Now there are hundreds of channels that can be viewed. There is cable TV, direct TV, and MTV. Most children spend more time watching TV than reading or doing homework. The values that are portrayed on TV are becoming more questionable. Violence, sex, hate, and physical standards are broadcast through the air. Some of this is actually reality, but it is a reality that would horrify a Populuxe gentleman. I try to watch TV as little as possible. The news is good (though it is just another show) and there are a few sitcoms that I would subject myself to. When you are alone the television can be a great comfort just blabbing in the background. I have on a few occasions even talked back to the TV. I think television influences our thoughts and values too much. Advertisements and programs can mold our aesthetic preferences to make a sports car seem more beautiful than a sunlit valley. I think we are manipulated to perceive one kind of person as attractive; and that person drives this car so maybe I'll be attractive if I drive that car too! Whose being programmed the TV or US?