Television and Loneliness by two

GENERAL DISCUSSIONS

Television and Loneliness

POSTED BY: TWO
UPDATED: Friday, July 31, 2009 15:15
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Friday, July 31, 2009 10:41 AM

The Joss Whedon script for Serenity, where Wash lives, is Serenity-190pages.pdf at www.mediafire.com/folder/1uwh75oa407q8/Firefly

All quotes are from
http://scienceblogs.com/cortex/2009/07/television_and_loneliness.php

"Watching television when lonely seems to provide the same sort of emotional relief as spending time with real people."

“The authors theorized that loneliness motivates individuals to seek out relationships, even if those relationships are not real. In a series of experiments, the authors demonstrated that participants were more likely to report watching a favorite TV show when they were feeling lonely and reported being less likely to feel lonely while watching. This preliminary evidence suggests that people spontaneously seek out social surrogates when real interactions are unavailable.”

“This research makes perfect sense to me. I never travel without a backpack full of TV shows on DVD, as I find the melodrama of good television (The Sopranos, The Wire, The Shield, The Tudors, House, Lost, Freaks and Geeks, etc.) to be extremely soothing after a day spent with strangers. It's so comforting to press play and enter into a familiar social network, even if that social network involves the New Jersey mob.”

“Further thoughts: I'd argue that the ideal way to experience the palliative benefits of TV is on DVD. (In other words, the storage technology has revealed the full potential of the medium.) When we're able to experience episodes back to back - I watched the entire first season of Lost in a single visual binge - it's much easier to develop serious emotional attachments. The characters develop depth and history; the plots are able to cultivate all sorts of intricate layers and connections. There's no waiting or forgetting. Instead, we're plunged deep into another world, fully immersed in lives which are much more interesting than our own.”

“The bad news, of course, is that all TV shows end.”

“Jonathan Cohen, of the Department of Communication at the University of Haifa in Israel, examined the responses of television viewers to the potential loss of their favorite television characters. Cohen found that viewers anticipated experiencing the same negative reactions to parasocial breakups as they experience when their real social relationships dissolve. Even though parasocial relationships may offer a quick and easy fix for unmet belonging needs, individuals within these relationships may not be spared the pain and anguish of relationship dissolution.”

The Joss Whedon script for "Serenity", where Wash lives, is at
www.fileden.com/files/2008/8/13/2048723/Serenity-190pages.pdf

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Friday, July 31, 2009 10:41 AM

TWO

The Joss Whedon script for Serenity, where Wash lives, is Serenity-190pages.pdf at www.mediafire.com/folder/1uwh75oa407q8/Firefly

I own only a few dvds: Serenity - Collectors Edition, Done the Impossible - The Fans' Tale of Firefly & Serenity, Firefly & Serenity Panels (purchased with Done the Impossible). Is anyone seeing a pattern here? Because I'm not. I do not own Firefly: the complete series. I gave that away. The only other dvd I own, purchased in 2001, is Roughnecks - Starship Troopers Chronicles - The Pluto Campaign.

Now the revealing personal facts: I have not played any of my dvds this year. But Firefly is the only show I have ever loved. I've treated Firefly like it was reality, nonstop and no rewind. A beautiful memory, that only happens once. Except I was weak and cheated on “reality” by replaying, once only, the TV show and the movie with the commentary on. Well, actually, the movie had two commentary tracks. I replayed it twice. Maybe next I'll try the movie in Español or Français. Zoe speaking French should have a certain je ne sais quoi.

The Joss Whedon script for "Serenity", where Wash lives, is at
www.fileden.com/files/2008/8/13/2048723/Serenity-190pages.pdf

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Friday, July 31, 2009 12:20 PM

TRAVELER

Since I have been unemployed I have been watching a lot of daytime TV. The new digital system has brought several more channels and that increases my choices. I do find that when I do get out with friends I make up for my solitude with a lot of conversation. The poor souls must have their ears ringing before my visit is over with.

Besides TV I find I spend many hours on the computer. Either the internet, as I am doing at this very moment, or playing computer games. I am into combat flight simulation and military campaign games.

http://www.imdb.com/mymovies/list?l=28764731
Traveler

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Friday, July 31, 2009 12:31 PM

PHOENIXROSE

You think you know--what's to come, what you are. You haven't even begun.

Makes sense to me. I'll also read favorite books when feeling particularly lonely.

[/sig]

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Friday, July 31, 2009 12:40 PM

WHOZIT

Watch "BONES", it'll fill your life with happiness

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Friday, July 31, 2009 1:04 PM

NCBROWNCOAT

Quote:
Originally posted by PhoenixRose:
Makes sense to me. I'll also read favorite books when feeling particularly lonely.

[/sig]

Same here.

http://fireflyfaninnc.livejournal.com/

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Friday, July 31, 2009 1:10 PM

MANGOLO

Mucho Mahalo for the script!!!

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Friday, July 31, 2009 1:45 PM

AGENTROUKA

That makes a lot of sense.

Novels and television series, even movies, all of those provide a simulated social network to slip into, with the added benefit of holding no unexpected risks if we're already familiar with them.

When I'm feeling particularly low and do not want to see real people, I either watch familiar shows or movies on DVD, or I start reading my favorite books or fanfiction stories. It's very soothing.

(Sometimes it even provides me with a spark of creativity, to write my own fanfiction, which again puts me into somewhat more real relationships with people online. Basically, that's a way to actively participate in that fictional social network, right?)

I say, like reading, it's a beneficial additional option, though not a substitute for real social connections. I bet, even, that in the case of neglected children or otherwise very lonely people it can act as a sort of lifesaver because it provides a substitute to what would otherwise cause more serious damage in its absence.

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Friday, July 31, 2009 1:49 PM

TWO

The Joss Whedon script for Serenity, where Wash lives, is Serenity-190pages.pdf at www.mediafire.com/folder/1uwh75oa407q8/Firefly

Quote:
Originally posted by Mangolo:
Mucho Mahalo for the script!!!

The Joss Whedon script for "Serenity", where Wash lives, is at
www.fileden.com/files/2008/8/13/2048723/Serenity-190pages.pdf

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Friday, July 31, 2009 2:49 PM

ECGORDON

There's no place I can be since I found Serenity.

Quote:
Originally posted by two:
I own only a few dvds...I do not own Firefly: the complete series. I gave that away.

???????????

wo men ren ran zai fei xing.

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Friday, July 31, 2009 3:15 PM

TWO

The Joss Whedon script for Serenity, where Wash lives, is Serenity-190pages.pdf at www.mediafire.com/folder/1uwh75oa407q8/Firefly

Quote:
Originally posted by ecgordon:
Quote:
Originally posted by two:
I own only a few dvds...I do not own Firefly: the complete series. I gave that away.

???????????

I gave it away as a gift. I'm cheap and lazy. I didn't want to go out and buy something. And I thought it was a really fine present. ( Don't tell anyone -- I used DVDShrink http://www.dvdshrink.org to keep a copy of the 4 dvds of Firefly on my harddrive. ) The truth is that Firefly is addictive; I had to get those discs out of the house. OUT. OF. THE. HOUSE. Firefly is like heroin. But a good kind of heroin that doesn't kill you when you overdose from watching too much.

The Joss Whedon script for "Serenity", where Wash lives, is at
www.fileden.com/files/2008/8/13/2048723/Serenity-190pages.pdf

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