When the waves of television penetrated into our homes, nobody did ever imagine that its plus side would be overshadowed by its minus side. As soon as these waves found their ways into our houses, TV commercials appeared on the silver screen and now they have got their exclusive places on TV. Today we do not actually know what the original purpose of this modern invention is. Is it to entertain people or to raise money for television corporations and gain popularity for the factory owners’ products? Whatever it is, it is doing more harm than help. A huge number of commercials have already occupied television programs.
On the minus side of the commercials lies the fact that the routine programs of television have been practically disorganized. Movies, talk shows, soap operas are usually interrupted. This sudden interruption is neither for the benefit of the product owners nor is it of any use for TV companies since they drive the viewing public round the bend. TV commercials are designed for people to get to know the newly manufactured products. When people are put off by a large number of commercials, they sniff at the programs and they take no heed of what is being shown. Commercial break is now a time to switch over the channels, review them, and see what’s being shown on different channels. It has also turned into a coffee break for families. It’s the most decent time for the family members to fetch a cup of coffee. At the apex of excitement, an abrupt break provokes us to curse everything concerning TV.
A rather substantial harm encountered by the families through TV commercials is the creation of new demands. Seeing a brand-new product on TV, we immediately think of ordering and buying it regardless of the fact that we will need it or not. We can’t help succumbing to ads. They make us buy the product by hook or by crook. What matters for us is the fact that we must have it before the others do. They tawdry commercial ads designed with impeccable dexterity on TV, enthusiastically try to capture our attention and encourage us to think that it is what we really need, but the aftermath turns out to be quite on the contrary. Just after we start to use the product, we realize that the trendy and fascinating advertisement was to disguise its built-in obsolescence. We come to the conclusion that it is just money down the drain to pay for the advertised product. In this very case television is under accusation since it has no scrutiny on the products being advertised. They are rarely designed circumspectly.
The story is by no means over. Another irritating point about TV commercials is that they are much too repetitive. Every night the same product is advertised several times. Its main purpose is supposed to inform people of the new products. By repeating it over and over, commercial makers try to magnify its influential power on minds of people. Neither do they meet their goals nor they satisfy the people. Through this strategy, they create aversion rather than attention.
The war among TV commercials has been ignited by television administrators. When they realize the fact that by advertising they easily accrue a prodigious amount of revenue, they try to encourage and persuade the producers to loosen the purse strings and spend more on publicizing their products. They make use of different techniques; sometimes in the form of subtitles, sometimes as a background, and mostly through commercial intervals, to make commercials as alluring as possible. They even make commercial movies. These infomercials really incense all viewers because they seem quite unreal and exaggerated. Once people used to think that TV would be meat and drink to them, but advertisements proved them wrong. Most often they turn on the TV only to find a small window on the screen to watch their favorite program since it is simply taken over by the commercials. Now with all this in mind, it is up to you to turn the TV off or keep it on.
Vocabularies:
Penetrate: enter, come in
Plus side: advantage, positive point
Overshadowed: exaggerated, highlighted
Minus side: disadvantage, negative point
The silver screen: the TV
Exclusive: specified, particular for a group of people/receivers, not shared
Entertain: amuse
Commercial: advertisement
Occupy: take-up
Interrupt: stop, break up
Drive somebody round the bend: to annoy somebody
Manufacture: build, produce, make
Sniff at something: to proudly reject something, to behave as if it’s not good enough for you
Take no heed: be careless
Decent time: good time, quality time
Apex: zenith, climax, summit, peak
Substantial: significant, of a great amount
Demand: need
Abrupt: sudden, not planned
Provoke: to cause a reaction, feeling, etc.
Succumb: give in, yield to
Hook: something attractive, draw
Crook: dishonesty
Tawdry: cheaply and badly made
Impeccable: perfect, without a flaw or error
Dexterity: skill, high ability
Enthusiastic: eager, energetic, keen
Aftermath: the period of time after an incident, for example, when people are still dealing with results
Fascinating: very interesting
Disguise: to change or hide something or someone so others can’t find or notice it
Obsolescence: old-fashioned and no longer useful because a better one is invented
Money down the drain: waste of money
Accusation: a statement to prove someone guilty
Scrutiny: careful and thorough examination
Circumspectly: carefully, cautiously
Irritate: annoy, bother, disturb
Magnify: highlight, exaggerate, make look bigger
Influential: effective, important
Aversion: dislike, hatred
Ignite: set off, start
Accrue: add up, gather gradually, accumulate
Prodigious: very large or great in a surprising and impressive way
Revenue: money, income
Loosen the purse strings: to persuade somebody to spend more
Interval: the period between two plans or programs
Alluring: a mysterious, desirable, or exciting quality
Infomercial: a commercial that gives you a lot of information about the product