Heavy Users.

Something that has really resonated with me since class today was our peak into the Cultivation Theory. Of course, none of us want to think of ourselves as "heavy users" of media- I don't know about you, but that phrase immediately brings to mind the image of dirty needles and even dirtier people. However dirty the phrase seems, I don't think I can deny that I'm at least on the brink of TVaholism. I'm an eager viewer of countless genres- I love watching spies take on adventures I would NEVER dream of trying in Covert Affairs and laughing at the teen drama of Degrassi. I think of myself as something of a crime scene expert now after years of watching all three CSIs and Criminal Minds, and I feel a warm fondness for Phil and Claire Dumphy, likening their relationship to my own.

I guess you say I use all these various parasocial relationships to experience things I otherwise wouldn't have. I am the exact opposite of adventurous, and you couldn't pay me to actually go on a spy mission- I'd probably cry the second you put a gun in my hand. I'm not brave enough to protect a complete stranger, and it follows that I have amplified respect for those who put their lives on the line for their country or a cause- real and imagined. This same concept applies to my love of CSI. I considered pursuing a Criminology major for about a second before I realized the problem I already mentioned; I'm not brave, and on top of that, I really hate science. I want a family and set hours, a leisure that a career in Forensics often doesn't accommodate too easily. However, when I watch CSI, that reality doesn't matter. the crimes are creepy, yes, but fake, and only the glorious, victorious side of Criminal Justice is fully depicted. The good guy wins, and we can all sleep easily knowing that the bad guy is in jail, dead, or sure to get caught on the season finale.

I'm sure the spies and bad guys do nothing for my anxiety or active imagination, and if they didn't exist, I doubt I would be inclined to run out and solve a crime, but their existence allows me and people like me to get in 40 minutes of adventure from a safe seat. When the bad guy gets away, I have to admit, I sleep a little less sound. We watch TV as an escape, but it plays an important role in our every day life. As long as you can keep yourself at least mostly removed from your favorite subject matter, I think it's a healthy guilty pleasure that keeps us, well, entertained- which is it's most basic function, after all.

So, when it comes down to it, being a "heavy user" may not be ideal, but it's also not uncommon or shameful. It's possible to be hooked to multiple shows and still lead a healthy life with healthy relationships. I guess the moral of the story is this- get a hobby, talk to a friend, then hang out in front of the TV for awhile (and maybe bake a cake or run in place while you watch). We're not the only ones with addictions, and you all seem pretty normal to me, so I say embrace them.