Remotely Controlled: How Television is Damaging Our Lives

by Aric Sigman

A startling exposé of Britain's growing addiction to television and why and what should be done to stop it, the author looks at the statistics that show television has become an obsession even more influential than parents inside the household. In this insightful and shockingly perceptive assessment of the relationship with the small screen, the author reveals the alarming reality of what television is actually doing physically, emotionally, intellectually, and socially. He provides evidence as to how television contributes to the rising global obesity rate by actually slowing our metabolic rate, stunts children’s brain development, and is responsible for over half of all rapes and murders in the industrialized world.

Genres: Nonfiction, Psychology, Tv, Sociology

368 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2005

Reviews

[Alleydancer07 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dr Sigman makes excellent points in this book and he writes fluidly; however toward the end I found his sense of superiority tended to undermine what he was trying to convey. His pretentious manner of writing - and although I agree with most of his sentiments - were a turn-off with this book. The content is fantastic, though the delivery of his research tends to border on the obnoxious. Worth reading if one can swallow the snobbery.

[Amanda Patterson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ever wondered why your child has ADD? Do you care enough to want to fix it? Read this. Then prise your child away from the television set, the sony playstation ,the ipod, the internet or whatever other mechanical device he's plugged into and make him read a real book.Take him into the garden. Play scrabble with him. Talk to him. Listen to him.

[David Steele]

Well referenced case against the evil telly.

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

Television has long borne the nickname "idiot box", and here's the scientific evidence that shows the truth of that moniker. Dr Sigman cites study after study that demonstrates how damaging television is to the developing brains of children, not just from the inanity of what it shows them, but also actually stunting its physical growth in key areas needed for intellectual ability and emotional control: quite literally making them stupid. Then for teenagers and adults, it reduces attention span, prevents learning, encourages antisocial behaviour with poor role models and a mistaken belief that real life consists of constant stimulation, instant gratification, and quick solutions to complex problems. It contributes to the modern-day high rates of clinical depression and a breakdown in social activity and communication. And this is before you take into account the effects it has on the physiology, including disturbed sleep, slowed metabolism, and lowered libido, to name just a few. You might think you are too smart for all that and immune to its effects; I did, because I don't watch much TV, but the scientific evidence provided in this book prompted me to think again. You should, too.

It is abundantly clear that prolonged television viewing - the world's number one leisure-time activity - is a serious public health issue, and urgently needs to be addressed. An insightful, well-researched, and readable book, it is a must for everyone with a TV in the house, and most especially for those bringing up children.

[Rheadieuk · Rating 1 out of 5]

While I find the premise of the book interesting, the main problem that I have with Remotely Controlled is that it it simply unbalanced. Dr Sigman has clearly done his research but the issue is that he has cherry picked what he has found and then if it doesn't slip into the overal narrative of his book, he will heavily insinuate that it is the case anyway.

Take for example the possible effects that television has had when it comes to globalisation, in particular its role with body image in asia. In Remotely Controlled Dr Sigman states that because of television women in asia are trying to emulate the western image by whitening their skin and widening their eyes. Try to propose that to any who has completed any form of asian studies and they will flat out reject that premise. Women have been whitening their skin well before the introduction of television and the popularity of eye widening surgery has been because wider eyes are considered to be more expressive. Also notice that he hasn't proposed any studies that have indicated that this has been due to television but he will state that it is the case anyway (much like his piece on television's effect on young girls and puberty). This is either a deliberate attempt to mislead the reader or incompetence.

It is important that we acknowledge the effects of television, but this is sensational and alarmist. If I wanted to read a Daily Mail article I would have. For anyone considering reading this book, I would recommend looking into Dr Ben Goldacre's criticisms of Sigman's work.

[Adrian Perez · Rating 4 out of 5]

This isn't one of my favorite books on how television does not aid in quality of life, but it did point out some academic studies that I'm either interested in looking up or have already known while going through college. One of those studies was the Fiji study in the mid-1990s and I have learned about it when taking public health classes. Prior to 1995, the standard of beauty and mannerism were different than those in western societies, such as woman having thin bodies like the actresses that were portrayed in popular TV shows. Once the television shows came into the culture, no changes have been made. Not at first. Three years later, however, the girls in Fiji developed eating disorders to look like the girls that were portrayed on, for instance, Beverly Hills, 90210. It was kind of refreshing to see some of the evidence coming from academic sources, but the message was somewhat self-righteous. Still, I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in the effects of how television affects quality of life.

[Mark Wilson]

Whilst I didn't agree with everything this book was saying, I can honestly say that it will make me think twice before settling down in front of the television. This book will not take you long to read, and is backs up the claims with plenty of peer reviewed journal articles. It is very thought provoking and I believe everybody would benefit from reading - especially those with children. I think very few of us realise the damaging and eroding effect that this medium has on our lives.

[Julian Hadlow · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you really do want to know how TV influences you, then this is the book.

[Jordan Calhoun]

I loved this book not so much for its writing, or for its loose facts, or for its faulty assumptions or gutter science. I loved this book simply because no matter how faulty the means by which the author came to his conclusion, he is nonetheless correct -- TV is the devil.

Edit, 2018: I wrote this review like 8 years ago and I was dumb, TV is great.