why is television called the window of the world?

As you can see, those between 18 and 24 years are using Smartphone more than TV. And there’s only minor difference in the usage between the two for those in their late 20s and early 30s.

As we move forward, and as today’s 30s become tomorrow’s 40s and 50s, Smartphone will eventually replace TVs—although not entirely but to a large extent. And this won’t be the case for just the developed countries like USA and Canada.

For instance, in developing countries like India, Smartphone and Internet penetration have surged to new heights in recent times. It’s not complex to assume that the college-goers and young professionals are using Smartphone more than the TV.

In fact, according to a report on eMarketer, in 2019, time spent on mobile will take over time dwell time on TV for the first time in history. Next year, on average, adults will spend 3 hours and 43 minutes on mobile vs. 3 hours and 42 minutes on TV.

So, no more is TV a window of the world. Smartphone has taken over—or will do so entirely in the next couple of years.

Now, coming to the “window to the world” part—why did we call TV that in the past and why we should call Smartphones that now.

Only a day back, #WontBeErased campaign took twitter by storm following a report on New York Times that Trump administration is planning to tighten the definition of gender and rid transgenders of their civil rights. This development in the USA, we came to know about through our phones.

Yesterday, British Columbia in Canada was hit by 3 earthquakes under one hour with the biggest one measuring to 6.9 on the Richter scale. We came to know what happened in Canada through our phones and internet.

We’re getting more of what’s happening in the world through our phones and NOT TVs. And the extent of this will only grow as we move forward. Doesn’t that qualify the Smartphones to be the new window of the world? It’s now helping us get more information, know the world better and shape our opinions about how things are out there. This certainly makes Smartphones the new window that you referred to in your question.

Aside from its high usage, there’s another reason why Smartphone has (and MUST) take over TV to get information. A large part of what we see on TV news are state-controlled. Meaning, they go through countless political filters, hiding behind personal agendas. In fact, today, in India (or in many countries), what you see on TV news and media are sheer propaganda.

Rapes and molestations happened even before. And not that women never complained about it. But TV underreported it—or reported it in their quick bulletins. Smartphone, via Social media, has brought a cultural shift where we have put this issue in the dead-spotlight. It did what TV never succeeded (or intended) to do.

TV never reported on Amit Shah’s son Jay Shah and his corruption. TV rarely reports how people are getting arrested because they are a critique of the current government on social media. India is ranked at 103rd on the global hunger index—did the TV media made it a primetime topic?

On many fronts, TV has failed us to stay true to its original recognition of “window of the world”. It’s now filled with propaganda and corporate agendas. So, it’s important that we stop seeing the world through TVs and steer towards Smartphones where things are less bad—where we have the option to see unfiltered versions if we want to.

In short, TV was called the window of the world because it helped us know about the world. Earlier, print media enjoyed that recognition. Today, Smartphones will (and should) get that title.

Here’s a video of Raghav Bahl and Arnab Goswami debating on TV vs. Smartphone: