Observation of a TV Set in a Public Cafe
Television sets have been in public places since the invention of television itself and nowadays TV broadcasting is what people are accustomed to, but do people really need this TV pollution everywhere they go? The most popular places to put a television set are those places where people stay for long and wait for something. Watching TV people get distracted from negative sides of waiting and find it less irritating and exhausting. Places, which almost always have television sets, are cafeterias, doctor’s waiting rooms, banks, beauty salons, airports, train stations etc. The purposes of TV sets in such places are to entertain and to impose some information on viewers, whether it is an advertisement of some product or a news show.
Places, selling food like cafes, cafeterias, and coffee shops often have TVs in their area, but different places have different programs on, different viewers and different environment. Today people are used to getting an unstoppable stream of information from cellphones, laptops and TV sets, and going to dine out the stream of information does not end. Having observed one TV set in a café serving bakery and coffee, some conclusions can be done.
Speaking of the environment, it is extremely pleasant and calming in a café. The surroundings create a mood of relaxation and television set is completely needless there, according to my point of view. The interior with calm pastel-colored walls with pots of flowers, soft and comfortable armchairs, shelves with books and magazines to read, and pictures to match the mood of a cafe – these all do not correlate with a TV set which is hanged on the central wall in the middle of it.
Undoubtedly, a café is a good place to meet with friends, to do business and to relax during lunch break, so this place meets all these people’s needs. People coming here to communicate with each other or to work are observed all the time. Mostly, nobody pays any attention to the television set as it works mutely and there is pleasant quiet music on. People who are aware of the working TV set are the staff of the café, who watches it from time to time when they have no clients to serve. People in groups do not even notice the TV set, as they are involved in interpersonal communication. Aside from the staff, the viewers of the TV are people who come in the café by themselves. There is an impression that these people watch it unconsciously, just as a habit to watch something during waiting or eating. Despite the fact that there are many magazines and books available people look into the TV on the wall.
As far as shown content is concerned, it plays an important role in attracting guests of the café, as wrong content may spoil appetite and scare new and old clients away. One day there was a cookery TV show on, showing the process of cooking of some delicious bakery. …
