Living Without the Screen Causes and Consequences of Life without Television [Hardcover]

Living Without the Screen provides an in-depth study of those American families and individuals who opt not to watch television, exploring the reasons behind their choices, discussing their beliefs about television, and examining the current role of television in the American family. Author Marina Krcmar answers several questions in the volume: What is television? Who are those people who reject it? What are their reasons for doing so? How do they believe their lives are different because of this choice? What impact does this choice have on media research? This volume provides a current, distinctive, and important look at how personal choices on media use are made, and how these choices reflect more broadly on medias place in todays society.

A compelling exploration of the motivations and rationales for those who choose to live without television, this book is a must-read for scholars and researchers working in children and media, media literacy, sociology, family studies and related areas. It will also be of interest to anyone with questions about media usage and the choices families make regarding the role of media in their lives.

Table of Contents

Chapter Page

Acknowledgements

Preface

Part I: Introduction and Overview

Chapter 1 Living Without Television

Chapter 2 Sample and Method

Chapter 3 How Nonviewers Gave Up Television

Chapter 4 Attitudes Toward Living Without Television

Chapter 5 What is Television?

Part II: Television as Content

Chapter 6 Keeping Out Televised Sex and Violence

Chapter 7 Minimizing Consumerism

Chapter 8 Politics and Civic Engagement