According to a new report found in the current issue of the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, the study suggests that illusionary relationships with the characters and personalities on favorite TV shows can provide people with feelings of belonging, even in the face of low self esteem or after being rejected by friends or family members. When viewing a certain television program, the participants felt more at ease. When reading this piece, it reminded me of Mildred from Fahrenheit 451. She was consumed with her "TV Family", which was nothing but illusions that made her happy, much to Montag's disliking. I found the last piece very interesting and close to heart.
“Turning one’s back on family and friends for the solace of television may be maladaptive and leave a person with fewer resources over time,” says UB’s Derrick, “but for those who have difficulty experiencing social interaction because of physical or environmental constraints, technologically induced belongingness may offer comfort.” Due to my extreme timid nature, I find it difficult to interact with others and seek refuge by using technology, such as watching television, going online, watching clips on youtube, and listening to music. Doing these things makes me happy because as strange as it sounds, I'm not being judged by these characters. Ironically, these things are only pushing me away from real social interactions.
If anybody is interesting in reading, here's the link:
http://psychcentral.com/news/2009/04/23/tv-can-ease-loneliness-and-rejection/5499.html