If we watch too much TV, it shows.
It shows in our language
It’s easy to adopt the buzz words used in high profile commercials and popular TV shows, without even noticing.
For instance, the next time you hear someone tell you “I’m loving… (whatever)” rather than “I love… (whatever)”, they are showing you how a series of McDonald’s TV commercials, has changed the way some people speak.
If we watch too much TV, yet we socialise or do business with people, who spend their free time away from a TV screen, we could have a communication issue. We may also find we have very little common ground.
It shows in our knowledge
Many small business owners know more about the characters in their favourite TV show, than they know about the key people in their marketplace.
They know more about the voting on a reality TV show, than they know about the way their website is ‘voted’ up or down on search engines.
It shows in our thinking and our actions
TV programming is extremely effective at programming how we think and what we do. This is why brands and politicians invest billions, to get their messages into our minds, via our TV screens. Because of this, we need to be aware that what we watch, shapes what we think.
Many small business owners watch business-themed entertainment shows, like Dragon’s Den, then confuse them with the reality of raising funding for a business idea. A friend of mine is an investor and she made an interesting point recently. She said that since Dragon’s Den started, she has noticed people coming to her for funding, with their ‘dragon act’ rather than a robust business plan.
We need to be careful what we allow to influence our thinking. It could be wrong. For example, dragons live in a lair, not a den – Lions live in a den! ;)