TV turnoff
Encyclopedia
Screen-Free Week is an annual event where children, families, schools and communities are encouraged to turn off screens and "turn on life". Instead of relying on television program
ming for entertainment, participants read, daydream, explore, enjoy nature, and spend time with family and friends.
In 2010, Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood
(CCFC) became the home of Screen-Free Week at the request of the Board of the Center for SCREEN-TIME Awareness (CSTA), which ran the initiative since 1994 (first as TV-Free America). CCFC launched a new website, screenfree.org, and developed new Organizer's Kits, fact sheets, and other organizing materials for Screen-Free Week 2011.
Over 100 million people have taken part in turnoff, with millions participating each year. Upcoming dates are:
magazine and other organizations. TV-Free America then became Center for SCREEN-TIME Awareness. CSTA was an organization that encouraged all people to use electronic screen media responsibly and then have more time for a healthier life and more community participation. It was a grassroots
alliance of many different organizations, with participation in over 70 nations around the world.
CCFC changed the name of TV-Turnoff to Screen-Free Week in 2010, since entertainment media (and advertising
) are increasingly delivered through a variety of screens (computers, hand-held devices, etc.), and not just traditional television commercials. In 2008 Adbusters
changed the name of TV Turnoff Week to Digital Detox Week to reflect the growing predominance of computers and other digital devices.
in Canada
and White Dot
in the UK
(named after the small white dot that would briefly appear when turning off older TV sets, especially black-and-white
ones). A related organization, , works in many countries with large Spanish
-speaking populations. In France, is part of the event.
More than seventy other organizations, such as the American Heart Association
, the American Medical Association
, Big Brothers Big Sisters of America
and the YMCA
, support the movement in the US. In 2004, a major partnership was created with the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Anti-TV "guerrillas" use a small device known as TV-B-Gone
to remotely turn off television sets within 14 metres (45.9 ft) in an attempt to reduce "ambient TV" in public spaces.
Television program
A television program , also called television show, is a segment of content which is intended to be broadcast on television. It may be a one-time production or part of a periodically recurring series...
ming for entertainment, participants read, daydream, explore, enjoy nature, and spend time with family and friends.
In 2010, Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood
Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood
Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood is a "national coalition of health care professionals, educators, advocacy groups, parents, and individuals who care about children [and is] the only national organization devoted to limiting the impact of commercial culture on children." It sponsors the...
(CCFC) became the home of Screen-Free Week at the request of the Board of the Center for SCREEN-TIME Awareness (CSTA), which ran the initiative since 1994 (first as TV-Free America). CCFC launched a new website, screenfree.org, and developed new Organizer's Kits, fact sheets, and other organizing materials for Screen-Free Week 2011.
Over 100 million people have taken part in turnoff, with millions participating each year. Upcoming dates are:
- 2012: April 30–May 6
History
In 1994, the week was first championed by TV-Free America, and promoted by AdbustersAdBusters
The Adbusters Media Foundation is a Canadian-based not-for-profit, anti-consumerist, pro-environment organization founded in 1989 by Kalle Lasn and Bill Schmalz in Vancouver, British Columbia...
magazine and other organizations. TV-Free America then became Center for SCREEN-TIME Awareness. CSTA was an organization that encouraged all people to use electronic screen media responsibly and then have more time for a healthier life and more community participation. It was a grassroots
Grassroots
A grassroots movement is one driven by the politics of a community. The term implies that the creation of the movement and the group supporting it are natural and spontaneous, highlighting the differences between this and a movement that is orchestrated by traditional power structures...
alliance of many different organizations, with participation in over 70 nations around the world.
CCFC changed the name of TV-Turnoff to Screen-Free Week in 2010, since entertainment media (and advertising
Advertising
Advertising is a form of communication used to persuade an audience to take some action with respect to products, ideas, or services. Most commonly, the desired result is to drive consumer behavior with respect to a commercial offering, although political and ideological advertising is also common...
) are increasingly delivered through a variety of screens (computers, hand-held devices, etc.), and not just traditional television commercials. In 2008 Adbusters
AdBusters
The Adbusters Media Foundation is a Canadian-based not-for-profit, anti-consumerist, pro-environment organization founded in 1989 by Kalle Lasn and Bill Schmalz in Vancouver, British Columbia...
changed the name of TV Turnoff Week to Digital Detox Week to reflect the growing predominance of computers and other digital devices.
Members and supporters
Important members of the network include AdbustersAdBusters
The Adbusters Media Foundation is a Canadian-based not-for-profit, anti-consumerist, pro-environment organization founded in 1989 by Kalle Lasn and Bill Schmalz in Vancouver, British Columbia...
in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and White Dot
White Dot
White Dot is an anti-television organisation based in the UK. It encourages people to not watch television, and also to switch off televisions in cafés and pubs with devices such as the TV-B-Gone...
in the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
(named after the small white dot that would briefly appear when turning off older TV sets, especially black-and-white
Black-and-white
Black-and-white, often abbreviated B/W or B&W, is a term referring to a number of monochrome forms in visual arts.Black-and-white as a description is also something of a misnomer, for in addition to black and white, most of these media included varying shades of gray...
ones). A related organization, , works in many countries with large Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
-speaking populations. In France, is part of the event.
More than seventy other organizations, such as the American Heart Association
American Heart Association
The American Heart Association is a non-profit organization in the United States that fosters appropriate cardiac care in an effort to reduce disability and deaths caused by cardiovascular disease and stroke. It is headquartered in Dallas, Texas...
, the American Medical Association
American Medical Association
The American Medical Association , founded in 1847 and incorporated in 1897, is the largest association of medical doctors and medical students in the United States.-Scope and operations:...
, Big Brothers Big Sisters of America
Big Brothers Big Sisters of America
Big Brothers Big Sisters of America is a 501 non-profit organization whose mission is to help children reach their potential through professionally supported, one-to-one relationships with mentors that try to have a measurable impact on youth....
and the YMCA
YMCA
The Young Men's Christian Association is a worldwide organization of more than 45 million members from 125 national federations affiliated through the World Alliance of YMCAs...
, support the movement in the US. In 2004, a major partnership was created with the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Anti-TV "guerrillas" use a small device known as TV-B-Gone
TV-B-Gone
TV-B-Gone is a type of simple universal remote control device for turning off a large majority of the current available brands of television sets. It was created to allow people in a public place to turn off nearby television sets. Its inventor has referred to it as "an environmental management...
to remotely turn off television sets within 14 metres (45.9 ft) in an attempt to reduce "ambient TV" in public spaces.
See also
- Culture jammingCulture jammingCulture jamming, coined in 1984, denotes a tactic used by many anti-consumerist social movements to disrupt or subvert mainstream cultural institutions, including corporate advertising. Guerrilla semiotics and night discourse are sometimes used synonymously with the term culture jamming.Culture...
- History of televisionHistory of televisionThe history of television records the work of numerous engineers and inventors in several countries over many decades. The fundamental principles of television were initially explored using electromechanical methods to scan, transmit and reproduce an image...
- Media psychologyMedia PsychologyMedia Psychology seeks an understanding of how people perceive, interpret, use, and respond to a media-rich world. In doing so, media psychologists can identify potential benefits and problems and promote the development of positive media ....
- Social aspects of televisionSocial aspects of televisionThe social aspects of television are influences this medium has had on society since its inception. The belief that this impact has been dramatic has been largely unchallenged in media theory since its inception...
- Television studiesTelevision studiesTelevision studies is an academic discipline that deals with critical approaches to television. Usually, it is distinguished from mass-communication research, which tends to approach the topic from an empirical perspective...
Further reading
- "Turning Off the TV" article at The Washington PostThe Washington PostThe Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
. April 24, 2006. Accessed December 23, 2008.