Between 2004 and 2012, the amount of television watched by American teens grew from three hours to four hours a day. This is a large portion of the day, and means television is an important part of a teenager’s life.
How does Trinity compare to these numbers — and what TV shows are filling the hours?
A 100-student survey completed in five advising classes shows that on average, Trinity students are watching one and a half hours of television a night. This number is substantially lower than that of the national average but shows that Trinity students still pay attention to the top television shows.
The television shows selected as favorites by Trinity students give some insight into their interests–and at least a little about personalities. Revealed in the survey is that television choices can also be influenced by friends, and that this can increase the popularity of a given show.
The most popular show watched by Trinity students was the iconic crime drama series “Breaking Bad,” which is about a high school chemistry teacher who turns into a drug dealer. Students called the series “suspenseful” and “intense” and also commented on its grabbing plot and continuous story line. As one of the most popular television shows in America, it is no surprise that it made the top of the THS list.
Following “Breaking Bad” was “Duck Dynasty,” “Walking Dead,” “The Big Bang Theory,” “Family Guy,” “How I Met Your Mother,” and “Arrested Development.”
Down the list were shows like “SpongeBob,” “Pawn Stars” and various sports channels.
“Duck Dynasty,” according to freshman Aaron Anderson, “shows how you go from nothing to having a lot of money in a little time.” Also a widely popular series, “Duck Dynasty” follows the lives of the Robinson family, who became wealthy from a duck calling business. Students had the option of adding their name to the survey, but only a few did so.
The series “Walking Dead,” about a group of average citizens trying to survive the zombie apocalypse, was considered “entertaining,” “interesting,” and “adventurous” by Trinity students.
“The Big Bang Theory” has “a load of humor, some of which I can relate to,” wrote freshman Lee Isaacs. This show is about a geeky group of guys who spend time together, work at Caltech, and have a friend and neighbor named Penny.
Overall, the survey shows that Trinity students spend less of their time watching television than the average teenager, but most of that time watching widely popular television shows. This survey also shows that Trinity students, along with high school students across America, are still watching television despite the rise in popularity of social media like Twitter, Facebook or YouTube.
