Why does Postman compare watching TV to a game of peek-a-bou? It’s probably because the news headlines on television are meant to capture people’s attention. Just as children get excited about the latest celebrity scandal or the upcoming movie, the public gets interested in TV shows. In other words, television programs are incredibly popular, but they don’t really change anything in our lives.
The reason Postman compares watching television to peek-a-boo is that TV trivializes American institutions. For example, television news is usually interspersed with music and presented in a linear manner, with few connections between stories. In Postman’s example, a news story can last for several minutes without requiring the viewer to pay attention.
In the original poem, Postman compares television watching to playing peek-a-boo with an adult. A baby and an adult both play this game. One player hides his face and pops it up, while the other person tries to guess who the other person is. This game is supposed to teach the baby, and it is popular with children. Other toddler games are the Hokey-Pokey and Two Little Blackbirds.
Postman compares watching television to a game of peek-a-poo. He claims that children learn more when they play the game than from watching TV. Similarly, he says that TV does not allow children to interact with each other and develop empathy and social skills. The key to success in life is to find something that makes you happy, and that’s what television is all about.
While there are several similarities, this metaphor also has a very important distinction. In this example, the postman refers to television as an entertainment medium. While he might be right about some aspects of television, it is insufficient for children to enjoy it, and the teen audience does not appreciate the premise. If the adult is happy, the child will be more likely to be happy.
In the context of children, television is a medium that allows them to engage in conversation. But Postman’s analogy is also an important lesson for us. The same is true for adults. The media we use is the content we see. In this case, watching TV is the medium of communication. If you’re able to talk to your spouse, you are more likely to have a happy child.
Postman’s metaphor about television is not a simple one. He contrasts it with a game of peek-a-boo. In the latter case, a person cannot watch the television without being aware of its existence. He has a very difficult time separating the message from the medium. This makes it hard to tell if the media is real or not.
