What were people's first reactions to television?

Answer 1

when tv first appeared people thought it v was witchcraft the said how could they get the people in that little box it showed people what they couldn't see on the radio broadcast in that day you were a big shot if you had

Answer 2

Initially, it was approached, as have many such inventions, with fear and caution. People didn't understand how it could possible work, so mistrusted it. This mistrust, however, was on a much smaller scale than radio or Photography as people already knew that there wasn't a little man in the box or that the photo didn't steal your soul and, to some degree, people were getting used to moving pictures in the cinema but there was still a great deal of caution involved.

The T.V. was also viewed as something of a status symbol; to begin with, only the rich could afford one so for years, the normal people would encounter one only on very rare occasions. This situation was somewhat lessened (in the UK) in the lead-up to the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II when people clamoured to get a T.V. so that they could watch it - to the point where a single T.V. was often owned by several households and would be shared between them.

Answer 3

Big, bulky, Square, and with a picture in the middle of it.

Answer 4

they were so mesmerized that they couldn't take their eyes off of it. (Sorry; I couldn't let that one go either. What a setup!)

Answer 5

September 2009