==JAPAN: KM== [Communication]

Today, almost all families in modern nations have television sets and in every day life they can enjoy watching many kinds of programs. And children like TV games very much and they often play them for a long time. Now TV is essential for the people in industrial nations, and therefore many people argue about the advantage and disadvantage of television. Some say that it provides us with useful information and the relaxing pastime, and others suggest that the television program, which has a lot of violent scenes, has had bad effects on children. For example, the mad man, or monster kills innocent persons one after another in the scenes of movies, and even in the animation programs, such cruel scenes are frequent shown lately. However, the biggest disadvantage of television is that it gives us information or opinions one-sidedly, and we can't respond to it at all.
Communication by television has been one-way since its beginning. In short, it is impossible for the television watchers to give their opinion about the content of the programs they watch, and it has been taken for granted for a long time. However, the progress of electronic communication will enable us to respond to television in near future. Now, "two-way television" has a great possibility of coming into wide use. Because of computers and cable television, a number of "two-way television" watchers will be able to do more than choose their programs. They will also be able to express their opinion freely when they watch television. "Two-way television" is not a dream. The hardware for such a "two-way television" system already exists.
In America, there has already been one experimental group of "two-way television" watchers.
It has more than thirty channels the watchers can choose, no matter what they watch, because it includes everything from sports programs to children's shows, or from TV games to anthropology. However, the most important point is that the watchers can respond to television. A box, which is as small as magazine, of buttons makes it possible. For example, after a program of TV debate, the announcer might ask for the opinion of the watchers, and they can respond to it by pushing buttons. By a large computer system, almost instantly, the data are analyzed, and the watchers can see the results on their television sets.
If the "two-way television" system came into nationwide use, it would have many uses. Government leaders can use it to get the opinions of their nations. It can even be used for voting. Furthermore, teachers in television classrooms can communicate with their unseen students. A television communication system would have a great influence on a nation. For example, after a talk about a new product, the announcer might ask the television watchers, "Do you want to buy the product?" After a talk by a government leader, the announcer could ask them for giving their opinions. The leader can know whether the watchers trust in him or not. And the "two-way television" system can also act like a computer, that is, it can give any information that it has. For example, a shop puts information on the system, and the people who are at home and watching television can ask the system for the information, read it, and order what they want at one time.
However, out of all these dreams of progress, one question occurs to me. Is this what we need and want truly?
With the "two-way" television system, people may not need to leave the television. What would become of us? What would become of our society?

COMMENT
I think, the "two-way" television system is one of the interesting things in modern computer and electrotechniques. If this system is incorporated into our life in politics, opinions will be made by us more than before and our life will be much better than now. In medical treatment, we could expect the same effect, too. In this essay, the author raises some questions. He warns about our future. But I want to believe that we will know better than to choose the way which leads to the destruction of the human beings.

Yukiko Todoroki