A question, what's television for?

Three years ago I moved to a rented flat with my girlfriend and I remember we had that small television of the home owner laying on the fridge. It was not connected to any antenna, I guess it is the reason the quality of reception was absolutely poor. Moreover, we had only a couple of channels, RTVE, that are Spanish national channels.

I think that wasn't the first time in my life I didn't miss having a TV at home. The years spent as a student, having a TV was optional. You never knew which house you were moving into, and sharing the device among all home mates might have been difficult. Therefore I was not really interested in watching TV. I think I learnt from those moments, that surviving during cold winter nights with just a book or a chat on the phone was enough to ensure some moments of distraction. Later on, it was the time of Internet at home, the more then perfect substitute of the magic box. Information on demand: what more did I need?

Actually I needed nothing. Last year I moved to a new flat and the same again. No TV. My house is quite, silent and the atmosphere is really relaxed. Those times I go to visit my family in Italy, I realize that when I'm in front of a television, I'm completely glued to it. Hypnotized, when having dinner I almost don't listen to people talking to me! Actually at my parents' house, during the meals TV is on. And I am sticked to commercial breaks. I assure you I'm astonished by the facility TV makes me dumb.

Therefore, with everything I see around, starting from "The Big Brother" and all the shitty commercials; passing to news both tailored for the audience and manipulated, until I finally get useless movies fragmented by more commercials...I don't see the point in having a TV at home.
Moreover if, like in Italy, you have to pay a yearly fee to watch public channels, and that's not all that cheap.

You should choose carefully your TV programs, there's something good there; although you can often find quality content on the Internet.
That said, what is TV for?