Opinions are divided on whether reading in their spare time helps people have a better imagination than watching TV. I agree with this perspective because although watching has some benefits for imagination, reading can do that better.
Some people believe that watching TV can stimulate viewer’s imaginations. It is true since TV provides many life animations, music, and effects, which can encourage people to conceive of pictures, images, or similar contexts in their brain, helping them understand the content of TV programs easily. For example, when people watch an horror film, the frightening details and mysterious music make the viewer think they are facing real scary scenes. However, the weak point when watching TV is audience’s visualizations are limited by the depiction on the screen. Therefore people will imagine following the manipulation of the directors, decreasing independent thought.
On the one hand, when people read, to understand the content of a book or an article, they are forced to put themself in the context of a particular story and imagine. In addition, there are no music, images, or effects, so the readers have to do all of these things by imagination. Thus, transforming written texts into images and videos in the brain requires the reader’s brain must conceive at the maximum level. This not only promotes the simple imagination as people watch TV but also stimulates the creativity of each individual. Furthermore, the author can depict any topic through descriptive language, instead of being limited by budgets as the TV manufacturers. Therefore, people who read regularly can vary their ability to visualize from romantic stories to sophisticated scientific concepts.
To conclude, I believe watching TV or reading a book is the choice that depends on each person, and the two things also benefit visualization. However, if people want to have a better imagination, reading is the better solution due to methods of visualization and the range of creativity.