Electronic Hearth: Creating an American Television Culture

We all talk about the "tube" or "box," as if television were simply another appliance like the refrigerator or toaster oven. But Cecilia Tichi argues that TV is actually an environment - a pervasive screen-world that saturates almost every aspect of modern life. In 'Electronic Hearth', she looks at how that environment evolved, and how it, in turn, has shaped the American experience. Tichi explores almost fifty years of writing about television - in novels, cartoons, journalism, advertising, and critical books and articles - to define the role of television in the American consciousness. She examines early TV advertising to show how the industry tried to position the new device as not just a gadget but a prestigious new piece of furniture, a highly prized addition to the home. The television set, she writes, has emerged as a new electronic hearth - the centre of family activity.