OneWingedBird
Beloved of Ra
- Joined
- Aug 3, 2003
- Messages
- 15,431
I found this post on another board and thought it worthy of Fortean appraisal:
"There is also striking evidence that the NTSC broadcast standard for television is inherently "hypnotic." The cycling of the images, rapid as it is, causes a response from the brain that nearly put people in what is called a "Lucid Dream State" (during which you become more "suggestable" which is a boon to advertisers). It may also explain why many people can't help but have their eyes drawn to the flickering television images - studies have been done where a fake kidnapping was staged that was also caught on closed circuit monitors in the same room. Witnesses watched the abduction on the monitors rather than looking at what was literally taking place right in front of them!
Basically a television screen is a fast-flashing strobe light. If the frequency is equally divisible by the target brain wavelength it can cause the neuro-response (I think it's something like 4Hz for a lucid dream state, so NTSC images flicker at 60Hz. The PAL broadcast standard is at 50Hz which doesn't divide evenly, but comes close). I have this pet theory that television broadcast standards explain the lack of social unrest in the nations that use NTSC (the United States, Japan, Canada, Mexico, etc.) There is a little more social unrest in countries with 50Hz electrical standards. Even more in nations without many televisions at all. I'd also be curious to see if the 100Hz EDTVs in Europe had such an effect. Computer monitors and HDTVs also are usually operating at a cycle other than 60Hz - it would be interesting to see if people using monitors set at that frequency were more prone to get "lost" in videogames or click on advertising banners. I'm inclined to think they would, I know of a couple people who hate playing games on their computer (with the monitor set at 75Hz) but will play for HOURS on a PlayStation connected to their television (operating at 60Hz). Though to research it you'd have to use the same game on both platforms."
I knew that both television and monitor screens can trigger epileptic fits in some people because of the frequency of the flickers, but can they really make people suggestable and compliant?
Thoughts anyone?
"There is also striking evidence that the NTSC broadcast standard for television is inherently "hypnotic." The cycling of the images, rapid as it is, causes a response from the brain that nearly put people in what is called a "Lucid Dream State" (during which you become more "suggestable" which is a boon to advertisers). It may also explain why many people can't help but have their eyes drawn to the flickering television images - studies have been done where a fake kidnapping was staged that was also caught on closed circuit monitors in the same room. Witnesses watched the abduction on the monitors rather than looking at what was literally taking place right in front of them!
Basically a television screen is a fast-flashing strobe light. If the frequency is equally divisible by the target brain wavelength it can cause the neuro-response (I think it's something like 4Hz for a lucid dream state, so NTSC images flicker at 60Hz. The PAL broadcast standard is at 50Hz which doesn't divide evenly, but comes close). I have this pet theory that television broadcast standards explain the lack of social unrest in the nations that use NTSC (the United States, Japan, Canada, Mexico, etc.) There is a little more social unrest in countries with 50Hz electrical standards. Even more in nations without many televisions at all. I'd also be curious to see if the 100Hz EDTVs in Europe had such an effect. Computer monitors and HDTVs also are usually operating at a cycle other than 60Hz - it would be interesting to see if people using monitors set at that frequency were more prone to get "lost" in videogames or click on advertising banners. I'm inclined to think they would, I know of a couple people who hate playing games on their computer (with the monitor set at 75Hz) but will play for HOURS on a PlayStation connected to their television (operating at 60Hz). Though to research it you'd have to use the same game on both platforms."
I knew that both television and monitor screens can trigger epileptic fits in some people because of the frequency of the flickers, but can they really make people suggestable and compliant?
Thoughts anyone?