When regular television broadcasts in America started in 1939, the intrinsic evils of the medium were already being discussed, and by the '50s the term "idiot box" had been coined.
Academics came up with theories that tried to make sociological sense of these perceived evils, but basically it came down to the idea that television occupied time that might have been better spent reading, playing or conversing.
Despite technological advances, the relationship between television and humans has not fundamentally changed in 60 years. People still sit passively in front of it and soak up what they see. TV has been called a crutch, a bad habit. But if viewers are hooked on it, then the television industry is just as addicted to this relationship. The whole business model for broadcast television is built on the idea that people will drop whatever they are doing at certain times of the day to watch TV.