GLUED TO THE TUBE

Can you name the nerdy next-door-neighbor from "Family Matters?" What about the slacker cousin who lived in the van outside in the lawn on "Step by Step?" Or Cory's girlfriend on "Boy Meets World?"\nChances are you could answer at least one of these questions, and it's not surprising. Shows like these were wildly popular in the '90s, allowing today's young people to form fond memories of the simpler days of staying home on Friday nights, glued to the television screen to watch every minute of TGIF. Or maybe it meant watching Stick Stickley on Nickelodeon's "U Pick Live" during the summer, with its array of shows spanning from "Rocko's Modern Life" to "Legends of the Hidden Temple."\nTV helped build our sense of humor, sharpened our awareness of pop culture and shaped our view of the world -- but as college students, are we still hooked?\nEarlier this year, Nielson Media Research reported that college students spend an average of four hours a day watching TV while at school. With basic Bloomington cable including networks that are "hot spot" channels among the college demographic, such as Cartoon Network's Adult Swim, MTV and Fox, not only is the IU student body watching a lot of TV, but they are watching it to the point of obsession. \n"I usually watch 'The Simpsons' every day," says sophomore Eric Komenda. "Every day except Saturday, because that's when it's not on."\nThe long-running animated powerhouse "The Simpsons" has been one of Fox's ratings goldmines for nearly two decades and has been syndicated to a variety of networks. Adult Swim's cartoon counterparts like "Family Guy" and "Futurama" have also pulled in a hefty fan following among college students in the past few years. According to Nielson, late-night cable networks experienced a rise of 14 percent in the last season.\nDie-hard fans like Komenda have kept shows like "The Simpsons" afloat by remaining unwaveringly devoted, even at the expense of schoolwork.\n"The show's so funny. It's stood the test of time, it's great quality, but I do schedule my homework around watching it," Komenda says.\nAnd it's not just animated comedies that have cashed in on large and eager college-aged audiences. IU students have also heavily invested time into other genres. Freshman Rachel Skiles, a fan of "The O.C." and "America's Next Top Model," follows suit with Komenda by giving academics the back seat to keep up with the plot twists and vote-offs of dramas and reality shows.\n"I do my homework around my shows so I'm always able to watch them," says Skiles. "You miss one and you're lost. Everyone else knows what's going on and you don't."\nThe peak in viewership among IU students shows on Facebook. It's hard to find a profile that doesn't list the person as a member of at least one fan group for a TV show -- groups "Family Guy Rules!!!!!" and "I Love the O.C.!" both have nearly 2500 members each.\nWith so many people routinely keeping up with these TV shows, a lot of time and energy is being expended. So what keeps students watching? Do they live vicariously through the characters, wishing to live the lives of the glamorous and attractive socialites in Orange County? Do they get so caught up in the misadventures of the humor of sitcoms that they lose track of reality?\n"Well, since I want to be a physician in the future, 'House' is a great show that introduces me to interesting medical cases, and I love the humor," says sophomore biology major Richa Sharma. "And yes, I do schedule my work around the show."\n"House," one of Fox's newest in its lineup of comedy-dramas, features a sardonic doctor dealing with a never-ending list of intense surgery room crises, and was recently nominated for five Emmy nominations, including Best Writing in a Drama and Best Casting in a Drama. So if students aren't watching these shows because they tend to relate to the plots and characters, they may be watching them because the shows are legitimately high quality.\n"In general, it's often an 'escape' from the pressures of daily life," says IU psychology professor Julie Gros-Louis, offering insight as to why viewers have gotten so glued to the tube. "People can project themselves into others' lives. Thus, with shows like 'The O.C.,' the audience can identify with the characters and 'experience' the lives of these characters through watching the shows regularly." \nThe addiction doesn't stop at cartoons and dramas, either. If you walk into almost any bar, dining hall, dorm or apartment, there will undoubtedly be at least one TV set tuned to a football or baseball game, or any sporting event of some kind. And if sports fans would be faced with either watching the World Series or going to their night classes, which do you think they would choose?\n"I think there would be a parallel between sports fans who are extremely dedicated, and actually experience intense emotions when the team wins or loses," Gros-Louis says. "There is an emotional investment that differs from watching sitcoms, for example."\nSurely there must be some negative effects all couch potatoes inevitably face, especially the millions of couch potatoes enrolled in college. There are classes to attend and homework to be done, so many wonder if the addiction to TV must take its toll on students' academic progress.\n"My grades are never affected by watching my favorite shows," Komenda says. \nSkiles agrees, and says that being smart about accommodating TV into work schedules is key.\n"You do your homework before the show -- that's part of the plan," she says. "You get your work done before you watch the show. That's what I do."\nSharma takes a third approach: "I just do my homework while I watch."\nWhatever the dynamic, students seem to effectively pull off the balancing act of work and play when it comes to keeping up with their cravings of TV. If grades are okay, who cares if you watch a lot of it?\nOne thing is for sure: watching TV has been a part of our lives for years, and it's a part of our lives that is undoubtedly here to stay. Whether it's cheering on bumbling dweeb Steve Urkel's endless efforts to win Laura Winslow's heart, watching cousin Cody play guitar and work on his motorcycle from the outside of his van, or seeing Cory and Topanga tie the knot, being enthralled with the various and ever-present TV shows in our society is something that has been solidified as part of the American culture.\nAnd when it comes to college students, the dedication shown toward these shows is as impressive as the ratings themselves.\n"I'll never get tired of hearing Homer say, 'D'oh!" says Komenda. "I'll always watch"