Philo T. Farnsworth, the father of television

My grandfather used to refer to the television as the "one-eyed-monster." Farnsworth himself was not one-hundred percent pleased with how he saw his invention used during his own lifetime. He grew disillusioned by its predominant use for mindless entertainment, consumerism, and time-wasting, which he saw as a profound betrayal of his intentions. He reportedly never allowed a television in his home and banned his children from watching it.

His son Kent, Farnsworth recounted: "He came to believe he had "created kind of a monster, a way for people to waste a lot of their lives," lamenting how television squandered hours that could have been spent on productive or enlightening pursuits, turning a potential force for good into a pervasive distraction.