No it really it a thing like anything else that someone can overfocus on. The only thing that makes TV any different is it’s got a good combination of things to get people hooked, primarily being stories (people like stories) and shiny lights (people tend to be easily distracted by shiny objects). But really it’s not different than the addiction pre-WWII people had to movies and the radio. People like turning off their reality for a while and turning on someone elses, and a reality where the problems get solved fairly quickly will always appeal. When it comes to object addiction most people don’t know it, when there’s no visible withdrawal symptoms people don’t really notice.
I don’t have an active political life. I’ve been a newshound and political watcher for too long, I am incapable of being a true believer. I study, I vote, once in a while I donate, I don’t volunteer ever, and I take my side losing with the same roll as when my favorite sports teams lose.
It’s much more entertaining than the radio, and it is on in the home six and a half hours a day, which makes it much more of a presence than the movies. Sorry you can’t see this, but let’s call it quits on this.