According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (bls.gov) people ages 15-24 watch about 3 hours of TV a day. If you sleep for 8 hours a day, eat for 2, go to school and do homework for 7, and have a part time job for 2, you are left with 5 hours of leisure time. 3 of which we spend watching television. That is a LOT of television.
We see the same scenarios, characters, societies, humor, and drama over and over again. Through this repetition, TV has become our storyteller, the medium through which we learn social norms, how we are supposed to act, and what to expect from other people. Much of our learning comes from stories. This ability to experience vicariously through listening is a uniquely human characteristic. In the stories we see on TV, we learn that in relationships, a person must pick one or the other lover. To do anything else is strictly taboo.
Case in point:
