Final answer:
Television and the internet differ from theater in that the latter provides a sense of community and shared experience among its participants, fostering deeper engagement and direct communication that is absent in more passive media consumption.
Step-by-step explanation:
According to the Columbus, how television and the internet differ from attending the theater centers around the notion of engagement and community presence. Television and the internet offer convenience and immediacy in consuming entertainment and news. However, attending the theater or talking to our neighbors provides a level of human connection and communal experience that online and broadcast mediums cannot replicate.
The theater, as a live event, fosters a sense of community, as audience members and performers occupy the same space and time, experiencing and reacting to the performance together. This physical presence and shared experience bit adds depth to the engagement and can facilitate a stronger emotional and intellectual response. Furthermore, the immediacy of live theater creates a unique dynamic where the audience directly communicates with the actors, which cannot be mirrored by the passive consumption of television and internet media where feedback is either delayed or absent.