Answer:

Some people argue as if it is a general truth that telephone has greater influence on people's lives than television. But to be frank, I can't agree with this statement. There are numerous reasons why I hold no confidence on it, and I would only explore only a few primary ones here.
Before my demonstration, I have to admit that both telephone and television are the greatest inventions during human history, the reason is that both of them improve our lives and broader our view. However, what makes them different for us is their function. Telephone is a method we connect with each other, while television makes us to communicate with the whole world. As we comparing the whole world with any individual, we can make our conclusion about which changes our lives obvious without any doubt. However, I still want to mention some further explanation.
For one thing, if we comparing the outside world to a huge school for us, television must be the best tutor for our learning process. For instance, it shows us documentary of Yellow Stone National Park and Amazon to incentive our interested in geology. At the same time, it helps us to look back to the Revolution War and Civil War. These historic moments make us a real part of our history.
For another, besides being a telescope for the outside would, television is also a microscope for our inside world. It uses a vivid method to show us the humanism, and make us to think about ourselves at the same time. Every day we watch TV for news and plays. The characters of them and the way these persons treat the staffs and affairs around them, making us to ask ourselves. Am I just like the miser in the movie? How would I deal with my dishonest friend? And could I be a brave man like the hero I admire? All of these questions can enhance our understanding of humanism and make us to be better.
Even though telephone makes a small world for us, it can't compare the whole university television shows to us. Taking into account of all these reasons, we can reach the conclusion that television plays a more important part in human's lives than telephone. If we didn't have the telephone, we lost some of our friends far away. However, losing the television, we would be lost in the complicate world.