Blatantly mindless entertainment like the Jersey Shore does not sell itself as mentally nutritious, and as such, it does not satiate any sort of intellectual curiosity. Watching it only burns time, which is not intrinsically problematic.
TED on the other hand sells itself as educational, or at least edutainment. It satiates intellectual curiosity without providing any real mental nutrition. It leaves you feeling as though you have just learned something, as though you have just gained some sort of profound insight, but that sensation is empty.
