Reading this article made me aware of the transformation of my social habits since youth. For the majority of my childhood, watching television was family bonding, leisure time, and entertainment. Though the first two qualities of television still holds true for me, the last one has changed. Entertainment as we know it for young male adults (or according to Nielson, the 18-34 years old bracket), meant active participation in some form of activity. This activity could either be surfing the internet or more likely to be gaming.
Many might ask, how did computer and games infiltrate the entertainment market unseen? The truth is everyone saw it coming but no one knew the damage it can inflict on the traditional entertainment industry. As mentioned in the article, Television Company criticized Nielson’s article on the decrease in television popularity among youth even when the statistics are in front of them.
I believe the main reason behind this phenomenon is due to globalization and Web 2.0. When internet was introduced to the public, it became much easier for people to interact with others through a computer. Instead of writing letters and driving/flying hours to see a friend or family member, one can do the same thing by sitting in front of a computer and a click a few times. Humans are social animals. If we can use our spare time to interact with others, we generally do even if we are introverts. Watching television doesn’t help us with interacting with others around us. After a few years, the term Web 2.0 was coined. Web 2.0 is describing the idea of end user generated data and sharing it with other users on the web. Websites such as Facebook and Youtube are some of the best examples of Web 2.0 functions. The social aspect of computer and games are now much more attractive to humans (who are social animals) than starring at the television.
Another possibility of this trend could be the notion of “wasting time”. Arguably, watching television, playing games, and surfing the internet falls under the big umbrella of wasting time. However, people feel better doing the latter two options because it is an active process. We feel that we are accomplish something and doing something rather than be a couch potato watching a box talking AT us.
QUESTION: What do you think can save the traditional media such as television from becoming extinct in the entertainment industry? What about interactive television? Interactive Advertisements?
I think that it must continue to evolve and grow just like the gaming industry has done, interactivity is also a very important concept that we see from reading this article. people enjoy interacting with what they are seeing so if television an continue to incorporate this aspect more into their media than i feel that it will be more successful.
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