“Colour TV was in… but we only had black and white. We were still extremely lucky. Some families didn’t even own a TV!” – Dean Turner
Our memory of technology is often associated with how it made us feel. Technology is a fast game that is constantly updating, renewing and pushing boundaries. This week I sat down with my father, Dean Turner, and asked him about his memories of TV.
It is 1968. Being the eldest of five boys, Dean is seven-years-old and recalls, sitting on the couch peering over the heads of his baby triplet brothers.
“My dad was a handyman and was always thinking of ways to make things easier for mum… he built three potties that the triplets would sit and watch TV in while they were learning to go to the toilet!”
Television was Dean’s ‘state of the art’ introduction to technology.
Dean would watch shows like, Astro Boy and Prince Planet which his mother put on for him and his brothers. She liked to make sure the shows were suitable for everyone even though they spent majority of the show trying to fix the antenna.
Television was also my introduction to technology. Since the beginning of my existence there has been a television in my parent’s house. We had only one, but it wasn’t special to me, it was normality.
As a bouncing five-year-old, Saturday morning was my time to use the, ‘I’m older’ sibling card. Kids ruled the TV remote, so with my age and persuasive argument, I got dibs. Saturday Disney was my favourite show because I loved the ‘cool’ hosts and art competitions! Even though I wasn’t very interested in the shows they aired, I watched it anyway. I just wanted to see the prize the competition winner received.
After the show, I would spend the rest of my day creating kindergarten-grade masterpieces to send in. I really wanted to win the prize and see my work on TV.
David Morley identifies the notion that the ‘bread winner’ of the household holds authoritative power over the remote (1986). In these two situations, it wasn’t ‘the bread winner’ in control of the remote, but instead, age heightened remote authority. Morley also highlights age hierarchy as a dominate factor to remote possession.
Dean’s memory of his mother choosing the programs he and his brothers collectively watched presents her parenting power over the remote. Whereas I gained sibling power over the remote from being eldest.
My father and I were both the eldest children introduced to technology through television, however; our experiences are different. Today, Dean rarely watches television and due to this, still has no power over the main remote. In my home, TV has moved from the traditional roots of watching. Each member uses their personal device and has their own television preference.
The upgrades in technology has changed how we watch TV. Collective viewing wasthe societal norm but nowit’s personal. So, just like that… the remote war is over.
Morley, D. (1986). Family Television: Cultural Power and Domestic Leisure. Washington D.C: ERIC Clearinghouse microfiches, p.148.
http://www.toonarific.com/show_pics.php?show_id=2917
https://giphy.com/gifs/1963-h6JaD9ansFZqE
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0388640/mediaindex?ref_=tt_pv_mi_sm
REMOTE WARRIERS HANG HATS TO TECHNOLOGY “Colour TV was in… but we only had black and white. We were still extremely lucky. Some families didn’t even own a TV!”
