Ch 6 Cable and Television, The Huxleyian Warning
At school, I view TV shows almost exclusively via web streaming services. At home, it's probably more of a half and half split. Web services really seem to be the only way to go for most students, it's much easier to justify the $10 or so a month for Netflix (even Netflix and HuluPlus would still only be around $20) compared to the $30 and upwards for a cable package. Add to that an erratic schedule many students have, and a service that is cheaper and follows one's own schedule, the choice is easy.
The film and TV industry always seems to be under the influence of one emerging technology or another. VHS had a huge impact when it first entered mainstream distribution, viewers could watch what ever programs they wanted at a later time and, more importantly, could purchase and rent movies. Audiences now had an alternative to theaters. Success on broadcast television has also be redefined, "During the height of the network era, a prime time series with a rating of 17 or 18 and a shar of between 28 and 30 was generally a success. By the late 2000's, though, with increasing competition from cable, DVDs, and the Internet, the threshold for success had dropped to a rating of 3 or 4 and a share of under 10." Previously, the quantification of the success of a show was fairly straight forward, but now, with third and fourth screens, we have to redefine show ratings. Advertising most also completely rearrange their models. Third and fourth screen viewing allows for "narrow casting," adds much more targeted for a specific audience. Broadcast television got more viewers, but it is a very broad viewership and it's hard to reach specific demographics as such.
Postman argues that we are moving towards a type of dystopian society, but not an Orwellian one, but a "burlesque" dystopia. He argues that we are so obsessed with moving forward and innovation, we fail to see its effects on ourselves. He says "And in this sense, all Americans are Marxists, for we believe nothing if not that hisotry is moving us toward some preordained paradise and that technology is the force behind that movement." Later, he says we must not completely drop television, but be aware of how it changes us. Essentially, we must become 'media conscious.'