Hard to imagine television sets used to look like this, right?
That was long ago, and for people like me in their early 20’s, seemingly impossible to wrap our technology saturated minds around. How far has television come in just the past 10 years? Where will it be in the next 10? With something new (like curved 80′ screens) what’s next on the horizon? A 3-D internet browsing 4K 100′ ultra curved screen in every home? Wow, that’s scary.
As mentioned in one of my previous postings, families no longer sit down at 8pm Friday night to watch the hottest show on tv. As far as the future concerning what is broadcast on out tv’s, that is a hard one to call. We have seen in the years since shows like American Idol revolutionized interactions between viewers and creators, networks are devoting an increasing amount of time to entertainment, and hard news is being pushed out, even on a local level. Fluff is here to stay, because it’s what we want to hear, and it’s what big companies are willing to pay for if it results in them making any kind of impact or profit.
You may be thinking “Well sure, they talk about entertainment on the news, but only for a minute.” Think about it this way- a news break has roughly 30 minutes to an hour to cover local to national news, and that’s not including commercials. Or special segments like sports, or a special story a reporter has been working on. From that perspective a minute or two is precious time taken away from hard news, and given to what the network wants to hear.
But, back to the future of television. I feel that in the future, less and less will be based on what is broadcast to us, and will be more about what we want to watch personally. In an article on wired.com, author Issie Lapowsky discusses the future, according to Netflix. Smart tv’s will be the norm, as they are becoming today, your tv will be personalized and custom to you, advertisements will go away, and broadcast tv as we know it will change fundamentally. The internet and streaming will take the reigns, and our attention, from networks.
Finally, let’s talk about production and marketing manipulation (which if you ask me could be a whole new post on here). Product placement is everywhere, as if commercials were not enough. There is nothing that annoys me more than tuning into a good show, and then being forced to watch commerce creep its way onto the screen. We’ve all seen it. Bringing it back to American Idol, an example everyone can recall. Through it all, auditions, the final 12, and then the crowning of the winner, was Coke. Even though the deal was just recently terminated, for 13 long years there was Coke, through the good and the bad, the ups and the upsets, and the favorites. With the cups on the judges table never turned away from the camera. Sure, shows need money and sponsors, and support, but must it be shoved down out throats for an hour?
So, where do you think broadcast tv will be in 10 years? We sure have come a loooong way since the days of tiny little black and white screens in boxes that took up half the wall. Who knows where the next decade will take us.
Glenn! The Great Communicator...? 