Television VS Audience Today

Movie watches back in 1960s

Television is a crucial part of people’s lives since the 1930s when it was first introduced to the public. Not only was it a significant part for the people in USA in 1969, when the first moon landing was aired and shown entirely for everyone who owns a TV. Furthermore, it became a public entertainment when it started to air movies and films for audience to enjoy globally. In many ways have technology changes the appearance of television, but the aim of it is still the same as it was before, to provide entertainment.

Television (TV) has certainly changed since the day it was introduced. People used to enjoy TV in the same space as their friends and family, especially during primetime. For decades, it was a trend and has become part of a culture. Today, TV is no longer shared as how it was before. Not only have people begun to move towards privatizing their own space, it has become a social norm to have their own TV.

Media has also taken a toll on TV to enhance the viewer’s experience by providing them services to not only watch the program but engage in social activities at the same time. Families might be in the same room watching the same program but each one is in their own personal space with their gadgets. Audience no longer converse hence they become fragmented in many places causing them to be in their own private space even when others are around.

The behavior in audience has change as well during the evolution of TV. During the early days, TV was the center of attention and many gave full attention when the show starts airing. Weekends and meal time was a date for audience to sit and watch. Today, given the benefit of multiple choice of entertainment and advance of technology, audiences overlook the point of TV. They slowly drown in their own private zone when around.

The traditional TV is slowly fading away as well as its cause. Are people today watching TV to enjoy the program aired, or leave it on as a second choice of entertainment while they engage in their daily activities? As time slowly passes, TV will certainly change, but will it survive the future generation?

References:

1. Sunil R Nair. 2011. Trak.In. [ONLINE] Available at: http://trak.in/tags/business/2011/02/01/television-viewing-audience/. [Accessed 08 September 13].
2. AXN Asia. 2013. AXN Asia. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.axn-asia.com/programs/hannibal/get-app. [Accessed 08 September 13].
3. Michelle M.Falck. 2008. Television In Our Lives: Then and Now. [ONLINE] Available at:http://ww2.odu.edu/ao/instadv/quest/Television.html. [Accessed 08 September 13].

Public and Private Space

People today are too engage with techs and gadgets even when they are busy. Walking down the street checking on twitter updates, texting while waiting in line to buy some coffee or even sending pictures of some dresses to friends for opinion. Thing we do today are displaying a view on how overly dependent we are to technology. It is so consuming that at times, it is hard to differentiate whether what we are doing is consider private or not. Will we be able to accept things when privacy, once known to us as our personal space slowly vanishes into thin air?

Firstly, let’s distinguish what are a public space and a private space. Public space is a form of space where people’s views and opinions are express and shared with each other (Dekker 2008). As said, it allows people to gather and share thoughts about everything in public such as trains or a restaurant. Whereas a private space is regarded as a surrounding where people are allowed to disengage themselves from the world and their behaviors and actions are to themselves. (Dekker 2008). These places could be an individual’s own home or car.

It has become a common activity for society today to be physically attach themselves to their phones or any other technology that leads them to the media spaces such as social networks, emails and many more even when there is company surrounding them. Has it come to a point where people are so attached to it that physical interactions with humans are slowly dying out? Do we really need to further expose our own life on social sites or even dispose of real life communication and substitute it with dull words and emoticons? And most importantly, is what we consider as private really is confidential among ourselves and people we know?

Perhaps a new era is evolving and social interaction on its last legs. My thoughts are that even when we put in our earphones, log into Facebook and disconnect ourselves from strangers around us, the privacy we thought we have, has become public with the single access to the social networking site.

Below is an article that further explains how public space is becoming private space and vice versa.

References:

Dekker, A (2008) PPS: PublicPrivateSpace Where the public space turns into private space and the private space opens up to the public, International Symposium on Electronic Art, vol. 14, p. 140-141.

http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:QmRUfBD7iJsJ:www.isea-webarchive.org/mmbase/attachments/114574/Where_the_public_space_turns_into_private_space_and_the_private_space_opens_up_to_the_public.pdf+&cd=5&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=au

Nathan A. Turnbull. 2013. It is easy being green. [ONLINE] Available at:http://nath1993.wordpress.com/2013/08/19/public-vs-private-space-wheres-the-line-bcm240/. [Accessed 25 August 13].