|
Web Verses TV, The Clash Of Titans, 3.0
|
08-Jan-2009
|
|
There is an interesting debate that is gaining more and more momentum in more and more circles; is Television really still the dominant media, and more importantly than that – is it really of any particular value anymore at all? Ten years ago, in the Second Age of the Internet, this would have been laughable (and, in fact, it was proposed and rightly laughed out...); however, today, the scales have seemed to tip to, at the very least, equality of the Web and TV. Let us analyze this for a moment:
The Benefits Of Television
The primary benefit of Television is that it is a known quantity with an entire industry behind it. It has become a normal part of life to so many people around the world that it has, to even a detrimental extent, become ingrained into societies. This is an addiction that will not be easily broken. And, at the same time, one must question – should it be broken?
Along the lines of being a known quantity, it provides many advantages for media companies. There is an inherent level of control that Television (and Radio, really) has in terms of programming, scheduling, content management, growth and development, et cetera. Many exhausting and excruciating hours are dedicated so that we drones can sit mindlessly in front of the 'boob tube' and, with no more effort than exerting the slightest amount of force on a tiny set of buttons, sit and watch and be mesmerized for hours on end. Have you ever been so entranced by a certain program that you literally woke up halfway through to realize that there's actually something in your line of vision other than the television screen? Yeah, scary, isn't it?
And we subscribers certainly benefit from this. It allows us to be drones. It allows us a limited freedom of selection with a relatively infallible sense of quality guarantee – and we know fully well that if the quality is not to our standards, such shows will automatically be replaced without any effort on our part whatsoever. It really is pretty amazing when you think about it in those terms.
The Benefits Of The Internet
Despite being the 'new kid' on the media block, the Internet has recently gained a popularity that is seemingly beyond reproach. With sites such as Hulu.com you have the ability to even watch many of your favorite Television shows from the convenience of your computer, at a time convenient to your choosing...granted it is within a set window of opportunity. And, of course, commercials and all.
With a certain amount of effort in terms of seeking out and doing your own quality filtering, you can find many useful media outlets online. It is an unprecedented level of personal control in terms of your media sources, particularly considering the fact that the overwhelming majority of it is completely free. More so than that, amateur hour has become a 24/7 enterprise with sites such as YouTube.com. No more are the days of dreaming to be a superstar; just grab that camera and get to it. Instead of the highly refined and selective content that we have become accustomed to on Television, you can find anything online; at times, much to our dismay.
The Winner...?
Frankly, I don't see TV going anywhere. Although its' value is much highly inflated with respect to what it still rakes in in terms of advertising and what not, the quality of television programming is not likely to be surpassed by the Internet, simply because the nature of the Internet is that anybody can post anything, and there will always be that weeding out that we must all undergo in terms of finding what we like. That being said, we are probably not far away from TV as we know it existing exclusively on the Internet as it is simply inefficient to not have these completely compatible technologies coexist. Again, this merger was tried ten to fifteen years ago, and the infrastructure simply wasn't there; that is definitely no longer the case, and I think you'll soon find the union complete. |
|
