Television???

Watching the box, the telly, or tv used to be a simple pleasure and either one was around when the programme was aired or one was not. The choice was either or and the air times were limited. Children’s viewing slot was even more  narrow but at least it was understandable. The major difference was that not every home had a television (let alone a colour one) but today not many homes do not have a set (and they are all colour).

Once we were given 4 or 5 channels to choose from and the “video recorder” was introduced then we thought we were given more freedom. In some respects we were but for many it just increased the amount of time we could spend watching shows that would have normally been outside our normal scheduling.  Now we could watch our normal favourites but record others to watch at a later time. On wet days or time off we didn’t have to use our imaginations to find entertainment as there were all the pre-recorded items to watch or the rental videos to turn to. The only decisions were what to watch and which snacks to have on the sofa side table. This in itself could take up hours of the day.

As time has marched on and technology has advanced we have shrunk in our ability to imagine as viewers and create our own entertainment. It did trigger me to contemplate this and I thought why.

Up until quite recently I would watch, record or play on demand mainly the shows broadcast on the terrestrial  channels. I fell into the trap of watching for watching’s sake and routine. This was especially true on cold, wet, dark winter days or after busy shifts at work. It was easy and took little or no effort on my behalf and because I lived alone the telly became a housemate and broke the silence of sole living.

That was my routine until subscription. I signed up to Amazon Prime a while ago to take advantage of free postage and offers. It also offers a huge library of music for the Alexa speaker. Within this package are books and a vast amount of television. These are offered in series, film and one-off shows. All of a sudden one can watch a box set or a series and they become so powerful and addictive that all other content is blurred out. There  is no waiting and time just evaporates into one big blob.

To this end I found that I have left behind most of my previous terrestrial choices and can quite honestly say that on the whole I miss none. So maybe, and only maybe, could this actually spell the end of watching tv altogether? I mean if I don’t miss the regular stuff then by rights if the streaming was cut off then I would find something else to do and ultimately not miss that either.

There are only two Box Set series I am watching at present and they are Eureka and Castle. Once they are finished what then? The choice is so great or that is what we are led to believe but in reality there is very little content added which is within the subscription package or one has to pay extra for.

Is it back to terrestrial? Probably not as one gets left behind quite quickly and most of the shows have moved on too far to know what is going on.

Maybe it was better years ago when choice was limited and one could view at allotted times. I think that it would be far better to opt for a few good offerings and then turn off until future quality programmes become available. Too much content can cause massive indecision and frustration and so often brings one back to the normal staples and as a result we waste so much.

I can’t ever imagine the day that television will cease to exist unless there is a power shortage or some disaster renders it useless but the way we use our sets is gradually changing.

Technology as we all know is twisting and turning at great speed. It is morphing our lives and aspirations at a terrifying rate. Everything is beginning to become joined. There will be little need for tablets, laptops and PCs in the home shortly as the television set will become the viewing screen. Even keyboards will no longer be required. Handheld microphones and voice controlled boxes will enable the user to demand information as easily as talking. Artificial Intelligence is already integrating into our homes and lives. I mentioned the Amazon Alexa Speaker, a voice controlled assistant that can bring information and entertainment at the demand of our spoken words, and she is becoming a big thing in our homes as an addition to the family.

Our demand for entertainment, fun and new experiences will always be there and the visual aspect is one of our primary senses that needs feeding but the box in the corner of the room is gradually changing shape and format so in a few years time our interaction will be as different as today is from the sixties experience.

Excited? You bet. Tomorrow’s world is never a boring subject. History is full of mystery and conjecture. Today? Live it and see.