The Recent Evolution of TV Watching

When one asks somebody about their opinion on television, there are a few common opinions they're likely to share with you: it rots your brain; it's a good method of communication; it's harmless entertainment; it's an indicator of a dying culture. It's rare, though, to hear somebody admit that television is many of these things and more. Television as a medium can be just as varied in its effects on people and its significance in our society as can film or music or literature. Some television probably is mind-numbing garbage. Some of it is very informative. Some of it is gratuitously violent or promotes shoddy morals. Some of it is high art.

When people make certain pessimistic evaluations of television and how it reflects culture, I think what they're observing is really the reflection of changing reasons for watching television. Now, to be sure, there are still those who turn on their TV and unplug from the world. There are still those who tune in every evening for the nightly news, and there are still those teenagers from the 1990s who turn on MTV when they get home and do little else. But these TV watching patterns, in my experience, are on the wane. Part of this is because of new options: those who wish to zone out at home can usually do so online on Facebook as well as they can with the TV, and Facebook is less blatant with their advertising. Similarly, those who are looking for news can access it at will online. And teenagers who before may have been glued to their TV are now increasingly glued to their iPhones.

The new reasons that people tend to watch TV these days follow as such (in my experience, I'm sure others could disagree):

• Background. It seems to me that a large number of people today are so used to the presence of television in their lives over decades of cultural conditioning that they now leave it on simply as a fact of life. They are not necessarily engaged in what is being shown but rather take comfort in the television's lights and noises as a sort of ambiance. Weird and wasteful as this may be, it is behavior that seems to be on the rise.
• Consuming an episodic work. This has become increasingly popular with the rise of contest shows which engage the reader to follow the progress of certain competitors (e.g. American Idol, Dancing with the Stars, The Voice), and with the above-mentioned artistic shows which garner high critical acclaim (Breaking Bad, Mad Men, Boardwalk Empire). This pattern has largely replaced the non-committal viewing patterns of earlier decades and may give the impression to some critics that TV is taking up an increasing share of our entertainment and time, when in actuality committed viewers just make up a larger percentage of the TV viewing populace (with the disappearance of news junkies and the chronically uninterested).
• Social. Finally, we find that particularly in recent years television has become more of a social activity, particularly among the family. With teenagers and adults today alike being able to use laptops and iPhones when they want solitary entertainment, the television, which naturally welcomes larger audiences and better facilitates a shared experience, has been relegated to the role of group entertainment. This may have been a realm where the movie previously reigned, but television does have an advantage in being available in smaller time increments.

Most modern television viewers, in my experience, watch TV with one or more of these three motivations. I myself use it primarily for the second, as the only television I ever watch today are several cartoons which I am extremely dedicated to. Several of my friends use it mostly for the first and second reasons, as does much of my family. Most sports fans, when watching sports at least, are really watching for the latter two reasons.

This is in no way meant to imply that television viewing as information or as mindless entertainment is gone. I've seen it myself, in both young and old individuals. But I certainly think it is on its way out. The loss of the former has, I think, been perceived and worries critics. They need not be worried. Similarly, I believe the fall of the latter, coupled with the increase of the second motivation, has created the illusion that television viewing has become more prominent in society, when in reality I believe it has gone down.

If nothing else, let's keep this one fact in mind - television is a varied medium, varied in what it delivers, and varied in how it is received. Critical generalizations are tempting, but rarely are they accurate. In the future, it may benefit us to keep in mind the truly diverse collection of motives that drive the continued presence of television in our culture.