In this advanced technological age, traditional television is becoming less and less relevant to the modern viewer’s experience. While in the past, audiences were required to arrange their lives around television networks and pre-scheduled broadcastings, the typical viewer experience is becoming transformed by the presence of streaming services and click-and-buy On Demand access to content. Author Lori Kozlowski notes this dramatic shift in her article “The Future of T.V.: Digital, Traditional And Something In Between”, where she states, “As we see various mediums mesh, merge, and blur — we are left wondering what business models look like for multi-channel networks, online video companies, and traditional television networks.” Because viewers have become so accustomed to having access to content whenever they want it, businesses are forced to reevaluate the methods by which they interact with these audiences. For instance, to compete with the commercial-less appeal of Netflix and Hulu, some traditional television providers have begun to include premium, ad-free channels at a discounted rate. Targeted advertising may also become a feature in the near future, mimicking what has become standard for internet advertising. In her article, Kozlowski describes the possibility of commercial content becoming tailored to the digital footprint of each household. If this were to happen, companies would be likely to pay even more money to have their products and services promoted on screens in homes everywhere.
As described in the article “Review: Smart We Live in Public Probes Web Genius’ Hubris” by Hugh Hart, the documentary We Live in Public (directed by Ondi Timoner) explores the potential for reality television through footage from experimental live TV events which took place in 1999 and 2000. In what has become known as the Quiet Experiment, web pioneer Josh Harris orchestrated a community of people who had agreed to be surveilled 24/7 in exchange for free room, board, and food in a basement bunker in Manhattan. During the experiment, chaos ensued as people took their behavior to extremes. Their awareness that they were being watched motivated them to exaggerate and escalate their actions, until the experiment had become too dangerous to continue. The Quiet Experiment serves to highlight the ways in which performance culture influence human communication; when we know that we are being recorded, and that our behavior is subject to public scrutiny, we are apt to adopt personalities that we deem suitably entertaining, rather than those which are true to ourselves. Oftentimes, we see this paradigm firsthand on reality television shows in circulation today. Big Brother, for instance, subjects the contestants to near-24/7 surveillance (excluding bathroom breaks and showers to preserve modesty). The constant broadcasting of the participants’ actions serves to increase the stakes for the audience, as well as fosters a digital relationship between the participants and viewers. Because viewers at home can access these live feeds, they can become attached to and develop a fan relationship for cast members, which means they are more like to tune into the weekly episodes.
1 comments
Great post and take on the readings! Good work!