Many years ago, I remember seeing a blue haze coming out of most house windows as I was driving home from work in the evenings. It seems like just about every household had the television permanently switched on. However, this has become quite rare lately. Either folks have invested in thicker curtains or they are deliberately watching less television. Could it be that many folks have made the wise decision and are switching off their televisions? I've even heard of folks that are off cable or satellite tv, something that was all the rage a few years ago. Or have they simply replaced tv viewership with the internet, online streaming and social media?
I think it's just a displacement effect. Television has now become somewhat cumbersome thanks to streaming, because streaming allows you to watch whatever you want immediately. Television... well, sometimes you'll find what you want to watch, and sometimes you'll just have to sit and wait until something good comes on. Why put up with that when you can just jump to a show you'd like to watch? Streaming is the main reason I haven't gotten a television subscription since I moved away from my parents' house, and I doubt my opinion will ever change. I don't want to watch a bunch of crappy reality TV shows while waiting for one or two really good programs to come on. I'd rather do something else instead. So, yeah, I think streaming is the addiction these days.
There are now other things available that make people busy. Just like computer, mobile phones and other gadgets. I also think that there are lesser interesting shows on television here nowadays.
I think people don't watch TV as much as before simply because it's not a new thing anymore. Let's be serious now, almost all movies of the same type seem the same, with the old settings, and even comedies are not so funny anymore. And oh the shows are horrible and full of dumb people! I never likes watching those, yuck!
I agree with SLTE. Now a lot of people stream their movies and TV series and they watch them on their time and not because it is playing on TV at a certain time. I recently got rid of my satellite connection because I rarely ever watched TV. I felt it was an expense that I just didn't need to be paying. Most people I know what everything on their computers.
I think NetFlix and HULU have overtaken TV as far as watching addictions, since the shows on there can be watched whenever people want. The only shows actually on TV that I know people still religiously watch are soap operas. As far as straight up addiction, people have become addicted to their phones and social media. Most of my friends are on Facebook or texting like 23 hours a day. It's nothing for one friend to text me every hour to see if I will respond because that is all he does - sit on his phone and text or Facebook every waking hour of his day if he's not at work.
I agree with this 100%. I feel like it's almost as simple as just a change in addiction - television has been superseded by the internet and streaming, downloading TV shows and movies and just watching them on laptops or tablets. I do remember the days though where families would just gather around the TV and that glow would be emitting from people's homes.
Television may have lost it's allure, but it was replaced by Facebook, texting, video games and the internet in general. Obviously surfing the net is more fun and streaming ensures you that you only watch the shows that you seek, so no wonder tv is becoming less popular nowadays.
The internet has fully replaced television, honestly. News that are broadcasted on TV are already known by the public if they bothered to check the front page of news sites. Everything is online now, aside from some shows who might as well move online I don't see anything appealing that the TV provides.
I think it's just a matter of replacement. Yes television watching has now become less popular. But not because people are not interested in entertainment anymore, they just have found other places to be entertained. We have the internet which has Youtube, Netflix and Hulu. There are videos even in Facebook. So really, it is quite difficult to want to watch the television when you have all these other options.
It would seem that folks have not kicked their viewing habits but simply changed the platform on which they watch content on. I have noticed how so many folks are hunched over a smart phone or tablet device when I'm in town. Some are checking their social media feeds, others are reading the news while others are streaming videos. I guess technology has been the ultimate catalyst and not really the human need to make this change.
@Damien Lee I noticed that too. It is really frustrating to talk to someone when he or she is hunched over a gadget lol. It is also alarming to see kids playing with tablets even when they are out with family. We went to this one kids place where it is a play area. They have all sorts of toys and slides. They even have mini bicycles and motors. Anyway, the kids were just lining up to play with the iPad and the computer. It is really sad to see that as the play area is supposed to be for interaction and physical playing.
I don't even watch TV anymore. Mostly now its just YouTube and going on the PC for me. I just lost the feel for TV and there aren't many good shows to my appeal anymore.
Despite the existence of modern gadgets like the computers and different kind of cellphones where we can search and google everything through the internet we want to know I still rely on watching the television especially the news events where it is shown live telecast and with complete reporting compared to watching it in youtube. In some ways it still had an appeal to me.
Television is slowly passing away thanks to Internet and new technologies since the latter ones can offer easly the services that offers the TV so the addiction is moved from this one to the Internet/computer infact the cases of the latter one are way higher than the ones of the TV if there is any.
It could have a lot to do with streaming. Streaming is more efficient and you can find things that suit your taste. I think movies will still be around and sell because they won't be able to stream them until after released. Most people spend most of there time watching youtube. Unless something is on TV like a sporting event you want to watch right away there's no point in watching TV.
I also like watching news shows on television. Also, in our country, television series are still popular. Not the hollywood type ones but the local ones. People still watch this the old school way, which is through the television. Even the tv network rivalry is still rampant here lol.
@Coolkidhere yeah you are right and also in the country where I grew up and in the country where I migrated watching television are both still popular in these countries especially when it comes to everyday live news events reporting.
I think it's because it's more convenient than opening a laptop or watching through a small screen. Plus you would need wifi or use your device's data. It really is easier to just open up the television. Add to that, most people here are average or below average earners. Not all people have wifi in the house or can use data charges. Is it the same with your country and the country you migrated to?