One of the biggest impacts of the last eighty odd years is the television. Taking centre stage in the living room, with furniture setup to maximize viewing angles and a smorgasbord of channels awaiting your viewing pleasure….. How often though have you channel surfed for what seems like an eternity, but not being able to find something you wanted to watch? A problem quickly being resolved by tivo, catch up on demand and cheap rentals. Even worse televisions being placed in the bedroom and kitchen. That’s a blog post in it’s own right!
Family entertainment such as watching other people in a lounge (big brother), chatting about trivial issues and then the next day, the water cooler talk being the gossip from those shows. Minor celebs to boot, who you wouldn’t give the time of day normally. Yet we all seem interested in their social dynamics, whilst we sit there like zombies (and they earn money for drinking tea). Plus we get to bed late, because we were up late, watching other people stay up late, talking about a failed career.
The hours of listening to out of tune people competing for a chance to win a record contract, to be loved, live the life. All the while being humiliated in front of millions, singing old songs, when the original studio recorded version, often digital remastered is and always will sound better and won’t include adverts.
Then you reconsider, okay enough of reality television, I will watch a drama / scifi series. Only to discover that even the writers often don’t know the end of a season often until half way, as they adapt it based on mid season viewing statistics and often the aim is to flow into the next season. Naturally to milk a ‘winning’ fomula, develop a brand, increase ad revenue…… whilst we wait eager to find out what happens. Then the series gets canceled and often a story arc unfinished.
Okay, sod it then. Enough of the reality shows and some of the drama / scifi series. Some good old factual shows. I like history and there’s whole television stations devoted. Back to back history facts, clips, voice overs. Gaining a better understanding of the past, perhaps a new analysis of an event. Blimey! Exciting and informative.
Wait a minute…. I’m sat there watching, not experiencing, not engaging with others. Okay I know lets play console games! Yeah this is it, hook it up to the television. I can play tennis, do a work out… yes I am surely a guitar hero (please imagine bill and ted guitar music at this stage) !! …. tennis via console? playing a fictional guitar, when I used to play (rather badly) real guitars.
So I’ve written a very long blog entry and you’ve already worked out most of the conclusion by now. I’m ashamed to say it took us years and a piece of hardware dying. Almost two years ago our freeview box died, it was a slow death and by sitting it upside down (I know, I shouldn’t of done that), it struggled a bit longer, only to eventually go to freeview heaven.
So our solution and thankfully the conclusion to this article?
We didn’t buy a replacement freeview box. We have a dvd player linked to a small flat screen, so again Friday evening to Sunday evening we can watch a dvd, sat on our sofa (if we chose to, which is less and less). We own at least a couple of hundred DVDs and when not watching that often, you realise you own something you want to watch and the urge to watch newer content fades. It’s stopped us from renting dvd’s from the library.
So what does this all mean to our ‘reality’?
We are more picky with what we watch. We don’t feel inclined to watch something because everyone else is. We feel less pressure and talk more, engage more with others, go out, instead of sitting like zombies. We spend time doing hobbies, have music on and are developing new interests and hobbies. We read more and are discovering the radio again (we still pay the TV license). Evenings feel longer, more relaxed and we don’t feel like Mon-Fri is constant work.
We get things done that we were leaving for the weekend. This frees up our weekend to get larger jobs done. Instead of watching celebs doing famous walks, we go out for a walk (no need for wii fit or whatever nonsense). Instead of watching properties being renovated, we are working on our property. We are taking a closer look at the history around us and visiting it and plan trips. Such as a recent trip to museums in London. We read more than ever, stories planned often with conclusions that don’t require a second book (unlike tv series endings). Plus with written language often a pure joy to read, something being lost I fear over time.
We do still play computer games, but ones on the actual computer. I’ve been rediscovering the fun of old strategy games such as red alert 2, generals, starcraft and company of heroes. Games that I save and walk away from for weeks, months at a time. Luckily we’ve never seen the logic in games like guitar hero, a cheap thrill (actually expensive thrill) in my opinion and wish people would take the long term view and patience to learn the guitar. I fear I am missing the point and am glad I am to be honest.
The writers being lost, the accomplishments we are denying ourselves, the journeys not taken. The relationships not explored. The opportunities missed.
Have we got the right solution? Undoubtedly no and for many reasons. Yes we still watch DVDs and yes we still play computer games. However we feel more relaxed, accomplish more, experience more and have clawed back hours of just sitting on a sofa. Is it a step in the right direction, yes.
Take Control of the Remote Control
Let me know in the comments your feelings about television. Plus let me how you’ve changed your viewing habits.
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