By Judith Hernandez
The picture of the role that television will play in the future is fuzzy. Much of what is on television today is out of step with the technology that has emerged with respect to digital media. There are many new sources that use this technology to take over what has always been ruled by television.
Social media and other applications have been popular over the last few years, and are still growing at an incredible rate. Also with Netflix and Hulu Plus it’s easier to watch recent television episodes or movies. Subscribers can watch this material at home on a television set or computer, or on the go with a mobile device.
Shows can be watched whenever, and people no longer have to wait and plan their lives around when a show is on. They can watch it whenever they have the chance. Some of these shows are addictive especially when episodes can be shared and discussed over social media.
Now that you can stream episodes of your favorite series on a computer or to your smart phone, the days of sitting in front of a TV set in your living room may soon be a thing of the past. (Google Images)
Television has been around since the 1940’s, the old black and white days. The future of television is now within our grasp. It is not just color, but it is portable and personal.
The amount of people who use the internet and their mobile devices as tv’s instead of using real tv, has been steadily growing. Studies in the United Kingdom show that mobile devices have risen from 25% to 47%, in just the last few years. Old school television providers have been losing viewers to broadband internet instead. Since basically everyone has a phone or tablet it’s easy to watch your favorite shows that you missed, or continuing a favorite show you haven’t seen in months. Some people say that tv is dying or it’s evolving into mobile devices.
Not only is watching shows easier and more portable on a mobile device, but it also has greater content. There are many shows that can ONLY be watched on Netflix, such as Daredevil, and now Jessica Jones, and movies like The Ridiculous 6, and comedy event shows as well.
Many carriers are getting into the act. Amazon has its own media, its own shows as well as movies and shows from elsewhere. One of the most popular is The Man in the High Castle. David Buonafina, a junior said, “That’s my show. I don’t even order from Amazon. I just love that show.”
He is just one of a new generation of viewers that choose to select the shows they want to watch, and when they want to watch them, having television revolve around the consumer, and not the other way around. Perhaps television is not dying, but it is just growing up.
