Is Television still considered a dominant form of entertainment in the twenty-first century, or are people straying to other for - Research Paper Example

Download file to see previous pages The networks used to be the primary source of news and information and this is where everyone turned to. But now the rate of watching television has steadily declined, even the same TV show is viewed online on the internet. Watching television is no longer a family activity but it has become a solo one. News websites are used for updates; in fact breaking news is often shared more on social networking websites as people don’t even bother to go to the source of information anymore. The whole dynamics of society has changed which has resulted in a decline of television watching. People prefer their laptops, iPads, eReaders and other handheld devices as a source of entertainment, sitting down and watching television has become a tedious exercise. “Fully 25% of U.S TVs sold in January 2010 were connected by consumers to the Internet”1 This statistic clearly shows that even thought television sets are being sold people want more from the device, they want a device which is ‘smart’ and has the ability to be interactive. With the advent of internet everyone has realized there are endless possibilities of obtaining entertainment. Consumers want more and more options that enhance their viewing pleasure and this is where the television media companies try to differentiate themselves from others by trying to be innovative and bringing in new technological changes as fast as possible. In fact the younger the person is the more reluctant they are to watch television and prefer their own technological devices instead. Thesis statement: Television viewing has declined significantly in the 21st century due to the advent of new technologies and the constant need of being connected to internet. Body: Internet has changed the way everyone performs activities, obtains information, and derives entertainment and basically the way they live their lives. Previously the only form of entertainment within the house was a television set. Getting together watching TV shows was considered family time but over the period of years society has changed resulting in everyone searching for new forms of entertainment. From desktop computers to laptops and to tablet devices, technology has brought everything on our fingertips; we are constantly connected to internet on the move and have become increasingly reliant on it. “In the past 25 years, the big three broadcast television networks, ABC, CBS and NBC, have experienced a significant decline in the share of three prime time viewing audience. In 1980 more than 90% of television viewers were tuned into one of these networks during primetime. By 2005, the season ending average primetime share of the big three networks had fallen to 32%”2 These statistics clearly show the decline, explanations for this decline greatly vary, from the beginning relatively primitive technologies like VCR and DVD players were the cause of this decline. They provided another option to watch pre-recorded videos or new movies that could be bought. Also cable networks and other channels started emerging on the market providing people with other choices catering to their individual tastes. Although critics of the three big networks also argue that there is less program diversity as they cater to the masses instead of niche audiences, so their share has declined. Cable programming caters to every one with specific programs. This ...Download file to see next pagesRead More