The Form and Social Importance of Television - Essay Example

Does the development of technology determine the form and social importance of television? Refer to at least two theorists in your answer. In the modern era of innovation and globalization, with shrinking distances and integrated economies, the world of technology is in an imminent perilous state. Even though television has been the greatest invention of the past century, it has been replaced by other media due to the development in technology and increase in computer and internet usage. There is a paradigm shift from analogue to digital forms of transmission. According to a new research by IBM into global consumer trends, the internet has become a mainstream medium competing for television users’ attention and time and is becoming consumers primary entertainment source. Studies have revealed that the television is increasingly taking a backseat to the cell phone and the personal computer especially amongst consumers aged 18 to 34 years. This decline of television can be explained by various theories, two of which are Christensen’s theory of disruptive innovation and the theory of functional displacement. A disruptive technology refers to the radical innovations in existing systems or practices such that it drastically transforms the market, creates entirely new markets or destroys the current markets for other technologies, which, in the case of television, turned out to be the internet. On the other hand, the functional displacement theory states that when the functions of a particular pre-existing medium are overtaken by a newer medium, the older medium tends to maintain its position by finding new functions. This paper, throws light the impact of technology on the form and social importance of television by discussing all of the above mentioned themes in detail. Introduction In the modern era of innovation and globalization, with shrinking distances and integrated economies, the world of technology is in an imminent perilous state. Technology is the formation of new ideas, products or tools that extend our natural abilities and bring about changes in our social environment. Technology is completely responsible for how structured our civilization has become. Modern technology has not just influenced the industrial and corporate world but also has a great impact on our personal lives. Technology Trends Many of the everyday items we use nowadays are a result of technology. These technological advancements have brought about improvements in our health, the clothes we wear, the way we travel and communicate and hence, revolutionized the way we live. In this fast growing world of technology, people are continuously looking for new and innovative ways of communication. Before the advent of computers and internet, people used traditional media like television, radio and newspaper to communicate. Since traditional media is aging, Digital Media which is the union of traditional and online media is the new form of interaction and expression (DMCA, 2010). Before the turn of the century, we lived in the world of mass media. Everyone marketed in the same manner irrespective of the class, color and other social and personal dissimilarities. Broadcast culture was prevalent and was controlled by big media companies but has declined in the past decade. Currently, the world is experiencing a paradigm shift from analogue to digital forms of transmission. People now have various kinds of entertainment, information and communication tools like mobile internet and broadband due to the advancement in the internet technology. All these developments have changed the use of media and the way we interact and market our products. Mass media is no longer the central medium of information, entertainment, communication and promotion (OPPapers.com, 2009). Television Technology has come a long way since the creation of first television in the 1920’s, then color TV later on in the 1960’s with the intend of bringing the viewer closer to the real thing. The purpose of the advancements in the television technology was to engage the viewers more (Poweracoustic, 2010). Even though television has been the greatest invention of the past century, it has been replaced by other media due to the development in technology and increase in computer and internet usage. (OPPapers.com, 2009) During its early years, television was a fleeting medium. People used to plan their schedule in advance in order to view their favorite regular show at the broadcast time. This kind of attachment to the television was termed as Appointment television by the marketers. The dependence on planned schedules decreased with the invention of programmable video recorders such as the Videocassette recorder and the Digital video recorder. This enabled consumers to watch their favorite regular shows according to their own schedule once they were broadcasted and recorded. Some television and cable service providers also gave videos on demand and hence, a set of programs could be watched at any time ( Spiritus-Temporis, 2005). Media Technology Advances The introduction of computer networks in the 1960’s was the beginning of the internet we know today. With the advent of internet TV and mobile phone TV, the dependence on broadcast TV has decreased drastically. There is already a reasonable amount of internet TV, while mobile phone TV is still on the rise and is becoming more widespread ( Spiritus-Temporis, 2005). The internet today has supplied us with various ways to interact with other users all over the world e.g. Skype, MSN, You tube and it also includes social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter, Orkut, MySpace, etc. Communication through the internet however, has caused a social shift which has created a lot of problems for people in some parts of the world (Poweracoustic, 2010). It is also worth noticing that in the initial days of the internet, the online presence of a TV show was greatly questioned. Only one percent of the population had internet access in 1995 but information and digital revolution predictably led to the end of the television. Slowly and gradually, digital revolution paved the way to the sporadic growth of a more convenient and flexible medium of obtaining knowledge, news and entertainment. By 1999, 21% of households had internet access (Allen, 2000). Decline of TV and rise of Internet According to a new research by IBM into global consumer trends, the internet has become a mainstream medium competing for television users’ attention and time. The research surveyed around 2,400 households across the U.S., UK, Germany, Japan and Australia. The survey involved 64 percent female and 36 percent male and observed several general trends: 19% of the observed people reported spending six or more hours daily on internet usage versus 9% who reported same levels of TV viewing. 66% reported one to four hours of daily TV viewing versus 60% respondents who reported the same level of daily internet usage. The sound growth of consumers taking on digital music, video and other entertainment services show households are appealing to a wide range of tastes and needs. About 81% of consumers surveyed all over the world indicated that they have watched or want to watch PC video. Around 42% of consumers surveyed globally pointed out that they have watched or want to watch mobile video. 23% of surveyed people reported using a portable music service e.g. MP3, iTunes, etc. 7% respondents stated that they had video content subscription for their mobile phones. 11% respondents stated that they had a PC- based music service and 18% reported to have subscribed to online newspaper (Ruth Mortimer, 2007). The research also reported increasing online content trends wherein more and more consumers are contributing to social networking and online video content sites. The growing mobile content trends have also led to the reduction in normal television viewing and given rise to mobile video viewing (Ruth Mortimer, 2007). A lot of smart phone applications have been developed (specifically social games and social networking) which is one of the major reasons as to why people are spending less time in front of their TV and more time in front of those Apps (Deleon, 2010). According to Saul Berman, IBM Media & Entertainment Strategy and Change practice leader, "The Internet is becoming consumers primary entertainment source. The TV is increasingly taking a back seat to the cell phone and the personal computer among consumers age 18 to 34” (Hanlon, 2007). NBC research chief, Alan Wurtzel doesn’t think that it is the departure of TV viewers. It is just that people have more choices of media availability. Or it may be that a lot of people don’t think there is a day-to-date need for conventional television. The networks are putting their shows on so many other media platforms that viewers no longer feel the need of watching these shows live on the TV network itself (Gough, 2007). Media and Children Media is present everywhere in children’s lives. An American child today spends almost six hours daily in front of media. This is like spending more time with media than any other activity, except for sleeping. Previously, television used to dominate children’s media habits consumptions. Now television is coupled with other media like xbox, PS3, MP3 players, iPods, video games players, cell phones, computers and other connected devices. As a result, children are immersed in various forms of media from a very young age. Hence, it is becoming extremely challenging for parents and policy makers to monitor and regulate such media addictive habits of children (Children Now, 2009) . If left unchecked, media’s concentration in children’s lives can have negative impacts. A study by Children Now, a National Organization for people who care about children and want to ensure that they are the top public priority highlights the fact that increased media concentration is affecting children’s health and education. Steps are being taken to work on these affected areas (Children Now, 2009). Recently, UNESCO conducted the Global Media Violence Survey. About 5000, 12 year students from 93 countries participated in this survey. The survey was intended to understand the role of media on children’s lives and the relationship between media violence and aggressive behavior in children. This study revealed that media violence does contribute towards aggressive behavior among children (UNESCO). The potential of media and technology having a positive impact on children’s lives especially education is unquestionable. With support from parents and policy makers, education innovation can be brought to action. In September 2009, Children Now, in partnership with The Future of Children conducted a national conference which explored issues of using technology and media to perk up children’s education (Children Now, 2009). Media and Youth It seems like broadcast media will have to come in terms with internet media like video podcasts, You Tube, internet TV, etc otherwise it will have to suffer the same fate as the newspapers. It is said that for young viewers, internet media is the new “mainstream media” (Lewin, 2008). Teenagers are watching less television because of the introduction of services such as BBC iPlayer, which allows them to watch their favorite shows whenever they want. Most teenagers are extremely active on social networking sites like Face book and get updates about their favorite shows from there as well. They resent TV and invasive advertising on billboards. They are willing to follow content and music on various platforms, applications and devices (iPods, mobile phones, MP3). Nowadays, most teenagers are disinterested in print media (newspapers, directories) and consider it irrelevant (Stanley, 2009). Around 99% teenagers own a mobile phone. Touch screen phones with large capacities for music are very popular among youngsters. Portable phones that have Wi-Fi are considered extremely desirable. Instant messaging, video messaging, video calling, mobile email and blue tooth support are also pleasing features of mobile phones (Stanley, 2009). Decline in Television Advertising The plight of the broadcast networks that lies in the news has lost its monopoly power. Traditional news including television news channels and newspapers has been replaced by online newspapers and such sites are doing effectively well today (Bill Gorman, 2009). The mass audience of broadcast television has scattered to alternative choices for entertainment like the internet, video games, and various mobile devices. Consumers are tired of being exposed to the clutter of advertisements on the television. TV programming is really expensive. The growth in television advertising industry has been declining the past several years. Advertisers are going beyond traditional ways of marketing their product and are looking for other media alternatives which cover a segmented reach, are more compelling and cost effective. Hence, the rise of digital advertising media (the internet, cell phones, mp3 players, etc) provides companies with cheaper, flexible and more convenient ways of marketing the product (Carter, 2009) . Theorists’ view on the impact of technology on the social importance of television Over the years, several theorists have attempted to explain the decline of one form of medium in lieu of an emerging technology and the current decline of television can be explained by various theories, two of which are Christensen’s theory of disruptive innovation and the theory of functional displacement. These theories are discussed briefly below. Christensen’s theory of disruptive innovation: The word disruption often means interruption. A disruptive technology refers to the radical innovations in existing systems or practices such that it drastically transforms the market, creates entirely new markets or destroys the current markets for other technologies (Graeme Pietersz, 2010). The disruptive innovation is one of the fundamental innovation theories of the last decade. Disruptive innovation often displaces existing competitors. The concepts of this theory became so famous within a year of its publication that people were making use of its terms without even making reference to Professor Clayton Christensen of Harvard or to his book, The Innovator’s Dilemma (Innovation Zen, 2006). The crux of Christensen’s work is the distinction of sustaining and disruptive innovation. A sustaining innovation improves the performance of existing products and hence, does not affect the existing market. Whereas a disruptive innovation causes a paradigm shift in business practices and revolutionize markets and commerce, and even consumer’s lives (Innovation Zen, 2006). Disruptive technologies do not always replace the existing technology but can bring about changes and hence, both technologies can evolve together. Sometimes, disruptive technology comes into the market by filling the role that older technology could not fill or by improving upon the existing technology until the new technology completely replaces the older one. Such a change was witnessed when digital cameras took over the role of traditional film photography. The advent of podcasting has led to the decline in broadcast radio and television listeners/viewers. Internet also is a disruptive technology because it has caused television to lose its popularity (Joshua Charles Teets, 2002). Theory of Functional Displacement: The theory of functional development is an important theory of mass communication which aims to explain the changing trends in mass media with the emergence of newer modalities and technological innovations. According to this theory, whenever a new, revolutionary technology emerges, it tends to destabilize the existing medium of communication leading to its rapid decline. In order to maintain its position in the market, the existing medium undergoes modifications and adapts to the change by taking up new functions (Baran & Davis, 2008). For example, the introduction of television in the 1920’s led to a decline in the popularity of radio and newspapers both, since television took over the function of both these mediums, by offering both entertainment and a news and in a better and much improved manner as compared to Radio and Newspapers. In the same way, the emergence of internet has affected the television industry by offering all that television had to offer, with the added advantage of increased diversity and offering individualization of schedule and content. This has led to the rapid amelioration of companies like Google, Microsoft and YouTube, while conventional Television channels are experiencing a downfall (Baran & Davis, 2008). In order to maintain its position in the media industry, network channels need to broaden their horizons and encompass a new range of functions and activities. This can be achieved by linking television channels to other media enterprises such as websites and theme parks (Baran & Davis, 2008). Such developments would help in increasing the diversity of functions served by the television and would help the television industry in regaining its lost status in the media world. Such a change would also cause an alteration in the form of television, which now instead of the conventional norms would be available in an innovative form. Conclusion As we saw, technology has a great impact in our everyday lives. It is continuously evolving, giving people multiple alternatives of entertainment, information and communication. The increasing development of media of information, communication and knowledge has led to the decline of mass and traditional media. Hence, we have seen the emergence of four major media of communication: the cinema, the press, radio and of course, television. The fact that these media still exist alongside advanced technologies like computers and internet demonstrate that these are not substitutes but they co-exist (Buonanno, 2007). The advent of television is still considered one of the biggest inventions of all kinds. Television broadcasting has a huge control on the kind of content the audience views. This is one of the distinguishing features of traditional media which is challenged by new media. Since its introduction in 1980’s, television has experienced a slow but steady decline. The decline has been the result of advent of various alternative forms of media like VCR, audio cassettes, CD-ROMS, computers, DVDs, internet, mobile phones, and the list goes on. Despite of all this, the golden days of television must not be forgotten when it was considered as the best available technology of that particular time (Allen, 2000). References Spiritus-Temporis. (2005). Social aspects of television. Retrieved January 02, 2011, from Spiritus-Temporis.com: http://www.spiritus-temporis.com/television/social-aspects.html Allen, I. (2000). Decline of television. Retrieved January 2, 2011, from e-media: http://www.abc.net.au/science/slab/emedia1/default.htm Baran, S. J., & Davis, D. K.. Mass Communication Theory: Foundations, Ferment, and Future . Wadsworth Cengage Learning, 2008. Bill Gorman. 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