Can Beat Em? Join Em!

According to Henry Jenkins in his essay “TV in the Net-Age” TV watchers are separated into three groups;
“Zappers are people who constantly flit across the dial-watching snippets of shows rather than sitting down for a prolonged engagement. Loyal’s actually watch fewer hours of television each week than the general population…Casuals fall somewhere in between; they watch a particular series when they think of it or have nothing better to do.” (Jenkins).

I am a casual loyalist when it comes to my TV watching pattern. I only seriously watch two shows. I started since the show premiered and always watch it. Those two shows are NBC’s “Community” and HBO’s “TruBlood”. I started watching both with my mother. I would say she watches the most TV out of my household. I really loved those shows since the beginning so I never miss an episode. I try to catch reruns if I do, and watch it online when I can. I’ve even considered getting DVD’s of certain seasons, although I usually only watch an episode once. I love watching “Spongebob”, “Martin” and the “Golden Girls”, but I only watch it when I can, it’s not a priority. I tend to channel surf a lot until I find a movie I haven’t seen before or a show that holds my interest. But I don’t watch as much TV as I used to.


I would say technology has certainly changed the way we watch TV. It competes with the internet for attention, because most of the shows you watch on TV you can find online. However, the television has a few advantages. Most television screens are bigger than computer screens, so watching TV with another person is usually more enjoyable than if you were watching it on a small computer screen with others. Personally, I love to stretch out and watch TV because we have a huge TV. When I stretch out and get comfortable to watch anything on my laptop, it’s usually a bed and it usually results in me falling fast asleep. For me watching television is a much more relaxing activity. On the internet, I have to seek out content whereas the TV delivers it straight to me. It’s much more comfortable that way.


However, the internet does have its advantages. The content is broader than what you’d find on TV. And you have the unique experience of reading and contributing your own feedback. After I watched District Nine online, I had my own thoughts about what I thought the underlying message was, and I wanted to see if others felt the same way. I didn’t have to wait to read the paper the next day, and read a critic’s view. I could read the audience’s view and opinion, like I was in the theater with them.


The meaning and impact of television hasn’t changed…yet. It’s still the center of the physical household. If anything, the computer is trying to become more like the Television. There are hybrids being sold now. It’s basically an enlarged computer screen, or an extremely interactive television. Either way it combined both devices into one. This seems only natural since the computer doesn’t seem able to beat the television, is might as well join it.

Jenkins, Henry. 2010 “TV in the Net-Age” Communication in History, Sixth Edition. 2010