Blog #8: The Future of Television

Commercials go with television like peanut butter and jelly. It is hard to find one without the presence of the other; and in the case of TV and commercials, impossible.

I believe that the majority of TV watchers feel that the commercials that interrupt their viewing time are found irksome and annoying. Soap operas are the worst culprit for this crime because just as the show starts to get remotely interesting, they go to commercials and then the viewer is stuck waiting for the rest of the information for another day.

However, since consumers dont really have to pay for TV, the commercials are necessary for networks to make money. Even though consumers get annoyed with all the commercial breaks they are hard to avoid, unless you record your shows and then fast forward through the commercials later.

It would be nice if there was a set limit of time for commericals to be playing during TV shows and if a network says "there will only be X amount of commercial time" then at least the network understands the annoyance that consumers feel with the persistent commercial interrupting the show.

TV networks may start limiting the amount of commercials and putting them at the beginning of a program, like some countries in Europe. This method will tell the consumers that if you watch these commercials, then the rest of your program will be uninterrupted.

I believe that if TV networks start doing this it would be better because consumers never really know when the commercials will be done and when the show will begin. This will increase the amount of attention paid to commericals. It will also lead to an unspoken agreement between the consumer and the network where the consumer will watch the commercials if the rest of the show is not interrupted.

Blog #7

This semester in media lit we have studied a plethora of topics that focused on our inevitable involvement with the media, because of the media's massive influence on culture and society. Topics ranging from stereotypes, sexualization in the media, advertising, television, ext. In order to be an informed consumer it is necessary to understand how influential and widespread the media's influence is in our society.

Every aspect of American culture is somewhat influenced by the media. The influence of media is like air, it is always around us, but cant always be seen/recognized. Media impacts our schools, clothes, cars, and it is even in our homes.

Stereotypes are egged on by the media as is the sexualization of women. Many people feel strongly on topics such as these but what people fail to realize is that not only does the media influence our actions and decisions, but what we say and do as a society influences the media's actions and decisions too. It is a continuous cycle. When we grow bored of a style of clothing for example, the media finds out and finds a new style for us to buy. TV shows change so much because of their ratings. When consumers stop watching a show, then the show goes for a new angle to try and hook us back into watching it.

So if there is one really important thing I have learned it is that the media is a powerful influencer yes, but we do have a say in what we are influenced. So if we as a society dont like something that the media is doing, once we show it then the changes will begin.