At my fingertips there lies an ever expanding repertoire of content. I can choose from Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Video, Youtube and a host of other websites where I can get lost for hours in a virtual world. But when media is consumed in so rapid a succession, what does that do to its impact? It's one thing to watch a movie in the two hour time frame it was meant to be viewed in. But its another entirely to watch an entire season of a show. I've often sat down to watch an episode of Breaking Bad or American Horror Story and the day has passed with very little productivity. Just one more I tell myself each time. With a set television schedule, I would need to wait a whole week before the next episode came on. It would give me time to process the story, to think back on the themes and learn from it more deeply. Instead, I find myself compelled to further the story to its final conclusion, but I ask myself, what might I have lost by watching this on demand?
Continuing in that same vein, I remember gatherings based on watching television together. At 10:00pm you knew that there were tons of people watching E.R., and if you wanted to host a viewing party, there were probably opportunities. It built tradition and more importantly, solidified friendships, something that we sorely need in this digital age. But now with the quick-consume nature of on demand media, it makes it increasingly hard to build that tradition. People have often seen the entire season by the time you discover its existence. One thing is for certain though, just as Blockbusters use to be on every corner, subscription T.V. is being overtaken by new media distribution. For better, or for worse.
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