For similar reasons to this, my parents refused to have a TV in the house throughout my childhood and teenage years (and still dont now). We would rent one for a month during the Olympics every 4 years. This led in my case to becoming a voracious reader, and somewhat outdoorsy. When I got a TV after I left home I certainly binge watched for a while, but I really cant stand watching regular TV now. On demand programming where I have to choose a show or movie is still something I fill time with (especially when feeding a kid) though. Looking back, not having a television as a child or teenager was a wonderful gift. It made me feel somewhat ostracized at times, both from feeling left out of discussions and actual kids making fun of us for being too poor (we werent). Im becoming more and more interested in the theories around the use of time, consumer activity and the working week. Going back to an article a few weeks ago where an absence of free time is correlated with greater willingness to spend, I wonder whether the impact of TV on free time -> spending can be isolated from the impact of the advertising on it.
Posted on: Thu, 01 Jan 2015 23:06:27 +0000