Netflix and the like, changing viewing habits. The introduction of television broadcast into homes represented a fundamental compression of time and space and has given access to a perception that we are ‘connected’ to ‘live’ events, this is reinforced by technological induced manipulation of time and space, which (now) provides immediate access to what is seen and experienced. Disconnectedness has become the ‘norm’ our sense of time and space has changed through the use of digital technologies. Lovejoy states (2004: p114) Confusion between spatial and temporal boundaries has occurred through exposure to technology, collapsing it and sometimes erasing the conventions that distinguish fantasy from reality. Our perception of reality has changed, where once a sense of reality was created through first-hand involvement; technology has created a variety of mediated experiences that have changed our concept of the self from a single reality with a single viewpoint to the self that exists in multi-dimensional digital reality. Through researching how mobile distraction technologies are absorbed into the everyday the research has examined how technology and media have changed the lives of women. Of particular relevance to the research is how new technology makes us prefer the distant to the close at hand, the concept of being physically in the here and now whilst mentally being elsewhere. In order to explore this idea the research has examined scenarios where use of mobile technologies alters women’s lives. Large groups of women (in the UK) still do most of the housework, whilst working raise families Analysis by the Institute for Public Policy Research (22/03/2012) think tank shows that eight out of 10 married women do more household chores, while just one in 10 married men does an equal amount of cleaning and washing as his wife. Just over one in 10 women – 13% – say their husbands do more housework than they do, while only 3% of married women do fewer than three hours a week, with almost half doing 13 hours or more. Research shows more and more people watch television via mobile devices, this trend away from scheduled TV viewing through streaming services such as Netflix and Amazon instant, via the Internet, have played a major part of this change. Distraction technologies through mobile devices have facilitated this rapid cultural change away from analogue viewing to the streaming of TV, which facilitates the notion of rapid changing space and time. This phenomenon can be traced back to the arrival of YouTube and My space, which gave the first glimpse of the future of our digitally enhanced media lives. ‘Catch up’ options, such as iplayer or 4OD, have played their part in this change. Lovejoy (2004: 115) claimed our brains were changing in order to be able to process large amounts of information, and as we have got used to Internet surfing, perceptual distraction produced by mass media forms has changed concentration levels. As Wi-Fi has become the norm it has added to the sense of our connectedness that follows us around, it’s made us “always on”. It encourages partial attention; we feel part of something bigger, a collective consciousness that we find difficult to turn away from, to turn off, that blurs both interior and exterior boundaries. Public and private domains are connected in a new way – the private can become public on a global scale from the confines of the private through the Internet While we are now all digitally connected and constantly on the move, typically we are distracted from the here and now. In modern society time has moved from natural cycles that encouraged a communal shared present to becoming globally standardized and is governed by the clock and rather than being cyclical in nature it is now experienced as linear. This adds to our sense of urgency, as we embrace the notion that time is running away from us, which leads us to attempt to make the most of our time. Multi-tasking has moved from the realm of the work space to the domestic rapidly becoming part of the everyday, Our social existence is characterized by a series of performances both atomized and fragmented, which enhances our sense of dislocation, which is amplified by our collective obsession with mobile distraction technologies that have emerged along with the Internet. Through making time linear and measurable, it is often experienced both subjectively and as unrelenting, which can help to diminish the significance of the present. Multitasking whilst watching TV via streaming has very quickly become part of the normalized viewing experience. Research from ‘changing viewing from changing TV viewing: ad-ology/changing-tv-viewing-habits-prompt-new-media-purchase-guidelines/#.UzVv6LZ5QTw At least 63% of consumers are streaming video or using on-demand features to watch what they want, when they want, more than once a week. About 83% of consumers still watch broadcast TV as scheduled at least once a week but other formats are growing more popular. The majority of consumers are turning to mobile devices to watch video on a weekly basis and they’re also multitasking more while they watch TV. Even the most dedicated TV viewers, those in the 65-69 year old age group, are exploring alternatives to the linear or scheduled format. About 41% of consumers in this age group use time-shifted TV and YouTube every week. In the past year, 12% of consumers have reduced their pay TV packages and another 11% have eliminated it completely. While consumers want more flexibility in their video entertainment options, they also want simplicity in using services to access their programs. For now, subscription video on demand (VOD) services remain popular because they are easy to use and share and are relatively inexpensive. On the other hand, consumers aren’t so positive about transaction VOD service. Customers complain about the 24-hour viewing limit and the high cost. The following list shows what people want most from TV/Video: • Ad-free experience • High quality (HD) • Time shift/on demand capability • User-friendly interfaces However, only 30% are willing to pay for the ad-free experience. About 35% will pay for HD quality-viewing and 22% will pay for a la carte TV. Whilst questions are raised about diminishing the significance of the present, it can be argued that modern distraction technologies that give women the freedom to watch TV via streaming services and access social networking sites have improved the lives of women in a new and fundamental way. Whilst some may ridicule this notion, 18 out of 20 women (survey monkey) agreed that the ability to watch TV through streaming along side access to social networking sites via mobile technology overall has given them the freedom both to communicate globally and to chose when and where they take their TV viewing.
Posted on: Mon, 01 Sep 2014 16:36:45 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015