It’s ironic — in these days of instant communication around the globe, people are connecting via email and discussion boards for things that were once discussed locally. Like television.
I’ve already discussed this, the idea that television is no longer a collective, cultural “broad” activity because of DVRs, it’s now a narrowcast.. What’s ironic about this is that the internet has made television a global phenomenon. Take, for example, Doctor Who. Because American broadcasters dillyed and dallyed, the first season wasn’t aired here until a full year after its premiere in the UK. By that time, I’d watched the show courtesy of some Brits who sent it out into the world for the rest of us, uncut and without promos and bugs all over the picture.
About 15 minutes ago, the second season finale ended in the UK, and I’ll probably get to see it tomorrow morning. But a couple of my other friends who like the show won’t see it for some time. This means that I will be stuck knowing the secrets of what happens at the end, and unable to talk about it or discuss it with them until so much time has passed that it’s no longer interesting.
And this is why television is a singular, isolating activity these days.
