Monday, February 25, 2008

Do We Want Control?


Though agreeably the web does offer more control, there must be a reason why television is still in popular use. Sure, there are more and newer programs and that is an obvious factor, there is no loading time, (but there are commercials), and the image is usually bigger and clearer on television than on computer. These reasons aside, i believe there is a larger reason television still enjoys so much popularity. I believe people don't always want to be in control, they love the randomness and boundaries of having someone decide what is going to happen for them. People love roller coasters and other amusement park rides just for this reason, they have no control, they simply must relinquish their desire to control where they are going and let the ride move them as it (or its designer) will. Though in many situations people look for more control, I don't think it is a general rule that people like being in charge of every aspect of their own lives. We as a species I believe are entertained and intrigued by having to deal with the unexpected and even the routine things that are out of our control. There's something to be said for the absolute passivity of television, the going with whatever is on and just having to do absolutely nothing. No start-ups, no web searches, no loading, no clicking and typing, just power on and watch. 
I do realize the web offers a much more interactive and malleable format, that is to say you can watch exactly what you want to when you want to (for the most part), but due to this need for interactivity, i don't see programs on the web doing away with television within our life time. Maybe I'm just naive and disagreeable, but it seems to me that each medium has advantages and disadvantages, television didn't do away with radio, and I believe that the internet will never completely do away with television.   I won't say either is better, and I don't want to have to decide.

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