How the TV remote changed our lives
In the 1950′s a long string of disruptive media technologies began with the remote control. When we look closely at the current ways we consume media – recorded TV shows, on demand internet video, podcasts, etc – and compare them with the ways people consumed media prior to the remote control, we see a major increase in how much control we exercise over what we see and hear. The Age of Egocasting by Christine Rosen describes “egocasting” as using technologies that stroke the ego and not only cater to specific interests, but also allow us to “consciously avoid ideas, sounds, and images that we don’t agree with or don’t enjoy.” Overall the article could be summarized as commentary about recent media technologies and how they’ve given us control over what we watch and hear. (Rosen, 2005)
The remote control marked the beginning of an era of personalization of technology. Robert Adler, a Zenith engineer is quoted as stating “[i]t is highly desirable to provide a system to regulate the receiver operation without requiring the observer to leave the normal viewing position.” Based on their finding that demographic variables do not effect remote control use, Lawrence Wenner and Maryann Dennehy surmised that use of the remote control was based on basic human impulse or novelty seeking. According to Rosen, this simple change in how people flip the channel coupled with the increase in channels provided by cable TV has “encouraged a new kind of viewing behavior: grazing.” Some of the other effects of this shift in media consumption are also quite interesting. University of Chicago law professor Cass Sunstein has argued that our technologies—especially the Internet—are encouraging group polarization. Others have done studies on toddlers, men vs. women and how television producers adapted their shows to compensate for the new viewing behavior facilitated by the disruptive technology known as the remote control (Rosen, 2005).
TiVo and the iPod along with their respective technologies took the remote control one step further. TiVo, a technology that aims to record hundreds of hours of programming for you while you live your life has actually been shown to increases the average amount of television use. Similarly with iPod users, the ability to exercise control over when and how media content is experienced inspires loyalty but doesn’t necessarily help achieve the desired outcomes. Different from the TiVo however, the iPod has more of an impact on our social space and Rosen suggests that user’s “absent presence” in public spaces characterized by paying little or no attention to the world immediately around them might lead to selfishness. (2005)
According to a survey done by Leichtman Research Group in 2010, 40% of U.S. TV households own a DVR, an 8% increase from 2005. More specifically, 64% of all digital cable subscribers have used video on-demand. Leichtman also found that the mean household income of DVR users is 34% above non-DVR users and that Netflix subscribers have a mean annual household income of 24% above average. Based on these numbers there seems to be somewhat of an economic divide between those who have the ability to egocast and those left “narrowcasting” or flipping through channels on their remote control.
I obviously grew up with a remote control but my parents were very conservative about media consumption. Our family owned one of the first consumer desktop computers to feature a video card that recorded TV but I don’t think anyone in our household knew how to use it. I must have been nine or ten when I got my first walkman which allowed me listen to music without my parents knowing. A few years later I bought a small disc player that read mp3s burned on recordable CDs as soon as they came out. From then on I’ve always been drawn toward new technology and without knowing, the whole concept of egocasting. Currently I’ve given up on demand video as my hard drives just can’t hold anymore and I don’t have the time to watch it anyway but I’m 100% with personal media. I listen to my headphones nearly all day at work and in the car; streaming music, listening to podcasts and the occasional audiobook when I don’t have time to read.
Discussion Questions:
- Have you recently begun using any technologies that caused a change in the way you consume media?
- Can you think of any examples of a technology causing someone to take sides against competing values?
- Has your interpretation of culture been skewed by the technologies you use to experience it?
References:
Leichtman, B. (2010). DVRs now in 40% of U.S. TV households. http://www.leichtmanresearch.com/press/092710release.html
Rosen, C. (Fall 2004- Winter 2005). The age of egocasting. The New Atlantis, Retrieved from: http://www.thenewatlantis.com/publications/the-age-of-egocasting
10 Responses To “How the TV remote changed our lives”
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Uber impressed by a few things:
(1) Seamless personal anecdote involving your dad;
(2) Bright and polished slides that grab our eyes;
(3) Depth of your analysis to counter Ms. Rosen’s occasional melodrama;
(4) Thoughtful OPEN questions for those fortunate to have watched you;
(5) Your apparent disdain for starting new paragraphs.
Seriously, Corey, your article is VERY well-organized and meticulously sourced through referencing and attribution within the body of writing. Bravo!
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Hey Corey,
Since I missed out on your amazing presentation, I guess I’ll have to respond to your discussion question. Within the last three years I ditched cable and started watching everything online. This changed the way I consumed media because it allowed me to pick what I wanted to watch, and also choose when I wanted to watch it. I guess that has made me an “egocaster” or whatever crazy term the author made up.
Hi, Corey
I like your fancy presentation and your example of your dad.
I use TV remote controller since I have memories. So I don’t know what is the experience that when you watch TV without remote controller. I remember every time I used remote controller, I was not really watching TV but just skipping all the programs and can’t stop changing channels. I will say this is one of the bad impacts from this inventions. It is no doubt that new technologies provide our lot of convenience, but sometimes, also distracted us more than before.
Hi Corey,
I really like the way you articulated the main points of the articles. The presentation slides was really well done and I wish I had watched your presentation live. Great job!
Zanna
Nice job! I really never thought much about my media consumption before I began this program. Now I’m thinking about the time I divide between the internet and television. Soon they may be one and the same. In any event, the remote control and cable television certainly have had large impacts on society.
Your post is really interesting and I particularly liked your personal childhood account of media consumption. Although many of the author’s metaphors were extreme, I think her point that the remote control started the era of instant critiquing via channel surfing is true. I’m proud to say that I remember the good old days of having to get up off the couch and manually change the channel. Perhaps it was because I was a rather lazy child, but I often just watched what was on.
Hi Cory, I would have loved to hear your thoughts on this very interesting article. From the discussion I attended, Rosen’s perspectives can trigger controversial arguments. I specifically liked the 3 questions you posed at the end.
I’d like to answer your first question – Yes, social media (specifically Facebook) has exponentially increased the number of hours of media consumption. Twitter on the other hand still doesn’t cut it for me for some odd reason. Yes, new technologies can impact our media consumption behavior in significant ways, and can alter our outlook and measures of good vs. not-so-good entertainment.
Nice presentation, Corey. I like how you brought imagery to the forefront. You had a good handle on the material and shared relevant examples while encouraging group discussion.
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