All hail the rise of anti-social media
Sue Unerman in her Media Week column this week talks about the success of the BBC iPlayer and how it is paving the way for us to all watch TV on our laptops, and concludes
The BBC is teaching us to watch TV on our laptops. It is also arguably hastening the decline of viewing as a family. While this represents a minority of viewing in our house, and is largely programme-led (Dr Who, The Simpsons, Soccer AM), we still gather on significant occasions to watch and discuss TV shows.
Chez Waldman, the iPlayer has no role. Once the children are finally asleep, it is bad enough that we both sit with laptops while watching TV, but the idea of sitting with laptops on our laps without the TV on, and with us both watching separate things…hell, that’s practially social meltdown!
We want to believe that media is becoming more social. And in many ways it is. But with individuals able to get what they want, when they want it, there is an equal and opposite process making media into something inherently less social.
As I sit there on the train watching The Shield on my iPod Touch, I have not only completely removed myself from my surroundings, but also carved out a bit of media consumption that is mine and mine alone.
But here’s the flip side - A few weeks ago, I saw a family of four sit down in the Starbucks in Cobham on a Sunday afternoon. They all pulled out their Nintendo DSs and sat in silence playing a game against each other. Is that the new form of family bonding?
Simon @ March 12, 2008