FoTV

the Future of TV

I believe that the future of the TV will not actually include the actual television set. Since the rise of the internet more and more content has been put online. Within the next couple decades we could see the rise of totally online tv networks. TV will also play to more niche markets. We have seen the rise of niche cable networks like the Food Channel, HGTV, Style, History, or Logo. All of these networks cater to a more specific audience than the Big Networks do, and even some cable networks like TBS who cater to a more general audience.

I also believe that we will see more uncensored programing. As American attitudes shift, so does what we can say and show on TV because rules and laws must change with the attitudes of the citizens. We've seen this with the 'b' word being allowed on television in the 90s and being quite prevalent in the 00's. A more recent example of this is the 's' word being uncensored more and more on cable networks and soon that will trickle down to the broadcast level.

Another reason there will be less censored words and depictions such as nudity, is because more content will be going online, where there are no laws or rules, a person can show whatever he or she wants as long as its not so obscene it's illegal. HBO and other premium channels also show and say more than broadcast networks, and even cable networks do. We might also see a rise in these, as new networks being made online and on tv could be a premium type network.

We have also seen a rise in on-demand and DVR services. It's clear that more and more people want to be able to watch what they want anytime they want, and so product placement advertising might become even more commonplace than it is now because the traditional advertisement could be rendered useless (with DVRs) or not as effective (On-demand services show limited advertising)

It's clear that tv is at the beginning of its most dramatic change since it was actually invented. The traditional TV set will most likely go by the wayside as tv and personal computer technologies merge. This could be as simple as tv technology being worked in to computers or a new hybrid television/computer technology that humans haven't made yet.

Blog Seven

One of the things that I have learned this semester in media lit, and I think is very important, is that almost nothing that you see in an ad is an accident. It is usually put there because of a conscious decision or unconscious actions. Consider this recent advertisement by progressive:
At first glance, this would seem like a man and his buddy who made a deal, but on second thought, who brings their friend to buy insurance? This commercial may deliberately make the two men look like just friends to a more conservative audience, while to a more liberal set it may look like husbands, that way it causes minimal controversy and keeps both groups happy. Even on the page that the video is pulled from on Youtube there is questions as to whether they are a SS couple, and I've been to other media content websites that question it.
I believe that it is probably not a coincidence that they seem like a couple, but just enough so that it might fly over the heads of conservatives. It seems progressive may me more progressive than we know.