subject: How The Internet Has Affected The Way We View Tv [print this page] There is no doubt that the internet has had a massive impact on how our society functions and in a number of different ways. Whether it is how we communicate with one another or how we get our news and information, the internet has unquestionably revolutionised our generation, bringing us further forward into the realm of digital technology.
For more than half a century television dominated the market, in that there was only one way to receive the entertainment that TV offered. With the birth of the internet there came a new medium for receiving these programs, one that was more versatile and more widely accessible than anything we had ever seen before. With this in mind, it is hardly surprising that it has had such a dramatic impact on our society, let alone on television itself.
Just one of the aspects of our society that the internet has changed is our television viewing habits. In the same way that television changed the way we listen to the radio, the internet has changed the way we view TV. Firstly, we generally tend to rely on TV as a source of news much less, some may argue that there are other reasons for this, however, the fact still remains that TV ratings have seen a constant decline in ratings since the birth of the internet. We are far more likely to visit BBC iPlayer than to actually watch a BBC channel.
But this is not the only affect that the internet has had on the way that we watch TV. On the surface it appears that the internet is gradually causing the demise of TV, but there are actually many ways in which the internet has enhanced television viewing. For example, some television shows feature additional episodes on the internet that will never be on the air. Furthermore, we now have access to all kinds of information about our favourite TV shows via the internet.
The internet has also affected our viewing habits. Rather than sitting down in front of the TV when we get in from work it seems far more likely that we will sit down to a computer and surf the web, whether it is to watch 4oD or to email friends. Having the ability to watch what we want when we want is undoubtedly useful, especially when we live in a society that rates time efficiency so highly.
