I ask this, because I constantly hear about people complaining with phrases like, "There's nothing to watch," or "Nothing's on Netflix," or "When will Hulu get new stuff?"
People who torrent stuff have an even wider selection to choose from, and yet they frequently suffer from having too many choices as well.
Is it possible that just the sheer number of choices robs us of any desire to watch stuff we would normally appreciate?
I remember when I was younger, I would check TV Guide all the time to find out what movies were showing on and when. We would eagerly anticipate when a movie would start playing would sit down to watch it. Now days, with the number of choices we have available, everyone seems to just scroll through listings, unable to find anything to pique there interest. Do you think it's because the availability has lessened the desire to watch movies and shows?
When a new episode of a show is merely a click of the button away, is there any pressure to sit down and enjoy it now, instead of at a later time when it's more convenient? It seems like the more choices people have available to them to watch, the less time they spend watching something, and the more time they spend deciding on what to watch.
Could it be that, companies like Netflix might very well have been the worst thing for us as a consumer?
No, I don't think so. For every good memory I have of randomly picking something to watch on cable (this was how I was introduced to Farscape, my favorite sci-fi show of all time), I have a million where I was at best apathetic towards it and it only served as background noise while I did something more interesting.
My tv watching habits are much the same. I have 3-4 channels with shows I watch on them (SyFy, CW, AMC, and ABC mostly), and everything else is eh.
Except now instead of watching it as it comes out in low quality, I wait an extra day to watch it on Hulu in HD with slightly less commercials. And occasionally find something cool on Netflix I haven't seen (I end up watching a lot of animated family movies on there for some reason, and remain ever disappointed they have How to Train Your Dragon 2 when I haven't seen the first one and they don't have it).
There's a bit of "choice paralysis" when I'm completely out of stuff I'm already watching, at which point I decide "Well, that's enough TV for now" and go do something else. Or watch some internet shows I keep up with, like Game Grumps.
I can say...relying on netflix and hulu has made it a lot tougher to watch regular TV. I find it increasingly annoying to have to sit through commercial breaks, or wait around for that one time during the week to watch a new show, and having to schedule my day around it. Sudden time changes or hiatus are also more annoying. And its not like 100 channels actually mean there is anything on, what with all the reality shows, marathons of single shows, etc.
On the negative side...I easily get sucked into binge watching, which sometime reduces my work productivity or keeps me from other activities. and I admit I often pay less attention to a streaming show than I do something on TV or in the movie theater, since my computer often distracts me.
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And occasionally find something cool on Netflix I haven't seen
yeah same here, only with horror. There have been a lot of excellent horror movies that I probably would not have rented for one reason or another, that I discovered via netflix.
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Are you suggesting folks appreciate a film or series more if they have to make it appointment viewing? I dont agree with that sentiment. I actually value being able to call up what I want when I want it. More importantly, its easier to buy in now than ever before. When I talk to someone who loves film and television like I do, they can jump in or catch up with a series that is well into its lifespan. In some cases, this increases the livelihood of excellent series like Breaking Bad. I think digital access is the best win/win for producers and consumers.
Are you suggesting folks appreciate a film or series more if they have to make it appointment viewing? I dont agree with that sentiment. I actually value being able to call up what I want when I want it. More importantly, its easier to buy in now than ever before. When I talk to someone who loves film and television like I do, they can jump in or catch up with a series that is well into its lifespan. In some cases, this increases the livelihood of excellent series like Breaking Bad. I think digital access is the best win/win for producers and consumers.
No, it has more to do with the accessibility. When you have (most) everything you want available at your fingertips, the anticipation that drives people to want to see something often doesn't exist, or isn't nearly as strong as it used to.
Look at people who have large Steam libraries full of video games. I often find these people saying they have nothing to play, yet most of the games are unplayed. It's passed off as a joke, but there is a hint of truth to it.
Before Steam, if you bought a new game, you played that game after you bought it. Now people buys tons of games that they will never play because the desire isn't there. And I have to wonder, if this lack of desire isn't part of the 'forbidden fruit' syndrome.
When a movie, show, or game was harder to get a hold of, it increases the desire to see it. But when getting access is extremely easy, it becomes a, "I can do that at any time" thing.
This is just my thoughts on things I've seen in people over the last few years. It feels like, to me at least, the more accessible a media is to the population, the seemingly less enjoyment they get out of it.
Speaking for myself having it on demand does not make me enjoy it any less, and things still have a priority list for me. At the top is I will watch it as soon as a I can. At the bottom is "if I dont have anything else to do.....". There are in betweens, but would just make my comment a lot longer than necessary.
I dont anyone who buy games and never play them. That is just a waste of money. I can understand buying and not liking it. I think that is more of a lack of appreciation for money than the media it payed for.
I dont anyone who buy games and never play them. That is just a waste of money. I can understand buying and not liking it. I think that is more of a lack of appreciation for money than the media it payed for.
Mmm, not quite.
Most of that comes from Humble Bundles and Steam Sale bundles.
"I want this game. This game is $20."
"This bundle is 90% off for $5, and has the game I want plus three others."
The main issue is the "three others" are something most people (or I) have no interest in playing.
Having it on demand gives lets me watch things I would not have given the chance before. I've given so many obscure movies a chance and have been really pleasantly surprised.
And I don't think anyone actually means "there's nothing to watch/play". I think it's a poor articulation of "I don't really feel like watching anything." Sometimes, people just hit a rough patch and can't really enjoy anything, so they probably feel like there is nothing to enjoy.
But that's just a theory. A Game people theory.
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Are you suggesting folks appreciate a film or series more if they have to make it appointment viewing? I dont agree with that sentiment. I actually value being able to call up what I want when I want it. More importantly, its easier to buy in now than ever before. When I talk to someone who loves film and television like I do, they can jump in or catch up with a series that is well into its lifespan. In some cases, this increases the livelihood of excellent series like Breaking Bad. I think digital access is the best win/win for producers and consumers.No, it has more to do with the accessibility. When you have (most) everything you want available at your fingertips, the anticipation that drives people to want to see something often doesn't exist, or isn't nearly as strong as it used to.
Look at people who have large Steam libraries full of video games. I often find these people saying they have nothing to play, yet most of the games are unplayed. It's passed off as a joke, but there is a hint of truth to it.
Before Steam, if you bought a new game, you played that game after you bought it. Now people buys tons of games that they will never play because the desire isn't there. And I have to wonder, if this lack of desire isn't part of the 'forbidden fruit' syndrome.
When a movie, show, or game was harder to get a hold of, it increases the desire to see it. But when getting access is extremely easy, it becomes a, "I can do that at any time" thing.
This is just my thoughts on things I've seen in people over the last few years. It feels like, to me at least, the more accessible a media is to the population, the seemingly less enjoyment they get out of it.
Not my experience. I think folks are enjoying film/television more now than ever because its easier to access. If anything they are disappointed they don't have more to consume. I guess your miles vary.
Considering how massive the movie industry's earnings have grown since the advent of piracy in the nineties, I believe the easy answer is a resounding NO.
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Disclaimer: My experience is not that of the typical 30 year old.
We still buy movies. Physical media. Lots of it, about 10 dvd's per year, plus a few tv series. We don't do much streaming, and then it is generally a rental on demand on directv cinema. But we watch a lot of movies. Also, we get in a good 4-8 cinema visits per year.
OK, that aside, no I don't think that having on-demand availability for film and tv diminishes the viewing experience much. The way we consume on-demand media, however does diminish it.
If you're watching something on netflix/hulu on your computer, alone in the dark, then yes, the experience is shot. If you're doing the same thing, sitting in your living room, sharing the experience with your friends and family, then the result is the same as if you waited three months, went to target and bought the BR disk in week 1 for the 20% discount (most of the time). Watching movies has, in my opinion, always been a social event, a time to emotionally bond with others over a show.
You laugh together, or get goofy looks when you're the only one laughing. Plot events might shock, giving you conversations. Scenes may be memorable, having you quote them for hours after the movie or show. This is the experience that is lost sitting in front of a 24" monitor, wearing noise cancelling headphones.
The other thing that gets slightly lost, particularly when talking about tv shows, is the anticipation for more. On first runs, shows generally give you one episode per *7* days. A whole week! There's no telling how many times this spring (I lied, 9 times) that my wife and I stared blankly after the fade to black at the end of a Game of Thrones episode, then immediately lament that we have until *next Sunday* before we get our fix. We talk about the episode at work the next day, we mention it in passing throughout the week. It is something that we anticipate. Binge watching reduces that drawn out emotion into a span of a handful of hours. I watched season 2 of Veep yesterday afternoon. I have season 3 at my fingertips. Yes I want to continue watching it, but I don't have that emotional investment that I would had I had to wait an entire week to know how they were gonna get out of the next pickle.
In closing, if you're consuming the media as God intended, with others in a social setting, then you're getting the most enjoyment, the most benefit out of the action. If you're snuggled up to your ipod with earbuds in, you're probably not hitting that full potential. Would that lack of enjoyment lead to lower appreciation? Maybe. It does eventually lead to an impatient, gimme now ideology that can certainly make the viewing experience arduous or stressful.
I'm curious what God's intentions are regarding MMOs now....
Disclaimer: My experience is not that of the typical 30 year old.
We still buy movies. Physical media. Lots of it, about 10 dvd's per year, plus a few tv series. We don't do much streaming, and then it is generally a rental on demand on directv cinema. But we watch a lot of movies. Also, we get in a good 4-8 cinema visits per year.
OK, that aside, no I don't think that having on-demand availability for film and tv diminishes the viewing experience much. The way we consume on-demand media, however does diminish it.
If you're watching something on netflix/hulu on your computer, alone in the dark, then yes, the experience is shot. If you're doing the same thing, sitting in your living room, sharing the experience with your friends and family, then the result is the same as if you waited three months, went to target and bought the BR disk in week 1 for the 20% discount (most of the time). Watching movies has, in my opinion, always been a social event, a time to emotionally bond with others over a show.
You laugh together, or get goofy looks when you're the only one laughing. Plot events might shock, giving you conversations. Scenes may be memorable, having you quote them for hours after the movie or show. This is the experience that is lost sitting in front of a 24" monitor, wearing noise cancelling headphones.
The other thing that gets slightly lost, particularly when talking about tv shows, is the anticipation for more. On first runs, shows generally give you one episode per *7* days. A whole week! There's no telling how many times this spring (I lied, 9 times) that my wife and I stared blankly after the fade to black at the end of a Game of Thrones episode, then immediately lament that we have until *next Sunday* before we get our fix. We talk about the episode at work the next day, we mention it in passing throughout the week. It is something that we anticipate. Binge watching reduces that drawn out emotion into a span of a handful of hours. I watched season 2 of Veep yesterday afternoon. I have...
You say you have more emotional investment, but for me it is the opposite. I drop shows that I have to wait for all the time, never to pick them back up. Hell, half the shows I'm binge watching I dropped 10+ years ago because I couldn't be bothered to wait for them or regularly schedule a time, assuming the TV station even kept them the same time.
I'm pretty rubbish with traditional media and new media at the same time.
- I have a Sky box that is 75% full. That's 140 hours of recorded stuff.
- I have dozens of films and TV seasons on DVD still in their shrink-wrap. One friend remarked "Why have you got GoT Season 1 unopened?" I liked it so much I wanted to watch it again. No idea of when I will, but I've bought every season since and they're all still wrapped.
- My Netflix watch list is getting bigger and bigger. I remove stuff when I've watched it, so this isn't good.
- I am putting more and more 'brand new' series on never miss reminders and not following up. These are alerts for new stuff coming to TV that I've not seen before and so aren't on series record. Don't know if you have that in the States.
- I have a wishlist of films I want(ed) to see at the cinema, which becomes both bigger and more out-of-date as time goes by. They then feed into my other lists!
- I would be scared of browsing for torrents if that was something I did. I presume that everything would end up on one mega-list that I'd be completely daunted by.
Time is the enemy, not distribution. There is just so much good* stuff being produced that I can't keep up.
* for a given definition of 'good'.