Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Televisions

Computer wall

I am one of these Americans who does not own a TV set.

Allow me to rephrase: I don't have a cable box.

Housemate & I use our TV in the living room as a black panel to look at during conversations when it's not being used for Netflix & Mad Men DVDs.

I was raised in a house where we didn't get past channel 13 until I was in Middle School, so the TV watching habit is not ingrained in me. However, to most of you who are my age I'm sure the lack of cable is not groundbreaking. Our computers & smartphones are our windows on the world: I read multiple newspapers through Twitter, and watch TV shows and amusing videos on Hulu & YouTube.

Why pay $80 for a cable box when I can get all of that information for a far lower price? I live in the most exciting city in the country, I'm not going to sit in my house & watch the world through a box. I have only very occasionally wanted a TV: during the Egyptian Revolution (I watched it on Al Jazeera online) & to watch SToriBook Wedding (I got over it). Other than that, I don't really think about it.

TV stoffen met plumeau / Dusting the television with a feather-brush

What about the rest of you? Do you have cable? Do you think it's worth it? Anybody want to make any wild predictions about the future of television?

2 comments:

Kristin said...

My parents have cable, and I'll go upstairs and watch House once a week, and sometimes veg out on HGTV, but for the most part, I'm happy not to have it in my house. I watched quite a bit of it when I was in middle and high school, but after going to college without one for four years, I haven't really felt a need for it in the past three years, so we most likely won't get one when I move out. Any of the really limited things I'd like to watch, I can find online, and otherwise I think it's just too much of a distraction.

My predictions? One day, TV will stream directly into our BRAINS. I cannot wait.

The Bride-to-Be said...

When I moved into my apartment in November I didn't get cable. Best decision ever. I don't watch as much crap as I use to and I don't miss it one bit. I just watch a lot of Netflix online if I need a fix.