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Television And The Digital Age

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For the past century, modern technologies have made the distribution of news and entertainment more efficient. In the digital age, the media is an imperative element of everyday culture (Silverstone, 2004). There is no denying the indispensability of television as the central hub as represented in the quotation: “In my heart I will take my television set with me. I love you.” - Suicide note of New York school boy after his father banned him from watching television (Sunday Times as cited in Silverstone, 2004). Although the television was once an essential part of the social sphere, advancements in the internet has developed flexible Streaming Videos On-Demand services such as Netflix and Stan which displace some of the demand for cable and free television. The different temporalities of both mediums changes the way consumers use these services and thus transforms its relationship to public life.
HISTORY OF TELEVISION
Television has been an crucial part of the household since the 20th century, as a medium for traditional households to come together and enjoy a program. The significance of television is encapsulated through the central placement of the television set in the common household. Traditionally, television was the main source of news and regarded as the “social centre”. Everyone had to keep up to date to engage in “water cooler” conversations in order to be “connected”. In the “Dailiness in Radio, Television and Modern Life” reading, Scannell describes media as a

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