Ahead of the new TV season, a UBC media expert discusses how must-see TV is a thing of the past
September is usually hailed as the start of a new television season. But, as UBC media theorist Richard Cavell, co-founder of the university’s new Bachelor in Media Studies Program, explains, content now belongs online—and must-see TV no longer exists.
How do people watch TV shows today?
The short answer is that they’re consuming them on the Internet, which represents a shift from time to space. There’s no longer a specific time when you have to watch such-and-such a show. There’s no more primetime. People are viewing television on laptops, tablets, smartphones, and they want access to these shows where they are. They don’t want to have to be sitting down in front of the television in a certain room.
Does the start of a TV season mean anything anymore?
No. Absolutely not. There’s no start of the season, and ad revenues are moving from television to the Internet. Even the concept of the “star” is moving to YouTube, and along with it the idea of appropriate content. This is what’s driving advertisers crazy—you simply can’t determine content.
What are the implications of this?
What most people are watching today is Facebook. It has about half a billion users. And if YouTube was a nation, it would now be the third-largest in the world—it has a billion monthly users.
This is changing our entire idea of what is valid content. I can go and look at a friend’s page on Facebook, and on YouTube I can watch a cat dancing. This question of content has massive cultural implications, and it has significant implications for the university, which has traditionally been the purveyor of high-quality content. But the content criteria are breaking down, and universities are getting into YouTube’s terrain by delivering their content on MOOCs (massive open online courses).
Don’t today’s students understand the current media landscape better than the older generation?
They understand how to use it better than I do, but they don’t necessarily understand the implications of it, and they can get caught up in it. If you don’t realize that an image you put on the net will be there forever, even if you delete it, then you may get into trouble. All of this is why it’s extremely important to educate students about the media.