Sunday, November 30, 2008
Control or what?
Sometimes I wonder...do we really need all of this? What is it that makes TiVo so attractive - is it the glories of pausing live TV, fast-forwarding through the ads, and watching House reruns whenever you damn well please, without having to worry about setting a VCR timer? Is it really that simple? Or is it just another form of control that our control-freaky socitety feels it needs so desperately? I mean, look at it like this; TiVo makes us the kings of TV-Universe. Not only does it give us some sort of social status to own just another gadget, it also provides a chance to beat the system! Yes, we do have the liberty to not watch commercials imposed on us, and yes, we feel we get a teeny-tiny bit more out of TV that actually fair. I at least always feel a shudder of excitement when I watch an episode of Prison Break that I actually missed and I get this feeling of "f*** off, I watch when I got the time, and when I'm ready!". So here we are...power and control - two pure and very human emotions. Or maybe it's just me - maybe I'm more of a control freak that anybody else. But what if not? Is that the way things are gonna work in the future? Being able to pause everything, rewind, and do when we're ready? Gosh, I just imagined tivoing my life! I fast forward through the commercial breaks - dinners with my in-laws or extensive talks with my boss - I rewind the shows I really like - sex last night maybe? - and I just get everthing when I want it, how I want it. Man, wouldn't that just be amazing?
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I saw a TV show recently where this guy’s TiVo is suggesting shows for him to watch based on his viewing preferences. All the shows suggested are of a feminine variety. He thinks the TiVo thinks he is gay. He spends the rest of the show trying to prove he has a sexual discrimination case agents his TiVo.
ReplyDeleteAre we really in control if the only choices we have are those given to us? The TiVo allows us the opportunity to feel in control but like your computer you are the last person in control….
Ken
TV is made and we have no power over the programs it runs. We are "free" to choose if yes or no we want to watch TV, which channels and at what time. Well, I won't say completely free because we are always influenced by outside elements like commercials, trends, social need... the remote control is in our hand. I have never used TiVo so far but I think it gives back control to people. Before it, watching a selected movie meant watching commercials we didn't choose to see. With TiVo, it is possible. It demands more work but that how life is. If you want freedom, you have to fight for it, if you want to have a minimum of control over your TV, install TiVo!
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