Will TV-on-Demand sound the death knell for remote real-time social bonding?
Added: (Thu Oct 27 2005)
Pressbox (Press Release) -
A hidden pleasure silently passes through our bodies that few us really appreciate. This sub-conscious reward is always there, and now it is threatened with extinction due to the coming of age of TV-on-Demand.
Ever wondered why you have to watch that film on TV even though you've already seen it four times on your own private DVD? And why do you feel like you are slightly missing out when the Queens speech is on at Christmas and you are not watching it? Do you think that the appeal of such programmes as Pop Idol and The X Factor is purely due to the content of the shows? Perhaps not......
The hidden pleasures mentioned earlier are experienced through a phenomena called remote real-time social bonding. It is felt through the very act of watching a programme or film at the same time as others all over the country or world. Simply by experiencing at the same time what others are watching, we are given a sense of community, unification and something in common with everyone. It gives us a connection with society today, a connection which is weakening through insular activities that are tailored for the individual as opposed to the masses. As more and more TV channels have started broadcasting, we are all watching different things, not sharing in this unconscious group activity.
One increasingly significant player in the field of multimedia services delivered direct to the customer is TV-on-Demand. Already there are digital channels available via satellite and cable that enable us to choose the films we want to watch and when we want to watch them. As broadband speeds increase, we will be able to watch high resolution films and programmes via our PC's as well as our televisions. TV-on-Demand is set to take off in way that will change and set the standard in viewing habits. Devices such as the Sony PSP will make it possible to access these programmes on the move using their built in wireless internet facilities.
What impact all this will have on remote real-time social bonding, only time will tell. But one is for sure, the void that will be left will be noticeable and most people will not know what is missing from their viewing experience.