Entertainment has always been a central part of human culture. It has offered escapes from reality, space for creativity, and a source of connection to things you may have never thought of. However, the way people have consumed entertainment has changed over the last century. Television has played a major part in how the journey started. From broadcast television to streaming platforms, television has become the landscape of our everyday reality.
A Revolution of Home Entertainment
When technology first emerged in the 20th century, the story of television’s impact on entertainment began. In the 1920’s and 1930’s, the television was a scientific curiosity that was benignly explored and experimented with. John Logie Baird was one of the people who came up with one of the first prototypes of the television. However, it was not until the late 1940’s and 1950’s that television started making its way into the homes of Americans and people around the world.
These days, television has limited content available to viewers. These included comedy shows, dramas, news, and variety programs. Programs were often live, and were often broadcast in black and white. The television not only introduced a new way for people to engage with the world, but also provided education, entertainment, and the news, which also provided communal experiences with people as well. Many families gathered around the TV set to watch beloved shows like I Love Lucy, and The Twilight Zone, to name a few. Many of these programs became capstones through cultural aspects as well as through public opinion and sparking social changes.
Expansion Through Color
In the 1960’s, because of the widespread technological advancements, color television was introduced and began to enhance the viewing experience for many. This period of television also solidified the expansion of televisions in homes, started the boom of technology in households, and started to wrap up what it meant to have network television and movies running from day to night because of the interests of many people.
Many genres began to boom into the scene of television including soap operas, crime dramas, and talk shows as they presented new sides of human creativity. One Of the biggest events that happened on television that was more than expected of the potential of television was the Moon landing. Since television was able to broadcast the landing to millions of viewers, it became a household staple because of that. It helped bring lifetime events in real time to everyone’s homes. International and National events were able to broadcast an became the importance of why TV served as both an entertainment and information medium that presented information in real time.
In the 1970’s many shows that were broadcast presented the issues of race, gender, and war, which pushed the boundaries of what TV was about and why we had TV in the first place. It gave a podium for societal debates that many might have agreed or disagreed on. Television became a forum of social commentary, with the programming that encouraged viewers to reflect on complex, but important issues.
From Cable to Streaming
In the 1980’s Cable and Satellite TV were introduced and changed the game for television. It allowed extensive options for channels. Many channels paved the way for complex narratives and targeted many different age groups and audiences. In the 1990’s, coined the phrase “channel surfing,” in which many channels were added to cable and people were able to pick exactly what they wanted to watch any time of day. The power of television was recognized by many networks and they started to create memorable shows like The Simpsons, Friends, and The X-Files. Television started to challenge the quality of going to the cinema.
In the late 2000’s the rise of DVDs and DVR’s made home entertainment a new family activity. Many were able to record their favorite show or movies and they were able to go back to whatever they wanted to watch any time.
Netflix became a streaming service in 2007, and started producing Netflix Originals in 2013 with The House of Cards. Netflix marked the revolution of new and upcoming streaming as Hulu, Disney+, Amazon Prime, etc… followed. The availability of streaming has personalized movie and TV show experiences that you can’t get anywhere else.
Flash to Today
From black and white beginnings to immersive at home experiences, the television has become a staple in our homes and lives. Television has produced communal experiences that we can keep personal or share with others as it brings us all closer together and remains one of the things we have in common. It has transformed global culture, and it remains innovative and modern. It will constantly evolve with our fast-evolving world.
