Of all the theories we have covered thus far, the Displacement Theory would have to be my favorite. In relating this to television, I think it is interesting to consider how much time we spend on another form of media/communication technology effects how much time we spend watching TV. While the displacement theory would suggest that by spending more time on say, facebook, I am in return not going to spend as much time on TV, in my personal experience I have found that this is not entirely true.
I spend a great deal of time in front of the TV--more than I care to share. While there are many things I can't do while watching TV (like reading a book or listening to music), there are still several different forms of communication technology that I can use at the same time. For instance, I can be doing homework, texting or browsing the internet while also watching TV. I think this is important to keep in mind when considering the future of television because the displacement theory would indicate that as we spend more and more time on our phones or in front of the computer, we will eventually phase TV out as there will not be enough time for it. I would argue that this is not the case--as the television is really a multimedia tool that is used for much more than simply watching cable.
I will say that there is likely a decline in the amount of time we use the TV due to other forms of technology, but I also believe that TV will always play a role in most of our lives. Not only for cable viewing, but also for video game use, movie watching and even some devices allow us to access the internet from our television. In my opinion, as long as the television continues to evolve with the creation of new technologies, there will always be a place for it in many American households.
Really interesting point you make and something that researchers are now accounting for. We’ll talk about multitasking later in the semester. I think most researchers would point out that multitasking takes away from both activities and current schools of thought, as related to Displacement Theory, would point toward a “primary” activity that someone is engaged in–that is if you are truly spending time texting someone or surfing the net, you can’t by definition truly be engaged in TV viewing even though the TV is turned on–it is more of a background medium at that point. So yes you bring up a real interesting point that has become a topic of great interest for Comm Tech researchers. sle
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