Broadcast Television has been a part of our lives for more than 50 years now... That box with a screen in it has certainly become as much a part and parcel of our lives, as our own Natural appendages, familial relatives, and even children and pets!
The TV set has always managed to find itself a home, even in the poorest of hovels, and it's presence is expected to be seen everywhere... I once had a small apartment that did not even have the space for a lounge chair, and I got myself severely razzed for not having a TV set, by my so-called buddies at the time... They wanted to see the TV broadcast predictions and ceremonies of the very same "live" football game that we were going to attend ourselves, that very same day!
These days, I am a businessman. Having witnessed the power of TV programming as a "Life- Changing Force" for good or ill for over 50 years, I can say with confidence that the coming changes will definitely affect our lives very deeply and very personally... And I am dismayed to see how casually this matter is being handled!
I have lots of experience as a consumer and as a businessman with media of all types-- From radio, all the way to the Internet... All of these platforms have their distinct functions and varying degrees of power as they intersect with our Lives, however Television, with it's visual impact and instant presentations, can scale the walls of our perceptions and jump into the pools of our collective imaginations and swim around at Will... Sometimes we don't even realize that we have the option to shut it off...
Marketing and Advertising folks have always utilised this peculiar effect of TV to their advantages, and certainly we all know about the effectiveness of that-- Just a look around our homes and apartments will show how many brand names are attached to the stuff that we bought, because we saw it or heard about it on TV.
Nowadays, with the Internet becoming more and more an advertising medium, especially for micro-enterprises and small businesses with modest budgets, that ever increasing desire for marketing and advertising folks to cost-effectively link the Internet with Television, is now about to be met fully and roundly... DTV can and will be, inter-connected with the Internet by the wise and savvy business persons and small companies who have an understanding of the powers of this "New Media World" of opportunities.
With a Direct Digital Interface, these media can mesh together-- Along with Digital Radio and other players, for a very potent mix that can be very good for some us Humans, or very bad for some of us Humans...
Hidden within a huge cultural change is the danger that many will be marginalized and forgotten about... Traditionally these are the Poor, Minorities and The Elderly and the so-called, Physically and Mentally Less-Abled...
The DTV Initiative is, of course an "Enterprise" which will make a while lot of money for some very rich folks, while there is nothing at all that wrong with that goal, I see troubling times for huge groups of people in our society... There are those that will be able to use the two $40.00 dollar coupons that will help them purchase a DTV Converter Box, ( Hopefully, the manuals and instructions coming with this device will be clear enough for correct installations) and those to whom this coupon is just another discount on something that they cannot afford to buy in the first place.
My experiences of serving the Elderly, by showing them how to find their way around the internet, has revealed the need for comforting instructional guidance to help these folks learn what to do, "When the TV goes bad". The Television is the only thing that keeps many of these folks alive, I can tell you for a fact, and without it... Well, you do the math.
The problems that arise from cultural changes are as many in number, as the riches that come from those same changes, but this time... We do have an idea if what can occur in our society, for better or for worse.
From personally going out to help others meet the challenge of DTV ourselves, to writing instructional articles about DTV, with the object of helping others get through the changes successfully, we Internet-savvy folks can better our own Lives...
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