Tuesday, October 15, 2013
Blue Skies
Why do you think that Thomas Streeter titles his essay the way he does? What do “blue skies” and “strange bedfellows” have to do with 1960s discussions about the possibilities of cable television? Does the language used around cable at that time sound similar to the way new media technologies are discussed today? Explain.
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Thomas Streeter titles his essay blue skies and strange bedfellows as an analogy to coming of new technologies that we will bring into our homes. Cable television had the potential to change how people experienced cable and the things that they would be allowed to do in their houses. The way that people viewed cable during this time is not to un-similar to the way Netflix and streaming shows are being viewed today.
ReplyDelete"The promise of cable television remains a glittering one..
Those who own these electronic circuits will one day be the ones
who will bring to the public much of its entertainment and
news and information, and will supply the communications
link for much of the city's banking, merchandising, and other
commercial activities. With a proper master plan these conduits
can at the same time be made to serve the City's social, cultural
and educational needs".
With every big technological advancement their are the people that look at the positives in the tool and see how it can help make our lives easier. That is what's behind Streeter's title looking up to the possibilities of what can be. To help improve the lives that we live on a day to day basis.
I believe choosing "Blue Sky" was a deliberate choice to invoke a positive view of cable as a product. "Strange Bedfellows" was a way to suggest that the cable companies were taking on unconventional markets at the time. These refer to minority type programming, meant to serve as counter-programming to sponsored TV.
ReplyDeleteThe language is very similar to how new media is discussed. And like new media, this view of cable is far too charitable. While the "Strange Bedfellows" argument suggests new forms of entertainment, in reality its the same entertainment on a new platform. People use new media to view the content previously on cable in a more convenient fashion, not to consume a significantly different variety of media. The purveyors of new technologies always use a "Blue Sky" type argument. They paint the new as a disruptive force for good. But the forces of the status quo often co-opt new markets and technologies, bending them to suit their needs.
Technology is only as effective as the people using it. Cable was warped to serve the purpose of the networks, and new media is being used as a tool to deliver cable programming.