Maybe I am behind the times (I usually am, so this isn’t surprising), but I just cannot get into online video. I have tried and tried, but for some reason it’s just not for me. I
don’t get into YouTube, I have never used HuLu and despite my best efforts I don’t care enough to go to network websites to watch new content. Because part of my role on this blog is to
examine why I love (or why I am apathetic to) media, I spent some time trying to figure out why it is that online video just isn’t for me. This is what I realized:
For me, television is
a communal technology; I only really watch it when I’m with my girlfriends. I have the news on in the morning, and Food Network on when I’m cooking or just hanging out, but I only really
watch TV and DVDs of shows when I am with my friends. The fun of television is reacting to it with a group of people; online video just isn’t conducive to this kind of group
viewership. Now, I should say that I haven’t gotten into TV shows like I used to – primarily because there just wasn’t new content because of the writer’s strike. It is
possible that when new shows draw me in, I won’t be able to miss episodes and might seek them out online. Who knows.
On a more practical note, my laptop is four years old and
doesn’t like streaming video. Watching anything online tends to be a long and frustrating process. I will be getting a new laptop soon, so this will soon be a non-issue.
The computer
is a workhorse – it’s what I use to get stuff done. Other than Facebook and blogs, most of what I do online is work or school-related. I just don’t seek out entertainment online.
I should say that all of this has the potential to change drastically in the next few months. I am not sure that I will subscribe to cable, so it’s possible that if I want any
television entertainment, I will need to start loving online video. As of now, however, I just can't get into online video.