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To many of us who don't own a TV, that doesn't ring true. We find sitting in a dim room to be an inherently a-social activity, therefore count the creation of

To many of us who don't own a TV, that doesn't ring true. We find sitting in a dim room to be an inherently a-social activity, therefore count the creation of a temptation to engage in activities that minimize interaction with each other among the disadvantages of having such an appliance in one's home. Which isn't to say that I have anything against video entertainment. But to me it's personal entertainment, the same as reading a book or playing playing Candy Crush on a phone. So I don't really draw a huge distinction between a room full of people staring at a 40" screen on the wall and a room full of people staring at 4" screens in their hands.

orbitur 13y ago
Is that "room full of people staring at 4" screens" focused on the same event, such as a football game? Because, otherwise, the purpose of having all those people in the same is defeated. The point is a shared experience, not just having bodies in the room.
vitd 13y ago
How do you feel about going to the symphony or other theatrical events? It's pretty much the same - several people in a dark room not talking. But many people enjoy sharing the experience together because they can look at each other and laugh, smile, or cry at the same moments, and then discuss it afterwards. It's very social both during and after the performance, and is very similar to watching TV together.
- bunderbunder 13y ago
  Pretty similarly, actually. I enjoy those kinds of events, and am happy to share them with others, but I still consider them to be much more solitary activities than things like sharing conversations, meals, playing games together, etc. And so I place less value on them as ways of interacting with my loved ones. The upshot being, Comcast has a serious uphill battle in wanting to convince me to spend a whole lot of money and rearrange my house all for the sake of (to my tastes) reducing the level of satisfaction I get from my family & social life. Not that there's anything wrong with having different feelings from mine about the subject. But the feelings of people who already have and like their TVs are maybe not so pertinent to the question of how to win the business of those of us who don't currently have or want one.

orbitur 13y ago

Is that "room full of people staring at 4" screens" focused on the same event, such as a football game? Because, otherwise, the purpose of having all those people in the same is defeated. The point is a shared experience, not just having bodies in the room.

vitd 13y ago

How do you feel about going to the symphony or other theatrical events? It's pretty much the same - several people in a dark room not talking. But many people enjoy sharing the experience together because they can look at each other and laugh, smile, or cry at the same moments, and then discuss it afterwards. It's very social both during and after the performance, and is very similar to watching TV together.

bunderbunder 13y ago
Pretty similarly, actually. I enjoy those kinds of events, and am happy to share them with others, but I still consider them to be much more solitary activities than things like sharing conversations, meals, playing games together, etc. And so I place less value on them as ways of interacting with my loved ones. The upshot being, Comcast has a serious uphill battle in wanting to convince me to spend a whole lot of money and rearrange my house all for the sake of (to my tastes) reducing the level of satisfaction I get from my family & social life. Not that there's anything wrong with having different feelings from mine about the subject. But the feelings of people who already have and like their TVs are maybe not so pertinent to the question of how to win the business of those of us who don't currently have or want one.