DgtizeD

This quote from the cnn article Where have all the viewers gone? is a wonderful example of corporate hope for consumer dependency.

“We let them get out of the habit of watching television a little bit, and it’s going to take some time to get these people back in front of their television sets,” said David Poltrack, chief researcher for CBS (owned by CBS Corp.).

I love it when corporate management describes their product as if it’s a living necessity, when it’s merely a form of entertainment. Companies that are building a market come across as hopeful, yet they carry an implicit understanding that the market’s existence, and thus their own, has no guarantee. Companies in established markets come to view the market as a given, and are utterly confused whenever anything changes the conditions. They are so focused on the battle for their share of the market that they forget that the market itself could just disappear. The record companies in particular seem to have a hard time realizing this potential, but they are certainly not the first or last to face such a change.

Mr. Poltrack seems to be describing television as a learned dependency the television companies have taught consumers. A learned dependency that he expects they can continue to teach. Television was originally marketed as a device to assist in education, as well as for providing entertainment. The television companies have done a wonderful job of keeping their word, it educates people in all manner of topics. It teaches people what they should buy, what they should be afraid of, who they should hate, what they should believe, and best of all, it teaches people to continue watching their televisions. Lifelong learning at it’s very best.