In 1928, the first TV channel began broadcasting. It was a solution to having to pay money to view screen entertainment (i.e. movie theatres). “We made entertainment free,” they said. “Put a TV in your living room.”
In the 1970s, premium cable television became more popular all through the US, with a boost when satellite or dish programming was available. “Watch what you want whenever you want,” they said. “Get cable.”
In late 2006 and early ’07, both Amazon and Netflix opened their internet streaming services, and we flooded in. “Watch shows, movies, documentaries, and more with no ads,” they said. “Subscribe.”
My friend and I watched a fantastic bit of cinema on Prime last week. However, our emotional experience was somewhat stunted by the ad we had to watch before the movie started. Now we find ourselves in a place where we have to pay every month for the privilege of selection, but we also have to sit through ads.
Two questions:
- What is coming next that will paint itself as the choice of the discerning masses, and internet streaming as the grasping bourgeois?
- When will we ever learn that we cannot watch to our heart’s content?
Ugly truth: there will always be more entertainment, you can never consume all of it.
Beautiful truth: you don’t have to. You can read instead of watch, and you’ll have much more to show for it afterward.
Simon Joshua is a licensed investment advisor representative at Cornerstone Wealth Partners in Michigan. He has structured his practice around investor coaching and committed himself to leading communities in establishing a legacy of fulfillment.
Simon Joshua 