Changing Media

Recent studies have shown that more people vote for American Idol contestants than voted in the last presidential election. What in our culture has fostered this loyalty to a television show? Henry Jenkins addresses this phenomenon and the advertising ramifications of such loyalty in his book Convergence Culture. Jenkins references studies that have shown how viewers who watch a show every week are much more likely to remember the things advertised during the show. This means that more advertisers are willing to pay to advertise on shows like American Idol where so many people keep watching week after week. This leads to a major question: what does American Idol do to keep viewers coming back every week?

Personally, I do not watch American Idol. I have seen parts of several episodes, and I have never voted for a singer. I can understand why American Idol appeals to so many people. In today’s day and age, people want to be involved and vote. However, they also like the convenience of voting from their couches. American Idol is perfect for these people because the show uses votes to decide who wins and yet still makes it incredibly easy for viewers to vote. Media today encourages mass participation. American Idol is just one of the many ways that television is adapting to allow viewers to become more involved as television competes with the internet.

Television has to compete with the internet because many media users enjoy the ability to see many different perspectives quickly. The internet also allows adventurous media users to post their own thoughts and stories. Television does not usually allow for this possibility. American Idol is so successful because it does indeed allow “users” to participate and vote if they want to. This idea will probably be continued in the future to encourage more people to continue to interact with and watch television.

One recent movie, Snakes on a Plane, used internet advertising to help get younger people to the theaters. This movie was innovative because previous movies did not focus on internet advertising as much as this one. The end result was that more internet users went to see the movie in theaters than might have otherwise. With internet based movie rentals such as Netflix and Blockbuster, fewer people are actually going to the theater to watch movies; they can simply wait for the “free” rentals from Netflix or Blockbuster. This type of advertising over the internet will probably play a larger role in future movies because a large percentage of the moviegoers also use the internet as a major source of information and news.

The internet is becoming more popular. As this happens, television shows will have to adapt. Already, shows like American Idol are letting viewers vote. Other network shows post the latest shows online for download. New movie releases also will have to be advertised to online markets to maximize exposure. As the world becomes more oriented around interactive media such as the internet, traditional media such as radio and television are going to have to make large changes to keep their market share.