Let me start out by saying that I have really begun to enjoy Veronica Mars. I wish that I hadn’t been so quick to judge the name of the show before, because I think that I would have most likely watched it on a weekly basis. It’s niche that it seems to have is as an average teen show with a not so average teen plot. I love how it manages to mix everyday high school life with a crime detective twist.
My feelings on Degrassi are not so similar. While this was the only episode out of the 3 this week that was a half hour show, this one was the hardest to watch. I STRUGGLED to watch the whole thing. Maybe it was because the acting was bad or maybe it was not a great pilot, but regardless, I would definitely never find myself watching it again unless I was forced to. I think that the show, however, is quintessentially millennial. The pilot is littered with images of technology such as cell phones and computers with the Internet. In fact the school seems extremely proud of its new computer lab. The young characters, especially, Emma, seem to support Watkins claim that “young people enthusiastically embraced the technology” (6). Her willingness to break the rules and go on a computer in the computer lab, just to read a message from her crush, Jordan, demonstrate the addictiveness of the internet that Watkins discusses. The ability of the internet to facilitate relationships and connections between people who are not face to face is evident in the budding teen relationship between Emma and Jordan: “time spent in front of a computer screen is rarely, if ever, considered time spent alone” (Watkins xix). I think it could be interesting to follow this series from its start in 2001 to present day to see just how new technology has evolved over the past decade and how it has effected the lives of teens.
Kyle XY is another show that I judged incorrectly based on the previews. When the show was assigned, I wasn’t very excited to watch it, but I ended up liking it a lot. It was actually pretty interesting watching Kyle learn about the world and language as a teen. The idea was very unique and I even found myself laughing at the “Juice me!” scene. Stein makes a solid argument when she explains how ABC family has turned Kyle XY into “more than an aired half-hour or hour text” (131). In fact, ABC family recognized the potentiality of new media to expand the viewer experience to help build brand loyalty and exploited it using the internet. Millennial fans could now discuss their thoughts on online discussion boards, play games to discover clues about the context of the show etc. Paul Lee “presents viewer social networking as key to establishing a dependable viewer base. He describes the website as a “full scale online community that will allow our viewers to not only constantly connect with our shows and games but also with each other [and suggests that] such community building [is] a route to brand loyalty” (Stein 133). More and more, television shows seem to be going beyond just being a one-hour part of their viewers’ week. One would be hard-pressed to find a show that did not have a website. This expansion displays how the Internet has changed how Americans choose to spend their leisure time. The interactive nature of the internet that allows people to contribute and produce, rather than the television experience where the viewer can only consume, is more entertaining and appealing for many which somewhat explains why networks such as ABC Family are turning to the internet to build brand loyalty.
No comments:
Post a Comment