Screen Time

I recently asked a friend how much of my claim as a “non T.V. watcher” becomes tarnished when I start watching TV shows on my computer. He responded with an answer I didn’t really like: “it is all ’screen time.”

Oh. right.

I guess it’s time to stop diluting myself and face the facts: TV is TV. And I still have that same old addiction. When E. and I unplugged our TV for good and both purchased laptops, I thought our household entertainment effectively switched from pre-packaged conglomerated junk to reading information and individual’s thoughts online. Although reading an actual book in my own hands ranks higher in my own standard of “how I should use my precious alone-time while on this planet,” it seemed as though reading and writing online couldn’t be that far behind. After all, I reasoned, one has complete control to look at what one wants online, without being assaulted with loud, obnoxious advertisements every 5 minutes. TV as background noise for most or all parts of the day is my ultimate revulsion. Somehow, news, ads and opinions are silent, they seem a lot less offensive.

Then, I discovered YouTube. I had no interest in someone’s personal rendition of “whip it,” but I happily discovered that some of my favorite shows and comedians were buried in there for my enjoyment. It was hard to look away. The stuff that you would have to wait up late to see or only appear on obscure networks was right there beyond the search bar. The selection is limited, though, and it doesn’t seem as though it’s the place to turn for entire TV series or shows. Perfect for me - TV in moderation.

Until I became aware of this site (thanks, ohchicken!). My entry into the site was to watch “Sugar Rush,” a UK drama about a lesbian teen coming out who has a mad crush on her best friend. I hadn’t really watched an entire show online, only clips and show highlights mainly of “Srubs” on YouTube, so it was a first for me. Aside from the small screen viewing, it was kinda fun. Then - I went to the main site and found TONS of other shows - some had French subtitles, yes, but they were there in their entirety - and FREE. Woe. (I just went to the site again, and discovered they also have a large number of films). Last night I think I watched about 5 or 6 episodes of “Sex in the City” back-to-back. One of my few current addictions. In other words, last night was high on the “screen time” meter. You see, it’s not that I don’t like television shows, it’s that I equate them to a good long island iced tea: so yummy, but good only in extreme moderation.

I’m perplexed by the new options online viewing of TV and movies provides me. This article talks about this trend of moving from cable-TV viewing to internet-TV viewing, and mentions Joost, a site I haven’t really checked out yet. There’s also the new Apple TV, but I stop short of paying to watch TV.

Which might just be the new border around my video entertainment rules. If I don’t pay for cable TV, I don’t pay for internet TV (and hell, why should I when most of them are online for free?). I’ve also rented shows or borrowed them from friends who own them. When you pay for something on a monthly basis, you have to actually use it to get your money’s worth (which is why I eventually canceled my gym membership). I have a history of watching waaay to much TV, and thus if I had cable, I run the risk of having it on A LOT, and spending way to much time watching crappy shows just for the hell of it. I suppose paying online per show with a service like Apple TV would eliminate this problem, as it would force you to consider with each purchase if the show was really worth your hard-earned money. To answer this question (or the question of whether or not the show is good enough to waste time watching it) I usually wait it out a couple years, let the majority of America decide (or at least the respectable ones) and then I join the viewing pool. I’m resigned to being the follower.

Which is how I’ve come to love my place within entertainment. For me, I’d be scared if I started feeling like I just had to see the last episode of a certain show, or felt like I couldn’t wait until it came out on video. Waiting gives me time to sift through and really pick one or two shows I’ll watch in a given year. The rest, in my opinion, is just crap.

So, I hope to keep this “screen time” discipline in light of the array of shows now at my fingertips. It’s a whole new ballgame, but I’ll attempt it and see how it goes…