A Media In-Betweener

When I consider the media landscape I inhabit, a phrase comes to mind: stuck in-between.

Jeraul75

Why do I feel this way? Let me visualize it. Pretend that the following street represents my media consumption:

As you can see, my street is dominated by two of the biggest broadcasting systems from the previous 100 years: television and radio. True, when it comes to tv, I get my programming quite differently now than I did when growing up. I watch little to no programming on the four major networks. But my changed habits are about more than cable vs. traditional over the air broadcasters. Instead, the big difference is that I watch most television through dvr or Netflix. And you know what this means. . .

No commercials. So long advertisers. Well, sort of. Of course, I still must contend with product placement. But that's a topic for a different post. 

I started this post with a comment about feeling like I am stuck in between. Remember: 

Jeraul75

My point is that my viewing habits are increasingly different from those older and younger than me. My parent's generation is still pretty devoted to the big networks, including an indescribable devotion to local newscasts. 

On the opposite end, there are my own children. It's not just that they consume most of their media on their phones, but it's that the media they consume has been crafted specifically for the internet, mainly YouTube channels.

And then there is me. As I stated, I consume most of my media through tv and radio; however, there's the internet, lurking just down the street.

I feel like I am inhabiting both worlds, and I'm not sure what to make of this transition through which our culture is moving. So how about some questions:

• Is it a problem that there is more niche marketing when it comes to programming? 
• Is it a problem that, aside from the Super Bowl, there are very few media moments that bring tens of millions of people together as was common in the 20th Century? 
• Does the plethora of creators and entertainers online signify a challenge to the corporate media system or are these creators and entertainers already a part of our overwhelming commercial culture?

I don't have answers to these questions, yet. But as a media consumer, I find them worth exploring. In any case, long live the local news: