TV makes you smarter: Steven Johnson argues that the rise of shows like 24 with its multiple plot lines demand more from the audience than TV of old. I don't really buy this. As Johnson points out, such shows have taken the multiple plot lines of soap operas and created a complex web of interrelated stories that demand viewer attention. But here's the part that interests me:
Of course, the entertainment industry isn't increasing the cognitive complexity of its products for charitable reasons. The Sleeper Curve exists because there's money to be made by making culture smarter. The economics of television syndication and DVD sales mean that there's a tremendous financial pressure to make programs that can be watched multiple times, revealing new nuances and shadings on the third viewing. Meanwhile, the Web has created a forum for annotation and commentary that allows more complicated shows to prosper, thanks to the fan sites where each episode of shows like ''Lost'' or ''Alias'' is dissected with an intensity usually reserved for Talmud scholars.
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