Search
Do Program Guides Decrease Total TV Watching?
I have an interesting relationship with TV. I love watching it, but I know that there are probably better things I can be doing with that time. I guess it comes down to a laziness factor: I love lying on my couch and vegging out, but I know I could be more productive.
Recently I've struggled with the choice to watch TV or do my taxes. So far, TV has won out just as much as the Giants (is an undefeated season possible?). While not an aberration, this recent pattern got me thinking...is my TV partly to blame?
My parents have satellite TV complete with customizable program guides, so I'm used to bringing that up to see what's on. Because of the ridiculous array of channel options, there is often something good on. But occasionally I found myself scrolling aimlessly through the guide with nothing striking my fancy. Sometimes I would persist in my laziness, scouring deep through the DVR archives. But most of these times I would just quit TV for the moment and instead do some homework, reading, or eating.
That is a much different pattern than I've experienced in my own apartment. In addition to my home theater PC, I have standard cable. There is no on-screen program guide, just the excruciatingly slow TV Guide channel, so I tend to flip sequentially through channels. Except for boring news, more often than not I become intrigued by some random show, something I would not have switched to after just reading the title or info.
So here's my question:
Do on-screen program guides actually decrease total TV watching?
My guess is yes, because they increase viewers' ability to filter out shows they don't think will interest them. Even if they don't decrease total hours watched, at the very least program guides likely induce more consistent viewing behavior.
Whatever the case, the answer could help shed light onto the interaction between distraction and access to information.
What do you think?
