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Is watching TV a thing of the past?
In the not-so-distant past, people turned on their televisions for entertainment and information
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In the not-so-distant past, people turned on their televisions for entertainment and information. However, with the growing dominance of the internet, more people have abandoned conventional televisions and are relying on mobile gadgets.
Raditya Nugraha, a 28-year-old media company employee, does not have a television in his rented room in Jakarta.
Having no television does not bother him at all. Raditya can access anything he wants from his smartphone and tablet. He often goes on YouTube for soccer and music-related content and Netflix to binge-watch his favorite sci-fi series, like Stranger Things and Dark.
Indonesian television channels, he says, offer nothing but “silliness”. He points out popular reality shows that actually deliver scripted and staged content.
“Even if I own a television in the future, I’ll make sure it is a smart TV that can access YouTube, Netflix and such,” he said.
A media researcher at television watchdog Remotivi, Firman Imaduddin, says media experts have long predicted that mobile gadgets will take over conventional television’s dominance.
“We just don’t know when exactly it will happen. But it seems that it’ll happen one day,” he said Monday, citing that the low-quality of television programs was among several reasons why people are abandoning the tube.
Television, which was introduced in the late 1920s, had been the primary medium of information and entertainment in past decades. In 1996, the United Nations General Assembly even proclaimed Nov. 21 World Television Day to mark television’s major role in presenting different issues that largely affect people.
But entering the 21st century, internet-connected gadgets such as smartphones, tablets and laptops have taken over television’s role, providing easy access for users.
Moreover, mobile gadgets allow users to do almost anything – from chatting with friends, ordering takeout, playing games and even finding a date.
The rising dominance of gadgets are clearly reflected in Digital 2019 Indonesia, a report by London-based media company We Are Social. According to the report, Indonesians spend an average of eight hours and 36 minutes a day surfing the internet, and only two hours and 52 minutes watching television.
Indonesia had 355 million active mobile gadgets in 2019, almost a 70 percent increase from 210 million in 2011. The number exceeds the country’s population of 264 million people, meaning that a certain portion of the population owns more than one mobile gadget.
Around 150 million Indonesians are connected to the internet, the research stated.
For Raditya, his gadgets are his everything.
“You’ll only see me away from my phone or tablet when I’m asleep.”
He watches videos on YouTube until midnight, which often causes him to wake up late.
Children have also become addicted to gadgets.
Merry, 45, initially gave each of her children a smartphone to help her keep in contact with them when she was at work. But the children now find it hard to put down their phones.
The bank employee is concerned that the excessive use of gadgets could adversely affect her children’s health and academic performance.
“It’s kind of hard to wake them up for school because they might use their gadgets until midnight,” Merry said.
Clinical psychologist Dwi Endrianti said separately that gadget addiction could negatively affect children’s growth. “They might behave aggressively and destructively when their parents try to separate them from their gadgets.”
Experts suggested that parents find alternative activities for their children. It could be reading or even raising a pet.
Bandung Mayor Oded M. Danial is going the extra mile in his attempt to keep children away from gadget screens. His administration plans to distribute thousands of chicks for male students and plants for female students to keep them busy.
However, he has backtracked on the statement, saying that the program was mainly about teaching children about entrepreneurship. Children who managed to raise the chickens could sell them for Rp 25,000 (US$1.78) at the market, the mayor claimed.
