Have you ever wondered why watching television as a family isn’t as common as it used to be?
I began thinking about this question several weeks ago when I realized that I was often talking to my parents about the latest episode of Black-ish, but we never actually watched the show together. I noticed that they would watch live while I watched the show the next day on Hulu. That’s totally fine, except it seemed a little silly that I was watching the show separately from them – you know, because we live in the same house and all.
With all the television streaming services and shows posted online, audiences have become segmented, opting to watch only the shows of their interest instead of sitting through hours of programming and commercials to get to what they want to see. With everyone having their own laptops and phones, there isn’t much need to watch television as a family.
In most ways, I love that we have the ability to pick and choose programs based on what we want to see, which in turn provides us with targeted advertising that adjusts to our interests. That’s why I usually opt to watch my favorite programs online.
But as the world continues to struggle with togetherness, we can certainly stand to do more activities that bond us as a family, and there’s something special about watching a television program together. Even though you aren’t talking, you bond during that tiny, shared experience. Once the show ends, you might discuss things you wouldn’t have otherwise because television is notorious for sparking conversations in a way that nothing else can.
My family gets on each other’s nerves. We aren’t the lovey-dovey kind of family out of a ’90s sitcom that eats dinner together and talks about their day. We’re the family that rarely gets through a conversation without arguing. So I’m not sure exactly when, nor do I fully understand why, we stopped watching TV as a family, but I often find myself wishing that we didn’t, because I know that we could grow from watching together.
Do you watch TV as family? Tell us in the comments all about why you love it!
