VCR-Use and Patterns of Time Shifting and Selectivity
Journal article by Jan Van Den Bulck; Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, Vol. 43, 1999
Journal Article Excerpt
VCR-Use and Patterns of Time Shifting and Selectivity by Jan Van den Bulck The VCR: A "Time Shifting" and "Selectivity" Device When Levy did his first studies of VCR-use at the end of the seventies only 2% of American households had a Video Cassette Recorder (Levy, 1980; 1981). Nowadays the percentage of homes without a VCR is becoming smaller and smaller. About 96.3 % of American households are now estimated to own at least one VCR (Stanger & Jamieson, 1998). Similarly, a recent Flemish study of 819 families with 11-year old children estimated VCR possession at 90.2% (Muijs & Roe, 1997). In a large part of the world the VCR therefore rapidly seems to become a standard attribute of the living room, next to the equally ubiquitous television set. While Levy attempted to study "early adopters" of the technology, researchers will soon be able to look at only a small group of "laggards" who appear never to want to use or own a VCR. From the beginning many authors explicitly or implicitly described the VCR as a 'revolutionary' device. It was expected to free viewers from the constraints of mainstream network television by making them more autonomous in their viewing decisions. The viewer would thus gain better control over viewing times, a process coined time shifting by Levy (1980; 1981). Most authors also agree that the VCR dramatically increases the viewer's choice and his or her ability to watch television more selectively (e.g. Ferguson, 1992; Lin, 1992; Morgan, Shanahan, & Harris, 1990; Perse, Ferguson, & McLeod, 1994; Webster, 1989). Viewers are no longer limited by what is available on television when they are able to watch. They can watch programs which were broadcast at awkward hours or they can buy or rent cassettes with specialist subjects which are never aired on broadcast television. This increased selectivity was expected to lead to a more diversified, `richer' TV diet, while time shifting was expected to reduce overall viewing volume. If it is true that VCR-use leads to a reduction of viewing time and a diversification of the viewing diet, it really is a revolutionary device. Both heavy and indiscriminant viewing are popularly regarded as a negative attribute of TV viewing just about everywhere in the world. By allowing time shifting and selectivity the VCR single-handedly appears to stem this tide. "Time Shifting" and "Selectivity": Unsatisfying Concepts Time Shifting (Levy, 1980; 1981) is a process whereby "broadcasts are taped for replay at later times and date" (Levy, 1981,401; see also: Levy & Fink, 1984; Dobrow, 1990; Gunter & Wober, 1989). It allows the viewer better "management" of his or her viewing. This can mean three things. Firstly, people may record programs they would like to watch, but which are broadcast at awkward hours, in order to watch them at a more appropriate time (Levy, 1980, 26). Secondly, people may record programs which are aired while they are watching another program, thus avoiding program selection conflicts (Levy, 1980, 26). The VCR may thus be used to manage differing family preferences (cf. Lin, 1993). Finally, the VCR may serve as a technical improvement of the viewing experience. "It offers audiences the capability to enrich their home viewing environment through better control of viewing conditions and choices" (Lin, 1993, 833). Lin mentions zipping commercials as such an improvement of TV viewing (see also: Barwise & Ehrenberg, 1988, 78-79). Levy's definition of "Time Shifting" suggests that use of the VCR is most likely to reduce the time spent watching television. After all, people no longer have to stay up late or start watching early to avoid missing a program they really want to watch. Also, the time spent watching "passively" when nothing they particularly like is on at a time when they really want to watch television, can now be filled with watching what was recorded earlier. It suggests that the apparatus allows audiences to manage their viewing more effectively and therefore consciously (Krugman & Johnson, 1991). "Instead of choosing alternative program content, what VCR households do is rearrange the broadcast schedule, making viewing more convenient or eliminating programming conflicts" (Levy, 1981,405).The main effect of the VCR is, however, not necessarily more active involvement of the audience. The VCR mainly seems to solve two "availability" problems in the television program selection process. Research shows that whether a viewer watches a particular television program depends mainly on two elements: is the viewer available for watching when the program is aired and is the program available when the ... |
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