Steve Jobs and Television

Steve Jobs once said:

When you’re young, you look at television and think, There’s a conspiracy. The networks have conspired to dumb us down. But when you get a little older, you realize that’s not true. The networks are in business to give people exactly what they want. That’s a far more depressing thought. Conspiracy is optimistic! You can shoot the bastards! We can have a revolution! But the networks are really in business to give people what they want. It’s the truth.

He makes it sound like something out of Brave New World. I don't think there's nothing wrong with TV intrinsically, there are certainly some fantastic shows out there. But when I was in New York I went through the list of some 300 cable channels trying to find the NFL game. Its unreal, there's a channel to satisfy any whim. Part of me thinks this is an incredible accomplishment of capitalism. Another part of me (maybe the Steve Jobs hippie in me) finds this terrifying. Are there really so many people watching this channel to justify its existence? The statistics on how much most people watch TV are quite mind blowing - 5 hours per day! I realize its a cheap and easy form of entertainment but I agree with Steve its kind of depressing.


h.t. Infectious Greed