The Anthropology of Video: Swanson's to Small Screens

When broadcast TV came into being, cultural the revolution was not just about entertainment, but the social dynamics of the family.

 

Gathering around the family television included the use of TV dinners with trays in front of the couch, and it gave a boom to companies such as Swanson’s. Disney’s first experience with souvenirs was in the selling replicas of Davey Crocket’s raccoon hat.

 

Culturally, the behavior of television watching isolates and connects. The experience is personal and forms the binding of us culturally. Super bowls, inaugurations, awards ceremonies – they bring us closer together as we talk to each other about what we saw.

 

At the same time, the use of mobile video has a “privatizing” effect. In a recent study by Hewlett-Packard (News - Alert) Labs on consumer use of mobile devices, levels of commitment to watching video were uncovered.

 

Some video that was watched as communicating occurred was considered “throw-away” video. This is something like a newspaper in the role of not being read cover to cover but being scanned with a realization that total focus was not a possibility. The behavior had implications as to the ideal device, since the quality of viewing was not as important and the comprehension of plot. Smaller devices suited this use well.

 

At the core of this use was the ability to claim privacy within the commute, so the video served a purpose in maintaining some boundaries in the crowd and also of course the entertainment of the video itself.

 

In some cases, this role was reversed as the goal was to keep others entertained, such as the handing over the device to a child to keep them entertained and allowing the owner to have some “peace and quiet.”

 

The juggling of commitments also drove a number of users to take advantage of the devices so that their personal experiences did not disturb their social responsibilities. In some of these cases, it helped keep them social such as downloading sports highlights so that the conversation of games among peers would include their having “seen” the experience.

 

In some cases, the use of headphones allowed for the family to stay in close proximity, while everyone was doing “their own thing.” So the management of personal space was transferred from commuting to communal experiences.

 

The showing of a directory of videos among peers is also a cultural phenomenon where friends will scan each others’ videos for things they may find interesting. These exchanges are complex in nature, since they often relate to more than just one interaction. The conversation leads to a message, which leads to a link an often a forward where many people beyond the initial conversation are engaged.

 

The results of these studies show that the mobile video market is full of more than one opportunity for device, display and delivery. It may be that just like the way the home started with one TV and now has many the use of a single device today will expand in the future.