ENTERTAINMENT: Improved Connections

HD television has created a buzz in today’s media world. Television and radio are becoming more readily available and accessible on the Internet. Websites such as ABC.com and NBC.com offer all programming on their normal television channels but audiences can watch them in HD streaming over the Internet. These improved connections have allowed for people to view shows such as Desperate Housewives, Lost and Extreme Edition Makeover Addition. The diverse programming demonstrates the culture of the United States through fictional and reality series.
The websites also provide message boards with posts from people worldwide. This proves that American entertainment and television via the Internet are spreading culture and creating a global community. The general public is following television and videos, ritually. “ For years, television shows treated the Web as a secondary product to promote the daily broadcast, but it turned out that simply repackaging television segments did not prompt visitors to keep returning. What did work, it turned out, were bold photos, snappy headlines and a sense of urgency, as conveyed through perpetually scrolling ‘updates,’”(Stelter, 2008).
Through the new connections there are is a constant influx of information and ideas being shared. Countries that were previously limited to outside influence are being bombarded with traditions, values and activities from across the world. Is the United States on its way to overshadowing or just assimilating through mass media?