DVR what now?

[jackfaire]

So while DVR has been a thing for literally my entire adulthood having been introduced in 1999 I grew up in a world without it. In fact I grew up in a world that also had more content than any one person could watch simultaneously.

Something hit me today. I have recently started following a Show on YouTube that I had never heard of. It wasn't recommended by any of my friends and none of them knew what I was talking about when I mention it.

Now when I was a kid if you got into a show like Boy Meets World it meant there was some other show on another network that you would never see. I have never watched a single episode of Blossom.

What this means is that at school you would gravitate towards kids who liked the same stuff you did. Even in something like POGs there would be divisions of "Well I only get DC POGs you're like Marvel POGs"

Even though you're both into the same hobbies you're consuming different content. It feels like our history is full of sharing our content with others until everyone's watching it.

But everytime we invent a way like DVR, VCRs etc to share content with people who missed it we expand and create even more content. YouTube and other such streaming services introducing even more things to the point where it's not just my clothes coming back from the 90s. Now people are back to being separated in part by what content they consume.

Is there a subconscious need for this state built into all humans? Is it just a coincidence? Does it mean nothing?

Thoughts?

[mjr]

My question is: Does it really matter? Do you need to watch everything that's "popular" or everything that's out? Are there other things you could do, that maybe are more productive or that you like better? Are there shows/movies that you like better?

There are some very, very famous shows/movies I haven't seen (and some based on books).

For instance...

I haven't seen a single episode of Game of Thrones, nor have I read the "A Song of Ice and Fire" books.

Same with Harry Potter. Haven't read any of the books. I've seen clips from the movies, but don't think I've ever seen one start to finish.

Didn't see a single episode of "Breaking Bad", or "The Sopranos", either.

Most "reality" and competition shows I couldn't care less about. I don't care which celebrity can dance, and who can dance, and who gets kicked off the island, or who can sing, or who's behind the mask. I really don't.

I've never had a DVR, either. I watch what I like. I don't worry (or care) too much about what others like. If I'm "left out", then I'm "left out".

[telecom_goddess]

I watch what I like and that's the end of it. Some of it is popular and some of it isn't. I never watched Game of Thrones or Harry Potter either, I don't care so I don't. I just care about what I find interesting.

[jackfaire]

It feels like there was time when not having seen something popular made you a bad person. Hadn't seen Heroes suddenly everyone acts like you kicked a puppy.

[mjr]

I watch what I like and that's the end of it. Some of it is popular and some of it isn't. I never watched Game of Thrones or Harry Potter either, I don't care so I don't. I just care about what I find interesting.

And that's how it should be.

It feels like there was time when not having seen something popular made you a bad person. Hadn't seen Heroes suddenly everyone acts like you kicked a puppy.

I don't think it's like that. They might think you're weird, but I don't think they think people are "bad people" because they didn't watch The Sopranos or Breaking Bad.

[jackfaire]

I don't think it's like that. They might think you're weird, but I don't think they think people are "bad people" because they didn't watch The Sopranos or Breaking Bad.

I have seen people be ostracized because "You don't like or watch my favorite show you're diseased" No I don't think all people are like that but it feels like any super fandom churns out a lot of "us vs them"