So much content, so little time
ANXIETY: Golden age of TV leaves viewers with high expectations and no satisfaction
In our gazillion-channel universe, a blessing has become a curse. The mere thought of picking one TV show to watch provokes anxiety.
Content overload is your constant TV companion — hounding you, guilting you out, reminding you of what you’re missing even while catching up on what you’ve missed. Weighed down by should’ve, could’ve and would’ve, there’s no viewing pleasure.
We’re prisoners in a room without a view, swamped by broadcast television, cable and streaming, paralyzed by the mere thought of selecting and unfulfilled by every selection. It’s just plain bad for our well-being and it sabotages our productivity.
Barry Schwartz, a professor and author of The Paradox of Choice, says the essentially infinite number of TV possibilities ends up reducing the satisfaction people get out of whatever they are watching. “They think about whether there is a better option out there somewhere, and this detracts from the enjoyment they get out of what they are watching.”
Sure, we can always record one show while watching another, but when will we find the time to watch the recording?
“Digitized pop music has the same effect,” Schwartz says. “We can walk around with thousands of songs on a device no bigger than a business card. With every tune that comes up, we think about all those other tunes we’re not listening to.”
Avid TV viewer Jess Carver admits she just can’t select, kick back and relax. “There’s too much TV, so I watch a bit of everything and enjoy nothing!”
Some shows she tries to watch in real time, such as Better Call Saul, The Walking Dead and America’s Got Talent, but she is plagued by commitaphobia, endless PVR-ing and trying to dodge Twitter spoilers.
So much content, so little time. And, seeking the perfect choice is recipe for misery.
It’s no different from the online dating world: “If you’re not immediately struck by lightning, then you’re immediately looking for something else instead of being satisfied … always thinking about other choices you could be making and what you’re missing,” says Lori Gottlieb, therapist and author of Marry Him: The Case for Settling for Mr. Good Enough.
Our expectations have become unrealistically inflated, with the bar set way too high, says Gottlieb. “We enjoy everything less because we’re constantly thinking we could do better.”
Content overload is Damian Holbrook’s life. For the TV Guide magazine columnist, it’s pretty much impossible to keep up. “It’s an insane time for TV journalists.”
Despite the anxiety it brings, he loves the overwhelming load of programming. “Never before have there been so many choices, so many great examples of creativity and so many escapes from the weirdness of the real world. But I do miss reading. That’s still a thing, right?”
TV was a lot simpler way back when.
“Growing up, I had three major networks to choose from, the news was on at 6:30 and 11, and kids got up early Saturday mornings to watch cartoons,” says TV blogger Denette Wilford, who has 46 shows on her PVR. “Now, the choices are endless and while that seems like that shouldn’t give anyone anxiety, it totally does because more options means more decision-making to do.”
Advance screeners allow her to manage viewing overload, plus Wilford has learned to weed out the excess.
“Any shows I have more than a handful of, it means I don’t care about them that much to watch,” she says.
While peak TV can be an immense dilemma for viewers, the overcrowded content universe is far from a nightmare for critics, says John De Simio, executive vice-president of the Broadcast Film Critics Association. “It’s actually a glorious opportunity to review the offerings from this new golden age of television … Luckily, the increase in the number of programs is accompanied by a corresponding increase in program quality.”