Georgetown University

When you turn on your television, what you’re watching probably isn’t what’s on the screens of your neighbors, coworkers or even your friends and family.

But that wasn’t always the case in the 100 years since television was invented. When televisions became widely available to the U.S. mass market after World War II, Americans largely watched the same content.

That’s because there were few networks and television channels to choose from, said Caetlin Benson-Allott, an English professor and the director of Film and Media Studies in the College of Arts & Sciences. Because early TV audiences consumed the same shows, they participated in a shared national culture and conversation, she explains.

Today, the sheer volume of shows, movies, streaming outlets and channels means that people are more likely to only watch content that feeds their specific interests and world views.

“It’s hard to get a national conversation going around a television show in an era of nichecasting as opposed to broadcasting,” Benson-Allott said.

We asked Benson-Allott about how television has evolved over its 100-year history and how it continues to shape society today, especially when we’re all watching something different. https://bit.ly/4uSsYEi