American Idol

From Couch Potatoes 

to Zappers.

(Jenkins, 2006, pg. 74) I agree with Phillip Swann when he says interactive television should and will be designed for zappers. It’s only practical that an audience make a split decision as to the benefits of watching a yellow poodle over the Stephen Hawking’s Universe. With so many more options every day, it comes down to audience survival. When I was growing up we had three major channels to choose from. Studios had fewer competitors and could take their time producing shows compared to today. Grabbing the zappers’ attention is a fast pace challenge that no longer yields the majority of the TV audience. The audience has split into highly specific interest groups.These groups recognize the amount of time in their day has not changed and they need to make a quick decision as to how they are going to spend it. I applaud the young zappers for recognizing the fact.

(Jenkins, 2006, pg. 77) Jenkins discusses the reorienting of casuals, the portion of the audience outside the loyal routine viewers, to basic mechanics or background of a television show. This is an important step in any learning environment. The rule of thumb, tell them what you are going to tell them, tell them and then tell them what you told them, rarely fails. These are the added aids that students and viewers complain about because they no longer need them, but fix on  when new to a situation. For example, in using virtual environments to teach a subject, a “beacon” avatar could easily become the target of classroom jokes, but probably only after the student no longer requires a guide to tell them the ends and outs of making their way through the new interactive venue. Online accelerated classes benefit from such an avatar guide since the repeated instruction and assistance is required for new students every few weeks. Orienting the audience is a critical element in planning the success of new interactive environments.

I’m glad I read this chapter when I did. I had toyed with having my daughter audition for a similar show tomorrow. Before that is, I actually watched the show. The audience on this particular night was filled with barbarians and the judges were not very convincing. All I could see was their careers. When I see a great actor, I always forget they are acting. The same should be true of teachers. Yes, in some cases our careers are on the line, but no student should ever have to see it. We should care about them, do our best and try to forget the scores.

Source:

Jenkins, H. (2006). Convergence culture: Where old and new media collide. New York: NYUPress.