Now Streaming: The Age of Instant Media

I want my TV shows and I want them now.  And my movies. And that documentary everyone was talking about three months ago but that I’m only getting around to watching tonight.

 

Instant streaming technology, dominated by the likes of Netflix and Hulu, is revolutionizing the modern day media experience. Gone are the days of going out for a drive in your pajamas to pick up a DVD or, dare I say, a VHS. And gone, too, are the days of rejection because Blockbuster only had 2 copies of that Indie-flick and they’re both out. Now, supply is endless and immediate (unless of course you haven’t splurged on your memberships to these streaming sites, in which case your selection is more limited).

And supply is diverse and gaining more and more momentum every day. Not only are your favorite TV shows and films offered on many of these sites, but now original content is being developed to entice you, as well. Netflix, home to the Emmy-nominated House of Cards, is topping that venture by forging a partnership with Sony Television Pictures, bringing viewers a psychological thriller expected to launch early next year. 

 So is all this streaming good, or have we become media-brats? Remember  when you’d rush home because your favorite show came on right at 8, and you couldn’t bare to miss even a second? Well, now you call the shots. And we think that, all in all, that’s pretty grand. And now you don’t have to get in touch with that weird aunt of yours to borrow her copy of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang— it’s available to watch instantly on Netflix. The classics right at your fingertips? Yeah, that’s pretty cool.