Digital Audiovisual Media Class Blog

A space for uploading regular blog posts on topics covered in the module

Audio-visual content and the effect of the culture of immediacy

The 21st century is a time of immediacy, people are living under a culture of instantaneity in every aspect of their lives, social, work, or personal life. John Tomlinson defines the term The condition of Immediacy as ideas of instantaneity, a culture that looks for instant gratification of desire (Tomlinson, 2007). In this scenario, media plays a crucial role, in which new technologies are part of everyday life, opening the door to a mediated world.

Living in a mediated world means that people can see different kinds of content through a screen. The use of media and technology in everyday life has changed how we perceive time and space (Keightley, 2013). Films and series are inevitably part of this scenario. Nowadays, it is not necessary to go to a cinema to watch a movie or be in front of a tv to watch a series. With digital platforms, consumers can watch their favorite series while making dinner, on their way to work, or in every possible scenario that they want to. The perception of space and time has been lost.

The reality is that the world is moving faster, people are living under an immediacy scenario where smartphones and the term ‘multitasking’ are part of everyday life. An example of this in the audio-visual context is binge-watching, where some people could spend 10 hours in front of a screen to watch their favorite shows. From a digital culture perspective, binge-watching can be the capacity to pay attention while being distracted at the same time (Pilipets, 2019).

Consumers are immersed in the need to have content simultaneously and immediately, and streaming platforms like Netflix are willing to please their audience. Different kinds of data-intensive techniques are applied by digital platforms to make sure that viewers spent more time on the platform. At the same time, customers have experienced personalization and participation (Pilipets, 2019).

Nevertheless, what owns the success of being watching? What makes a person want to spend several hours in front of a screen?

Romil Sharma in The Netflix Effect: Impacts of the Streaming Model on Television Storytelling explain that digital platforms as Netflix, develop a model of serial episodes similar to the most complex television programs, with a different narrative from the traditional one. In this order of ideas, the Netflix original series chooses to give the public all the episodes at once, avoiding the traditional “pilot” method. According to the chief content officer of Netflix, Ted Sarandos, it is more likely to create the culture of the fans.

In order to make binge-watching possible, the fans play an important role. They are willing to watch the series in one night, but at the same time, they can wait one or two years to be able to watch the next season. According to Victoria Sánchez, creator of Viendo Con Otros Ojos, a website of movie and series reviews, one important aspect to catching an audience that later becomes a fan, is either having actors recognized by the public target or a good trailer:

 It happened to me with the first season of Stranger Things, after seeing the trailer I knew I had to see the series. An important aspect is that people feel identified with the story, the genre of the series, or the characters. For me, it is important to see the series in a single batch and even repeat it. In the same way, it becomes a social experience, people get together with friends to watch the series, and it is a topic of conversation in meetings, so if you have not seen the most popular series at the moment, you may not have a topic of conversation.

The culture of immediacy and the mediated world is a big part of today lives, without even noticing it. Digital platforms have adapted, a new way of watching movies and series has taken over audiences.

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By: Tianna Montes
Student ID: 3370037301

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