The invention and introduction of television in the life of people became a turning point in the history of the mankind. At the same time, television changed and evolved in the course of time. Today, it is possible to look back on the development of television and to reveal substantial differences between the television of today and television of the past. In this regard, the comparison of television in the past and present is not always in favor of the modern television because it is more profit-driven and less enthusiastic than the television of the past.
In fact, the television in the past was more thought-provoking and reflective compared to the contemporary television. The audience could view television and had a lot of time to reflect on what people watched on TV because movies and TV shows did not overwhelm the TV schedule. In contrast, they were quite rare and made people think and talk about them till the next issue appeared in the air.
Furthermore, the television in the past was closer to the public and based on enthusiasm rather than profit-driven as it is today. What is meant here is the fact that people creating television in the past were enthusiasts. They did not look for profits. Instead, they were inspired by the miraculous power of television to transmit visual images to the mass audience. However, today, the contemporary television is profit-driven, while without profit television becomes pointless for its creators.
At the same time, the television today is more informative. In fact, the audience can receive information 24 hours a day from different regions of the world. Therefore, they have access to diverse channels, programs and shape their opinion about issues discussed on TV.
However, unlike the television in the past, which was reflective and thought-provoking, the contemporary television is entertainment-oriented. The entertainment is highly beneficial for TV companies. In such a way, the modern television tends to entertain the audience to maximize its revenues, while the message the television sends to the audience becomes secondary.
Due to the introduction of new technologies, the modern television has larger opportunities to communicate with the audience that makes the modern television interactive. In such a way, the television makes the audience not the mere customer group but participants of issues raised by television.
On the other hand, the contemporary television increases its impact on the audience to the extent that it can shape views of the audience on certain issues. People are constantly exposed to the impact of television because they can watch television on the regular basis. Therefore, people cannot avoid the impact of television on their consciousness because a considerable part of information individuals perceive from the surrounding world they receive from television.
Finally, the contemporary television is highly commercialized. In fact, it has been already mentioned above that the contemporary television is profit driven. The commercialization of the modern television puts gaining profits the major priority for TV companies. There are no alternative goals for the contemporary television but to earn money.
Thus, the contemporary television has changed consistently compared to the television in the past because the modern television is profit-driven, while the television in the past was more reflective and closer to the public and socially important issues. At the same time, the modern television is interactive that makes the audience an active participant that can influence the further development of television.