tag:theconversation.com,2011:/us/topics/watching-television-30991/articlesWatching television – The Conversation2020-12-13T19:05:06Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1495302020-12-13T19:05:06Z2020-12-13T19:05:06ZMy favourite detective: why Vera is so much more than a hat, mac and attitude<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/371436/original/file-20201126-17-nwi53y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=7%2C2%2C1627%2C1311&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1693592/mediaviewer/rm975133952/">IMDB</a></span></figcaption></figure><p><em>In a <a href="https://theconversation.com/au/topics/my-favourite-detective-95869">new series</a>, writers pay tribute to fictional detectives on the page and on screen.</em> </p>
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<p>Vera stands on a windswept headland contemplating the disgruntled North Sea. She’s clad in her usual garb; the battered hat, the annoying scarf and the tent-like mac that swirls around her stocky legs and scruffy boots. </p>
<p>When I first met Vera Stanhope in the crime fiction of <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/search?q=ann+cleeves">Ann Cleeves</a>, I liked her, but not so much. It wasn’t until Brenda Blethyn brought her to life in the 2011 ITV series <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1693592/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1">Vera</a> that I became truly enamoured. </p>
<p>Ten seasons later, with series 11 already commissioned, Blethyn has made Vera well and truly hers through a variety of mannerisms that are easy to mock but hard to get right. </p>
<h2>A woman with quirks</h2>
<p>Emily Taheny recently <a href="https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=209537830439769">had a go</a> on Sean Micaleff’s Mad as Hell but didn’t quite get there. Vera is much more than the hat, the Columbo mac and the attitude.</p>
<p>Blethyn’s version of Vera includes a wide range of audible “hmmphs”, the interrogative “hmmmms?”, and a chesty cackle. Blethyn also does a lot with her eyes. There’s Vera’s hawk-like gaze that can spot a lie at a hundred paces. There’s the evasive sidelong glance when she’s got something to hide, usually her drinking or a sugar fix. </p>
<p>And let’s not forget Vera’s walk, that determined short-legged stride that somehow gets her where she wants to be faster than anyone else. </p>
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<figcaption><span class="caption">Brenda Blethyn’s Vera teeters on the verge of comedy at times, but she pulls it off.</span></figcaption>
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<p>In terms of genre, Vera sits within the tradition of the elderly female sleuth. This would include Miss Amelia Butterworth who first appeared in Anna Katherine Green’s <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6088374-that-affair-next-door?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=rKpEtW06fw&rank=1">That Affair Next Door</a> first published in 1897. Thirty years later, <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16331.Murder_at_the_Vicarage?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=MHIodtHbXI&rank=1">Miss Marple</a> picked up her knitting and nosed onto the scene of crime. </p>
<p>The key difference is that Vera is no amateur, but a Detective Chief Inspector in charge of a major team whom she routinely berates like recalcitrant school pupils who haven’t done their homework. </p>
<p>No doubt about it, Vera can be rude and impatient. She’s also partisan, favouring her young male colleagues over her female ones, while torturing Detective Constable Kenny Lockhart (Jon Morrison) with endless boring routine investigations. Sometimes she’s hard to like. </p>
<p>But Vera also has extraordinary empathy with the hard done by in an area where people have been doing it tough for a very long time. The North East of England is a region of spectacular beauty, deeply scarred by the effects of the industrial revolution that ended with the closing of the mines and the shipyards in the 1980s. It’s also my home, although I left it a long time ago. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/from-crime-fighters-to-crime-writers-a-new-batch-of-female-authors-brings-stories-that-are-closer-to-home-123770">From crime fighters to crime writers — a new batch of female authors brings stories that are closer to home</a>
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<h2>Places of imagination</h2>
<p>One of the now well recognised pleasures of reading crime fiction or watching a TV crime drama is the <a href="https://crimereads.com/crime-in-beautiful-places/">sense of place</a>. Whether the location is evoked on screen or on the page there is always a significant relationship between the characters and the environment that has shaped them. </p>
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<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33843625-the-seagull">Goodreads</a></span>
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<p>In a fascinating essay on the <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1474474009349998">phenomenon of the TV detective tour</a>, cultural heritage professor Stijn Reijnders outlines the difference between two sorts of places: the <em>lieux de mémoire</em> (places of memory, as described by Pierre Nora) and his concept of <em>lieux d’imagination</em> (places of imagination). </p>
<p>While the former are “real” locations that serve as places of pilgrimage to memorialise past events (think Gallipoli), lieux d’imagination are the places we visit that are associated with fictional happenings, such as the Morse tour of Oxford or the Wallander tour of Ystad. </p>
<p>Such forms of cultural tourism enable readers, or indeed viewers, to pass from the real world into the fictional one and back again on a journey of the imagination. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/my-favourite-detective-kurt-wallander-too-grumpy-to-like-relatable-enough-to-get-under-your-skin-149277">My favourite detective: Kurt Wallander — too grumpy to like, relatable enough to get under your skin</a>
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<p>As convincing as Reijnders’ argument might be, it doesn’t quite encompass how I relate to the landscape inhabited by Vera which evokes my own lieux de mémoire. </p>
<p>Vera’s stone cottage on the moors reminds me of our family holidays in Northumbria where I would ride the moors on a grumpy, rotund, Shetland pony that might well have been called Vera. </p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/371482/original/file-20201126-19-68cmf5.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Police and detective Vera walk suburban streets" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/371482/original/file-20201126-19-68cmf5.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/371482/original/file-20201126-19-68cmf5.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/371482/original/file-20201126-19-68cmf5.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/371482/original/file-20201126-19-68cmf5.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/371482/original/file-20201126-19-68cmf5.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/371482/original/file-20201126-19-68cmf5.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/371482/original/file-20201126-19-68cmf5.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">From the moors to council flats, Vera evokes a strong sense of place.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1693592/mediaviewer/rm2841348609/">IMDB</a></span>
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<p>Every time Vera goes to Newcastle, I’m fascinated by how much cleaner the quayside looks since I last stood on the sooty pavement and contemplated the mucky Tyne bridge, the junior sibling of the Sydney harbor bridge: two bridges that connect where I was then with where I am now. </p>
<p>And I’m particularly delighted when Vera ends up in South Shields, my home town, and has an intense conversation with a witness or a suspect on the foreshore when there’s no reason to be outside except to capture the view. </p>
<p>Although I take great delight in the familiar locations, I’m constantly arguing with the geographic logic of the series while being surprised that it’s not raining — although in my memory it always is. </p>
<p>And so I oscillate, between the fictional and the remembered, with Vera as the character who tethers me to both through a narrative that takes me to another time and place where the answers will always be found by a smart, dumpy, older woman in a raincoat. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/friday-essay-recovering-a-narrative-of-place-stories-in-the-time-of-climate-change-95067">Friday essay: recovering a narrative of place - stories in the time of climate change</a>
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<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/149530/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Sue Turnbull received funding from the Australian Research Council for the project, Border Crossings: The Transnational Career of the TV Crime Drama (DP1600102510)</span></em></p>Sure, she has quirks. But TV detective Vera is no amateur. And Brenda Blethyn’s embodiment of her evokes a strong sense of place.Sue Turnbull, Senior Professor of Communication and Media Studies, University of WollongongLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/938032018-05-03T10:19:37Z2018-05-03T10:19:37ZBabies and TV: brain development needs a parent’s help – here’s why<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/217057/original/file-20180501-135851-xo66nh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/baby-watching-cartoons-on-tv-6-577541803?src=z-vHXGo6SRJYLeGqmmHTRw-4-12">Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>A child’s development is largely determined by experiences. These days, those experiences increasingly involve the use of technology. Television, the internet, tablets and smartphones are all familiar to the youngest of eyes. </p>
<p>For instance, in 2011, 10% of children under two had used a smartphone, tablet, or similar device. In 2013, that <a href="https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/children-and-technology_n_4171046">proportion was 38%</a>. Five years on, the figure is likely to be far far higher. Is this increased use of technology affecting children’s development? I suspect that it is. </p>
<p>The human brain is a dynamic system which is constantly adapting to its external environment. When aspects of that environment change, from being shown images on a computer screen for example, the <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Rhythms-Brain-Gyorgy-Buzsaki/dp/0199828237">brain changes as well</a>). And it is widely thought that the infant brain is more malleable <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/j.1469-8749.2011.04054.x">than the adult one</a>).</p>
<p>But are changes brought about by increased use of technology actually noticeable – and are they persistent? Are they positive or negative? There are also various elements which could have an effect. The type of technology used, for example, the duration or frequency of exposure, and the content. </p>
<p>These are important issues to examine – and similar ones have been looked at by researchers before. For instance, <a href="http://www.nature.com/articles/365611a0">one study</a> famously found that listening to Mozart enhanced a child’s performance on some IQ tests, leading to a boom in sales of the great composer’s music. </p>
<p>However, subsequent (more detailed) investigations found the effect is not specific to classical music. In fact, it is observed whenever an experience leads to a similar <a href="http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1111/1467-9280.00345">increase in arousal and mood</a>). And, as any music fan knows, the effect of music on arousal and mood can never be permanent.</p>
<p>Despite numerous <a href="http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0956797616636110">interesting studies</a> looking at technology use in older children, very few have yielded data on children under the age of two. The largest <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022347607004477?via%3Dihub">study to date</a> found that watching TV alone had a negative impact on language comprehension in children aged from eight to 16 months. But watching TV <em>with a parent</em> did not. This suggests that the relationship between TV and language reflects a lack of parent-child interaction rather than television exposure per se.</p>
<p>Screen media has also been associated with poorer <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/srep46104">sleep quantity and quality</a>, partly because of an association between technology use and <a href="http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/133/5/e1163.short">later bedtimes</a> – and also because of over-stimulation, <a href="http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/130/3/492.short">hyper-arousal</a> and the <a href="https://www.physiology.org/doi/full/10.1152/japplphysiol.01413.2009">suppression of the hormone melatonin</a>. </p>
<p>Some believe that content is key. Julie Aigner-Clark, an American stay-at-home mother, shot a video with “educational” content in 1996, which was <a href="http://www.slate.com/blogs/screen_time/2017/12/19/the_rise_and_fall_of_baby_einstein.html">so well received</a> that she ended up selling the rights to “Baby Einstein” to Disney for US$25m and was praised by former US president George H.W. Bush, for her “enterprising spirit”. </p>
<p>A decade later, Disney <a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/health/children/6425271/Disney-offers-millions-of-parents-Baby-Einstein-video-refunds.html">apparently admitted</a> that the videos may have no educational value and a <a href="https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapediatrics/fullarticle/383151">study</a> found no evidence that one-year-olds learned anything from watching Baby Einstein. It was even <a href="https://www.nurseryworld.co.uk/nursery-world/news-analysis/1153820/ict-for-against-toddlers-tv-and-touchscreens">suggested</a> by child psychologist <a href="https://www.thesun.co.uk/archives/news/147770/letting-kids-under-two-use-an-ipad-is-like-child-abuse-says-leading-doctor/">Richard House</a> that providing infants with “virtual, techno-magic worlds” confuses them and is “tantamount to child abuse”.</p>
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<p>But the usefulness of screen media may actually vary, depending on the content and the child’s age. Although there is evidence that 15-month-olds can <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4428921/">learn American Sign Language</a> from instructional videos (like patting the head to indicate “hat”) there is <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25622926">no evidence</a> that children under two can learn words from them.</p>
<p>Some <a href="http://www.pnas.org/content/100/15/9096.long">research suggests</a> that children are more likely to learn and remember words from a live presentation than a video. And two-year-olds are <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/j.1467-8624.2006.00903.x">more likely</a> to locate a hidden object when they are given clues from an actor interacting with them through speech and gesture via a live video link than when the same information is provided through a pre-recorded video clip.</p>
<h2>Watch with mother (or father or guardian)</h2>
<p>So perhaps live interaction stimulates different neural circuits than passive listening. This <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10164-003-0094-y">seems to be the case</a> for songbirds (zebra finches) learning their song from their father and it fits with evidence that the infant brain rapidly tunes to <em>socially relevant</em> information. For example, four-month-olds respond more to a person whose <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/232571757_Infants%27_response_to_live_and_replay_interactions_with_self_and_mother">actions match their own</a> as their sense of self develops and they become more aware of the external world. </p>
<p>Active engagement may have other benefits too. Using a touch screen (but not watching a video) <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2016.01108/full?">has been associated</a> with the ability to stack small blocks – so touchscreen technology may provide benefits a TV cannot. Infants are also drawn to movement, so a well-designed touchscreen app may attract and facilitate infants’ selective attention, as well as their hand-eye coordination. </p>
<p>But no matter the benefits of technology use, it is important to remember that language development typically and best occurs within the context of direct human to human social interaction. Parent-child interaction is <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/j.1467-8624.2009.01337.x">often reduced</a> when the television is on. </p>
<p>Even if we find that technology engages children under two and facilitates their cognitive and motor development, the emerging picture suggests that technology use should supplement – not replace – parent-child interaction.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/93803/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Dean D'Souza does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The flat screened babysitter is part of growing up.Dean D'Souza, Lecturer in Psychology, Anglia Ruskin UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/829602017-09-26T00:17:17Z2017-09-26T00:17:17ZSecret weapon for space travelers: A steady diet of TV?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/187431/original/file-20170925-17462-1hyf8lk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=125%2C0%2C5416%2C3997&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Deep-space journeys will have plenty of downtime.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-vector/astronaut-audience-beer-popcorn-sitting-chair-637804948">studiostoks/Shutterstock.com</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>No one knows for sure what a long-range space journey will be like for the people on board. Nobody in the history of our species has ever had to deal with the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actaastro.2004.05.013">“Earth-out-of-view” phenomenon</a>, for instance. How will it feel to live in close quarters with a small group, with no escape hatch? How will space travelers deal with the prospect of not seeing family or friends for years, or even ever again? How will they occupy themselves for years with nothing much to do?</p>
<p>Researchers do know some things from observing astronauts who’ve <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actaastro.2006.12.002">stayed in space stations</a> revolving around Earth for long periods of time, people who spent a lot of time <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(07)61056-3">shut off from the outside world in isolated regions</a> (such as on polar expeditions) and from experiments with <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actaastro.2009.11.008">simulated Mars missions</a>.</p>
<p>Because astronauts would have a lot of free time to fill, some researchers have <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/0094-5765(94)90045-0">casually suggested</a> sending along a selection of books and films or even <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actaastro.2009.07.017">bespoke video games</a>. As a social scientist who studies media use and its effects on behavior, I believe television could help. Recreating the media environment from before we had permanent, continuous access to anything we want to watch or listen to might be just the thing to help space travelers cope with a loss of a sense of space and time, with loneliness, privacy issues, boredom and more.</p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/187119/original/file-20170921-21037-15d5aao.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/187119/original/file-20170921-21037-15d5aao.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/187119/original/file-20170921-21037-15d5aao.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=362&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/187119/original/file-20170921-21037-15d5aao.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=362&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/187119/original/file-20170921-21037-15d5aao.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=362&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/187119/original/file-20170921-21037-15d5aao.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=455&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/187119/original/file-20170921-21037-15d5aao.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=455&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/187119/original/file-20170921-21037-15d5aao.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=455&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Untethered.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://unsplash.com/search/photos/astronaut?photo=Yj1M5riCKk4">NASA</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
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<h2>Floating rudderless in space and time</h2>
<p>In space, the distinction between days of the week, day and night, or morning and noon will be mostly meaningless. Before DVDs and streaming, television helped us <a href="https://www.routledge.com/Television-and-the-Quality-of-Life-How-Viewing-Shapes-Everyday-Experience/Kubey-Csikszentmihalyi/p/book/9780805807080">structure our time</a>. For some, “lunch” was when a particular game show came on. “Evening” started with the news. “Thursday” was when the next episode of our favorite drama finally arrived. Seasonal programming split the year into chunks (Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas). Annual events, such as the Super Bowl, helped us realize yet another year had passed.</p>
<p>A media system that recreates structured access would help define time in space, something unlimited access to a random list of movies would not. Knowing that you were watching something that <a href="http://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog.php?isbn=9780674559561">millions of others were watching at the same time</a> created a particular group feeling – think tuning in to a royal wedding or a presidential funeral. It remains to be seen how today’s fracturing of the media landscape has changed that. Interestingly, one of the earliest occasions where millions around the world shared a bond in front of their or their neighbor’s TV was the <a href="http://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog.php?isbn=9780674559561">first lunar landing</a>.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/187428/original/file-20170925-21172-uv4w1n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/187428/original/file-20170925-21172-uv4w1n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/187428/original/file-20170925-21172-uv4w1n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=345&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/187428/original/file-20170925-21172-uv4w1n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=345&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/187428/original/file-20170925-21172-uv4w1n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=345&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/187428/original/file-20170925-21172-uv4w1n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=434&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/187428/original/file-20170925-21172-uv4w1n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=434&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/187428/original/file-20170925-21172-uv4w1n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=434&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Thousands gathered to watch giant television screens in New York’s Central Park as astronaut Neil Armstrong took humankind’s first step on the moon.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.apimages.com/metadata/Index/Associated-Press-Domestic-News-New-York-United-/a8c71232bbe5da11af9f0014c2589dfb/1/0">AP Photo</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Out of reach, out of touch</h2>
<p>One reason <a href="http://www.albany.edu/scj/jcjpc/newsite/vol12is2/vandebosch.pdf">prisoners like to watch television</a> is that it shows them how the world outside is evolving. If we don’t want long-range space travelers to return feeling like aliens, they will need to keep up-to-date with what’s happening back on Earth.</p>
<p>Television news has an <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/S0363-8111(77)80008-8">“agenda setting” effect</a>: It tells viewers not only what is going on, but also what matters to people, and public opinion about current events. Entertainment media, from reality shows to game shows to drama, display how fashion, vocabulary and even accents are evolving.</p>
<p>Tuning in to what’s going on back home is also a way to counteract the “Earth-out-of-view” phenomenon. The feeling of being on top of what’s happening on Earth may help keep the psychological connection to the home planet active and strong. </p>
<h2>Heritage maintenance</h2>
<p>Members of a crew are likely to have different cultural backgrounds. The distinctions are biggest if they come from far-flung countries or different language families.</p>
<p>Immigrants, for instance, use the media to <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/15205430701407330">integrate more quickly</a> into their new culture. But exposure to home media is also a way to keep a connection to (and derive support from) the <a href="https://www.peterlang.com/view/product/29133">culture of origin</a>. Imagine a crew consisting mainly of people from the United States, but with one member from, say, Japan. It will be equally important to facilitate integration and bonding by making media content available that everyone can consume as a group as it is to make specific content available that (in this example) may cater to a person who grew up in Japan.</p>
<h2>Balancing solitude and community</h2>
<p>As individuals, astronauts will crave autonomy and privacy. Media can help create “alone time.” Being immersed in a book, a movie or music (using headphones) helps lock out the environment, as every teenager knows.</p>
<p>At the same time, astronauts as a group will need to work on interconnection to be successful. Even though media are often blamed for <a href="https://doi.org/10.1086/266569">dissolving social cohesion</a>, they can also create and reinforce powerful feelings of <a href="http://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog.php?isbn=9780674559561">community and group cohesion</a>. Even in families where everyone has their own smartphone and a TV set, <a href="http://cmhd.northwestern.edu/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/ParentingAgeDigitalTechnology.REVISED.FINAL_.2014.pdf">a lot of group viewing occurs</a> because members enjoy being in each other’s company. Spectator sports, in particular, can <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/019372359101500202">create strong bonds</a>.</p>
<p>Of course, it makes sense that <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1460-2466.2011.01616.x">individuals’ interests differ among groups, cultures and genders</a>, as well as with personal preferences. A supportive media access program will need careful pretesting long before the journey starts.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/187123/original/file-20170921-21005-1gw98do.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/187123/original/file-20170921-21005-1gw98do.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/187123/original/file-20170921-21005-1gw98do.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=435&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/187123/original/file-20170921-21005-1gw98do.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=435&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/187123/original/file-20170921-21005-1gw98do.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=435&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/187123/original/file-20170921-21005-1gw98do.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=546&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/187123/original/file-20170921-21005-1gw98do.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=546&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/187123/original/file-20170921-21005-1gw98do.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=546&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Gathering to watch the same show together can build camaraderie.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Family_watching_television_1958.jpg">Evert F. Baumgardner</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Building on how we already use media</h2>
<p>Media can do much more. People turn to media for <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2009.01.002">mood management</a>, either when they feel down or want to relax. The <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.physbeh.2012.05.022">distraction caused by media</a> is usually seen as negative for people trying to avoid overeating, but if food is <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/audience/foreducators/stem-on-station/ditl_eating">bland and monotonous</a>, that might be a good thing.</p>
<p>There are dangers, too. Media can <a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/acp.2350080708">distract</a> from necessary tasks, affect <a href="https://dx.doi.org/10.5664%2Fjcsm.3272">sleep</a> or lead to <a href="http://www.jstor.org/stable/26059563">addiction-like</a> behaviors. News from Earth or exposure to social media could induce <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/0002764296039004003">fear and anxiety</a> for loved ones.</p>
<p>There is, finally, a more mundane but perhaps also more fundamental reason to incorporate media into the daily lives of future Mars travelers. They will be drawn from a generation that grew up immersed in and <a href="http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ795858.pdf">surrounded by media access</a> and content. Recreating a reasonable facsimile of that environment may go a long way toward making astronauts feel a little bit more at home out there.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/82960/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jan Van den Bulck does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Astronauts traveling to Mars and beyond would face serious psychological challenges. A well-designed media program – based on an old-fashioned schedule – might help make life at least a bit easier.Jan Van den Bulck, Professor of Media Psychology, University of MichiganLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/789812017-06-09T03:54:01Z2017-06-09T03:54:01ZHow TV cultivates authoritarianism – and helped elect Trump<p>Many gallons of ink (and megabytes of electronic text) have been devoted to explaining the surprise victory of Donald Trump. </p>
<p>Reasons range from <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2017/05/white-working-class-trump-cultural-anxiety/525771/">white working-class resentment</a>, to FBI Director James Comey’s decision to <a href="http://www.thedailybeast.com/comey-tries-to-warn-america-both-parties-ask-about-hillarys-emails-instead">reopen the Hillary Clinton email investigation</a>, to <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/wp/2016/11/10/why-did-trump-win-in-part-because-voter-turnout-plunged/?utm_term=.1c0e783f027d">low turnout</a>. All likely played some role. It would be a mistake to think the election turned on one single factor. </p>
<p>However, a study we conducted during the campaign – just published in the <a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/wol1/doi/10.1111/jcom.12297/abstract">Journal of Communication</a> – suggests an additional factor that should be added into the mix: television.</p>
<p>We’re not talking about cable news or the billions in <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/16/upshot/measuring-donald-trumps-mammoth-advantage-in-free-media.html">free media</a> given to Trump or political advertising.</p>
<p>Rather, we’re talking about regular, everyday television – the sitcoms, cop shows, workplace dramas and reality TV series that most heavy viewers consume for at least several hours a day – and the effect this might have on your political leanings.</p>
<h2>An authoritarian ethos</h2>
<p><a href="http://www.oxfordbibliographies.com/view/document/obo-9780199756841/obo-9780199756841-0019.xml">Studies from the past 40 years</a> have shown that regular, heavy exposure to television can shape your views on violence, gender, science, health, religion, minorities and more. </p>
<p>Meanwhile, 20 years ago, we conducted <a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1460-2466.1991.tb02294.x/full">studies</a> in the U.S. and Argentina that found that the more you watch television, the more likely you’ll embrace authoritarian tendencies and perspectives. Heavy American and Argentinian television viewers have a greater sense of fear, anxiety and mistrust. They value conformity, see the “other” as a threat and are uncomfortable with diversity.</p>
<p>There’s probably a reason for this. Gender, ethnic and racial stereotypes <a href="http://www.motherjones.com/media/2012/11/geena-davis-institute-women-girls-are-stereotyped-sexualized-hollywood/">continue to be prevalent</a> <a href="https://www.thoughtco.com/common-racial-stereotypes-in-movies-television-2834718">in many shows</a>. Television tends to distill complex issues into simpler forms, while the use of violence as an approach to solving problems is glorified. Many fictional programs, from “Hawaii Five-O” to “The Flash,” feature <a href="http://www.medialit.org/reading-room/tv-violence-and-art-asking-wrong-question">formulaic violence</a>, with a brave hero who protects people from danger and restores the rightful order of things. </p>
<p>In short, television programs often feature an authoritarian ethos when it comes to how characters are valued and how problems are solved. </p>
<h2>Viewing habits and Trump support</h2>
<p>Given this, we were intrigued when, during the campaign, <a href="http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2016/01/donald-trump-2016-authoritarian-213533">we saw studies suggesting</a> that holding authoritarian values was a powerful predictor of support for Trump. </p>
<p>We wondered: If watching television contributes to authoritarianism, and if authoritarianism is a driving force behind support for Trump, then might television viewing – indirectly, by way of cultivating authoritarianism – contribute to support for Trump?</p>
<p>About two months before the party conventions were held, we conducted an online national survey with over 1,000 adults. We asked people about their preferred candidate. (At the time, the candidates in the race were Clinton, Sanders and Trump.) </p>
<p>We then questioned them about their television viewing habits – how they consumed it, and how much time they spent watching. </p>
<p>We also asked a series of questions used by political scientists to measure a person’s authoritarian tendencies – specifically, which qualities are more important for a child to have: independence or respect for their elders; curiosity or good manners; self-reliance or obedience; being considerate or being well-behaved. (In each pair, the second answer is considered to reflect more authoritarian values.) </p>
<p>Confirming our own earlier studies, heavy viewers scored higher on the authoritarian scale. And confirming others’ studies, more authoritarian respondents strongly leaned toward Trump.</p>
<p>More importantly, we also found that authoritarianism “mediated” the effect of watching a lot of television on support for Trump. That is, heavy viewing and authoritarianism, taken together in sequence, had a significant relationship with preference for Trump. This was unaffected by gender, age, education, political ideology, race and news viewing. </p>
<p>We’re not the first to note that entertainment can have political consequences. In a Slate article shortly after the election, writer David Canfield <a href="http://www.slate.com/blogs/browbeat/2016/11/29/how_cbs_s_2016_shows_catered_to_trump_s_america.html">argued</a> that prime-time television is filled with programming that is “xenophobic,” “fearmongering,” “billionaire-boosting” and “science-rejecting.” What we think of “harmless prime-time escapism,” he continued, actually “reinforces the exclusionary agenda put forth by the Trump campaign.” Our data reveal that this was not simply speculation.</p>
<p>None of this means that television played the decisive role in the triumph of Donald Trump. But Trump offered a persona that fit perfectly with the authoritarian mindset nurtured by television. </p>
<p>What we think of as “mere entertainment” can have a very real effect on American politics.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/78981/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>A new study looks at the amount of television voters consumed, and whether this influenced their support for Donald Trump.James Shanahan, Dean of the Media School, Indiana UniversityMichael Morgan, Professor Emeritus of Communication, UMass AmherstLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/721922017-02-07T19:10:31Z2017-02-07T19:10:31Z3D television is dead… so what next?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/155598/original/image-20170206-18261-1d9jkqt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">What's the bet they didn't buy one?</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock/Dusan Petkovic</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Back in 2010 Sony Australia’s Paul Colley <a href="http://www.acma.gov.au/%7E/media/Broadcasting%20Spectrum%20Planning/Issue%20for%20comment/Issue%20for%20comment%20IFCs/pdf/Joint%20Report%20to%20the%20ACMA%20Nine%20and%20Seven%20television%20networks.PDF">forecasted</a> that a large percentage of Australian viewers would have 3D televisions by 2014.</p>
<p>In the same year, industry pundits such as <a href="https://www.digitaltvresearch.com/about-us">Simon Murray</a> predicted that <a href="http://www.international-television.org/tv_market_data/3dtv-global-households-penetration-forecast-2015.html">sales of 3D TVs</a> were set to increase in the years to come.</p>
<p>But others were <a href="http://www.smh.com.au/digital-life/digital-life-news/future-looks-flat-for-3d-tv-20130813-2rv1q">heralding the death of 3D TVs</a> and this year the remaining major manufacturers, LG and Sony, have said they will <a href="https://www.cnet.com/news/shambling-corpse-of-3d-tv-finally-falls-down-dead/">no longer produce 3D-capable televisions</a>. </p>
<p>So despite all the <a href="https://theconversation.com/third-time-unlucky-for-3d-television-so-what-went-wrong-this-time-36907">repeated push and positive predictions</a>, what went wrong with 3D TV? </p>
<p>Tim Alessi, LG’s director of new product development, <a href="https://www.cnet.com/news/shambling-corpse-of-3d-tv-finally-falls-down-dead/">acknowledged this year</a> that:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>[…] 3D capability was never really universally embraced in the industry for home use, and it’s just not a key buying factor when selecting a new TV.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Sales of 3D TVs have been in decline for several years, according to <a href="https://www.cnet.com/news/shambling-corpse-of-3d-tv-finally-falls-down-dead/">data from analysts NPD</a>. In 2013, 3D TVs accounted for 23% of TV purchases in the United States, but this dropped to just 8% in 2016.</p>
<p>The lack of interest in 3D TV is also evident on the websites of retail stores in Australia. For example, two years ago Harvey Norman had 92 televisions on its website, of which 53 were 3D capable. Today, of the 100 <a href="http://www.harveynorman.com.au/tv-blu-ray-home-theatre/tvs/tvs">televisions listed</a>, only 11 are 3D ready or capable.</p>
<p>But were Australians ever interested in 3D TV in the home?</p>
<h2>Australians snub 3D TV</h2>
<p>Australia’s commercial and pay television broadcasters made attempts to trial 3D television broadcasts during 2010-12.</p>
<p>The trials were <a href="http://www.acma.gov.au/%7E/media/Broadcasting%20Spectrum%20Planning/Issue%20for%20comment/Issue%20for%20comment%20IFCs/pdf/Nine%20Network%20report%20to%20ACMA%20on%203D%20Trial%201.PDF">claimed</a> to be the “first free-to-air terrestrial 3D TV broadcast anywhere in the world” and included the NRL’s State of Origin. </p>
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<p>Despite the limited trials, 3D TV was then shelved by Australian broadcasters. This may have been due in part to focus on the <a href="http://pandora.nla.gov.au/pan/99321/20101118-0707/www.digitalready.gov.au/index.html">digital television transition</a>, which had started in some regions during the same year.</p>
<p>On a consumer level, 3D technology has not gained traction at home. A 2012 <a href="http://www.acma.gov.au/%7E/media/Research%20and%20Analysis/Research/pdf/Television%20sets%20in%20Australian%20households%202011.PDF">report</a> from the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) found that 3D was never a key factor in Australians purchasing a new television.</p>
<p>The main factors that drove viewers to buy a new model were: picture quality and viewing experience; a flat or bigger screen; and access to more channels. Of viewers surveyed in the ACMA report, 78% said that high definition was very or extremely important in their purchase. Only 16% said 3D capability was a key reason for their purchase.</p>
<p>So with manufacturers withdrawing from 3D TV, is 3D itself dead too?</p>
<h2>Will 3D still exist?</h2>
<p>3D has had a long and arguably more successful <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/2009/aug/20/3d-film-history">history</a> in cinema. It’s been a <a href="http://au.ign.com/articles/2010/04/23/the-history-of-3d-movie-tech?page=2">go-to for the industry</a> when faced with uncertainties with the introduction of other media, including television and the internet. </p>
<p>As shown in a <a href="https://camhprice.files.wordpress.com/2012/11/3d-movie-timeline-medium.jpg">chart</a>, developed by Sony Professional Education and Knowledge (SPEAK), the first immense 3D film period was during the 1950s when television was being introduced to many countries around the world. </p>
<p>The most recent phase of 3D films dawned in 2009, a trend that <a href="https://phys.org/news/2010-01-blockbuster-avatar-3d-revolution.html">some attribute</a> solely to the release of James Cameron’s science-fiction film <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0499549/">Avatar</a>. </p>
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<p>Despite the success of some 3D films, even Cameron has <a href="http://www.vulture.com/2013/07/james-cameron-thinks-hollywood-uses-3-d-too-much.html">argued</a> that Hollywood has overused 3D. It has been criticised as little more as a gimmick and a money-making exercise, as 3D tickets are more expensive than those for 2D screenings. </p>
<p>This period of 3D cinema is also <a href="http://www.thewrap.com/3d-movie-market-why-its-no-longer-hollywood-studios-savior/">beginning to slow</a> as the percentage of films released is 3D declines.</p>
<p>Still, 3D appears to suit a cinema audience more than the home TV, so what could be the next add-on for TV at home?</p>
<h2>Could VR and 360-video be the big thing?</h2>
<p>The latest technology being discussed in media production is virtual reality (<a href="https://theconversation.com/au/topics/virtual-reality-5439">VR</a>) and 360-video. </p>
<p>The highly regarded documentary-maker Sir David Attenborough created a virtual reality experience that was shown at the <a href="https://australianmuseum.net.au/landing/vr-experiences/">Australian Museum</a> in Sydney last year, and at the <a href="http://www.nma.gov.au/whats-on/events/attenborough-vr-experience">National Museum of Australia</a> this month in Canberra.</p>
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<p>But an experience where everyone is wearing headsets is not the best use of a cinema space.</p>
<p>This is just one reason why VR could be an interesting space in which television broadcasters can experiment – perhaps using it as additional content rather than as competition.</p>
<p>The NBA has already trailed <a href="http://www.theverge.com/2015/2/17/8052163/nba-all-star-virtual-reality-samsung-mobile-gear-vr">360-video</a>, including games and the recent documentary <a href="http://www.polygon.com/2016/9/14/12909790/nba-finals-2016-vr-360-video-cavaliers-warriors">Follow my Lead</a>.</p>
<p>In Australia, Fox Sports began to experiment last year with the release of <a href="http://www.foxsports.com.au/foxvision">Fox Vision</a>. The initial launch was focused on the peak race of the V8 Supercars season. </p>
<p>It allowed the viewer a range of “second screen experiences” via their smartphone, including 360 video hot laps. Fox Sports will expand to <a href="https://www.cnet.com/au/news/fox-vision-will-give-you-360-degree-views-of-bathursts-mount-panorama/">other sporting events</a> during the year. </p>
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<p>The Seven network also <a href="http://www.sevenwestmedia.com.au/docs/default-source/business-unit-news/partnering-with-samsung-this-olympic-games.pdf?sfvrsn=4">partnered</a> with Samsung to provide VR and 360-video experiences from the Rio Olympics.</p>
<p>But broadcasters should look beyond sport when experimenting with VR and 360-video. It could be added to many other types of TV program in Australia. </p>
<p>A key benefit is that it does not require you to buy a new TV. Instead, you can use a smartphone, which <a href="http://www.oztam.com.au/documents/Other/Australian%20Multi%20Screen%20Report%20Q3%202016%20FINAL.pdf">84% of Australians</a> already have. </p>
<p>It would further engage with the audience rather than completely take them away from the television screen. Reality programs particularly come to mind, a key battle ground for commercial broadcasters in Australia. </p>
<p>For example, Ten could allow its audience 360 access to the <a href="https://tenplay.com.au/channel-ten/im-a-celebrity-get-me-out-of-here">I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here</a> jungle. Sit in the lounge room with Wayne and Tom on <a href="https://tenplay.com.au/channel-ten/gogglebox">GoggleBox</a>, or be in the centre of the trials for <a href="https://tenplay.com.au/channel-ten/australian-survivor">Survivor</a>. </p>
<p>Maybe Seven could allow a 360 view of the <a href="https://au.tv.yahoo.com/my-kitchen-rules/">My Kitchen Rules</a> table or Nine could allow the audience to be one of the guests at a <a href="https://www.9now.com.au/married-at-first-sight">Married at First Sight</a> wedding. </p>
<p>So during a year where the battle for ratings is focused upon a sports and reality program lineup, 360 video maybe a go-to for Australian broadcasters.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/72192/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Marc C-Scott is a board member of C31 Melbourne (Community Television Station)</span></em></p>TV manufacturers have turned their backs on 3D technology. But there’s a new technology hoping to win over viewers, and you don’t need to buy a new TV.Marc C-Scott, Lecturer in Screen Media, Victoria UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/650002016-09-08T08:02:07Z2016-09-08T08:02:07ZHere’s what dogs see when they watch television<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/136744/original/image-20160906-6086-1gvgvvt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">When's the next dog food commercial on?</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.shutterstock.com/pic-39737818/stock-photo-dog-with-remote-control.html?src=-cjQvReora4j5LNYP5IkQw-1-2">Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Dog owners often notice their pets watching televisions, computer screens and tablets. But what is going on in their pooch’s head? Indeed, by tracking their vision using similar methods used on humans, <a href="http://acid.uclan.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/is-my-dog-watching-tv.pdf">research has found</a> that domestic dogs do prefer certain images and videos. </p>
<p>This research indicates that dogs have a preference towards watching other canines – but our <a href="http://acid.uclan.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Ilyena-Thesis-ACI.pdf">studies have also discovered that sound</a> often initially attracts dogs towards television and other devices. Favoured sounds include dogs barking and whining, people giving dog-friendly commands and praise, and the noise of toys squeaking. </p>
<p>How dogs watch TV is very different to the way humans do, however. Instead of sitting still, dogs will often approach the screen to get a closer look, and walk repeatedly between their owner and the television. They are essentially fidgety, interactive viewers.</p>
<p>What dogs can see on the screen is also different to humans. Dogs have <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3730601/">dichromatic vision</a> – they have two types of colour receptor cells and see colour within two spectrums of light: blue and yellow. The use of colour within media is <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3730601/">very important for dogs</a> and explains why canine TV channel, <a href="http://dogtv.com">DogTV</a> prioritises these colours in its programming. Dogs’ eyes are also <a href="http://redwood.berkeley.edu/bruno/animal-eyes/dog-vision-miller-murphy.pdf">more sensitive to movement</a> and <a href="http://sciencenordic.com/do-dogs-see-what%E2%80%99s-happening-tv">vets suspect</a> that the improved flicker rate that has come from the shift from standard to high definition television has allowed dogs to better perceive media shown on TV. </p>
<h2>But do they enjoy it?</h2>
<p>Multiple screens have also been used in research to see whether dogs can pick what to watch. <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1071581916300611">Early research has shown</a> that when presented with three screens, dogs are unable to decide, instead preferring to watch one screen no matter what is on it. This has still to be tested with two screens, and possibly more than three. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/136856/original/image-20160907-25257-13z1lvt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/136856/original/image-20160907-25257-13z1lvt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/136856/original/image-20160907-25257-13z1lvt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/136856/original/image-20160907-25257-13z1lvt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/136856/original/image-20160907-25257-13z1lvt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/136856/original/image-20160907-25257-13z1lvt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/136856/original/image-20160907-25257-13z1lvt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Oh, just let me watch …</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.shutterstock.com/pic-161832497/stock-photo-close-up-cat-and-dog-together-lying-on-the-floor.html?src=_KWEdNZ38ZPe8L3XoUB46g-1-7">Shutterstock</a></span>
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<p>While science has shown that dogs can engage with television and that they prefer certain programmes, it has yet to delve into the complex question of whether they actually enjoy it. We as humans will often watch distressing footage or videos that make us feel a range of emotions, from distress to anger and horror. It’s not always because it makes us feel good. We just don’t know whether similar factors motivate dogs to watch.</p>
<p>What a dog does engage with, however, differs from dog to dog, depending on their personality, experience and preference. This is speculated to be influenced by what their owner watches, with dogs <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0960982211013935">following their human’s gaze</a> and other communication signals, such as gestures and head turns. </p>
<p>Dogs, unlike humans, will also often have very <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1071581916300611">short interactions, often under three seconds</a>, with the media, preferring to glance at the TV rather than focus on it like humans. Research has found that even with media specifically designed for dogs, they will still <a href="http://bit.ly/2bXeDkX">spend the majority of their time watching nothing at all</a>. The ideal television for dogs, therefore, should contain lots of snippets rather than long storytelling scenarios.</p>
<p>But while dogs have their own TV channel, and have been shown to prefer to watch other dogs through short interactions with specially coloured programmes, many mysteries remain. Nevertheless, technology has the potential to provide entertainment for domestic canines, improving the welfare of dogs left home alone and in kennels. Just don’t expect a doggie version of the Radio Times just yet.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/65000/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Ilyena Hirskyj-Douglas is affiliated with the University of Central Lancashire</span></em></p>Dogs like a little TV – and researchers have been investigating why.Ilyena Hirskyj-Douglas, PhD candidate, University of Central LancashireLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.