How has your television watching changed over your lifetime?

Videotaping shows.
Cable television.
Stopped watching TV.
Went back to TV but only watched the few shows that weren’t a waste of time and space.
Watched movies and series online.
Netflix.

I watched as much as I could get away with as a kid, to the point of worrying my mom. Then I lived without a TV for a couple of years in my early 20s and that shook the habit. Since then, the only real-time broadcasts I watch are the Olympics and the occasional World Cup match. Out of curiosity, every now and then I’ll check out some DVDs of shows I’ve heard good things about, but I usually find the first episode so disappointing that I stop there. I did just finish the whole first season of Modern Family though, and actually enjoyed it.

I’m not a total media puritan, though. I watch a lot of movies.

I went from all of the above to no TV, period, in the last 10 years.
I do have a Netflix account and watch DVD’s, but no regular TV at all.
I am just not interested and refuse to pay for TV I can easily live without.

I also live on property in the hills and my greatest leisure time is spent in nature and taking pictures of my little micro-farm friends like my avatar from yesterdays Kodak moment of my goose and her sheep lover that are infatuated with each other.

Making my own videos is far more rewarding than any prime time fare that just turns your mind to mush. lol

I grew up in a house with the TV on all the time – even when everyone was sleeping. Today, the sound of TV makes me very uncomfortable. So, we don’t have cable tv. The only TV I watch is to watch an entire series via DVD or Netflix.

As for the actual TV shows I have watched in this way…
Six Feet Under (my favorite by far), The Sopranos, Louie, Arrested Development, Breaking Bad, and Battlestar Galactica.. I also watched The Wire and Dexter, despite not actually liking those shows (yes, I know I am the only person on the planet that doesn’t like The Wire).

Oh, and my wife occasionally likes to watch The Middle or Modern Family, so we watch those on the iPad’s ABC app.

Summary – I do watch shows occasionally, despite loathing TV. Also, I seem to go on binges once I get into a show, or I’ll watch a few episodes in a row during a bad period of insomnia.

Many years ago, I watched soap operas and game shows and now have no interest in them at all!

I used to follow all sorts of sitcoms .. and now seldom watch them either.

My TV viewing has reduced dramatically… mainly because I just don’t like the newer shows and “stars”.

My TV habit had been on the decline recently and I think that the Internet had a role in it. I do watch some shows online, but I’ve have now started to watch online-only shows.

I used to watch while sipping a glass of soft drink, now i’ll watch with a cold, refreshing beer…..only sometimes though.

I watch tv only on my laptop now. I used VCRs for playback back in the day, but never used DVR. I streamed for a while, until I got sick of malware. Now I only stream from network websites, or I watch DVDs, or I download. I like not having a tv as the focal point of a room anymore. That’s a cool consequence.

It causes me actual pain to see people use the word “bipolar” as a noun. Ow.

I have no idea whether your changing television view habits had any influence over the onset of mania but I do think we have many more things competing for our attention. I rarely do one thing at once. For instance, I am usually Fluthering while I watch TV. I can understand if people find it hard to focus on one thing.

My own viewing habits have changed in that I rarely watch TV in real time. I usually record programs and watch them at my convenience. My kids and I do have some things we specifically watch together. Certainly my husband and I have favourite programs we always watch together.

Television watching was never a big part of my life.

Currently we watch almost no TV at broadcast time.
Used to watch some. “Election coverage” just about made us puke so we quit watching news altogether a couple months ago.
Used to record a few programs and watch later, but things are online now.
Now we pound our way through a whole season or two of something from Netflix, one or two episodes a night. Totally do NOT miss the commercials or waiting until next week.
On my own I crank through documentaries and science-y programs that are available on instant Netflix and old sci-fi on Netflix or Hulu.

But it comes and goes. If I have a project or a some good reading to do I might not watch anything for a while.

Well, I used to love Spidey cartoons and now I just Tivo’d an opera. I will enjoy watching the three hour opera later today. I do still enjoy Spiderman movies and look forward to the next one. I refuse to talk about Star Trek.

I used to watch some TV, nothing particular, but now I don’t even switch it on!
I just love radio – at least you can do other things.