OWNERSHIP
Historically, consumers have embraced and idealized the notion of material ownership, in short “consumers love to own their own content” (Palmer, 2008, p. 17). There is an intrinsic desirability for objects or products that can be held, touched and displayed – for example vinyls, tapes, CDs and DVDs. There exists a cultural eccentricity that sees much more value placed on items that can be physically possessed.
Perhaps the remnants of our primal psyche, or simply the symptoms of a capitalist society - customers often have some hesitation in committing to the purchase of a digital, intangible download. Although almost every type of media is now available in the electronic realm as well as (or increasingly, instead of) a physical marketplace or store, customers prefer to buy physical goods simply because it is more representative of value. Furthermore, contemporary society has experienced a fetishisation of media collecting, whether it be the hoarding of music records or television box-sets. The ability to obsessively curate, handle and pore over one’s own media compendium is extremely satisfying, and for enthusiasts, there is nothing comparable to the satisfaction of showing off such treasures for all to admire. The transition to digital, wherein most playable media is represented by a small image thumbnail stored privately on a computer or hard drive, completely destroys the romanticism of media ownership. There is little opportunity for content to be displayed or admired and the thrill of examining packaging and artwork is entirely removed. Digital downloads are relatively unimpressive to behold, and with a simple click, very easy to delete. Younger audiences may know no different, but for media traditionalists, the digital distribution medium is an offensive assault on the integrity and beauty of an art form. |
Current services such as iTunes, from computing company Apple, are extremely popular for the purchase of video content, which offers a convenient digital alternative to tediously amassing and maintaining a physical media library. iTunes even offers cover artwork for films and television shows, drawing upon the traditional appeal of physical media whilst allowing users the affordances of playability across multiple devices.
On-demand technology pushes the boundaries of ownership even further, as the content is provided by way of streaming. This means that there is no single, transmissible, tangible media file, but an encrypted flow of information that the video player interprets into viewable content, piece by piece. All the consumer possesses is the ability to summon specific data from a remote server at any time. Herein lies the uncomfortable task of convincing audiences to exchange money for goods they will never own (Ives, 2009). The principle of viewing and experiencing media is very much the same, but the means by which the content is being stored and delivered is radically different. Distributors must overcome the mindset that if something exists in an information ‘cloud’ then it is of less value. For most consumers streaming on-demand video instead of carrying DVDs or Blu-Ray discs, this means that video content will be more accessible, more of the time – a decent trade. Next Page ➤ |