Media Mediation #2 Renting 2.0

It's bad enough just getting through a movie on television. The amount of ads that consume just one movie adds hours to the task of completing a show. The ads even get closer together and longer towards the end of the movie: Of course when it's too late to stop watching...

The solution to this problem: Netflix

Image: coated.com

In my last post, I discussed how addicted I was to technology. Though I'm sure I exaggerated (I could live without this stuff if I wanted to, and even do once in a while) I've been tuning into Netflix almost once a day. It's just so easy.

Often times when I come home to an empty apartment. I'll turn on the TV to keep me entertained while I'm doing something else such as making dinner. I'll put on Nexflix. If I sit down with the intension of watching a show on TV, chances are, it probably will be Netflix.

It's just so easy. It streams right from my roommate's Xbox 360 in the living room. Surprisingly, it even works fine over our slow WI-FI connection, usually without being interrupted. My favorite things to watch are shows such as Arrested Development, or even Top Gear. Even though the interface doen't allow you to search for episodes, I've been okay with what's usually available regardless.

My television is exemplifying the personal shift to participatory. And all of this is because the internet has revolutionized almost every aspect of technology. At one point, we were forced to accept what was already an extensive amount of content cable TV was providing for us. Now we can actively choose the content. I know it's television, what medium is this anyway? There is no traditional cable television source, no computer, just the Xbox and Wi-Fi.

Netflix always makes me think about trips to the video store when I was younger. It's been forever since I've been to one, not that there are many left. Rather than posting a Netflix commercial, here in an interesting video I found about renting and how useful it can be if the infrastructure was there.



Even though this isn't a completely online service, Rentalic still uses the web to link you with other useful things that you could rent. Renting is a great way to save money and resources instead of purchasing something that you would only use once.