Domestic Practices of Television Viewing amidst Internetization

Abstract

Television is the most successful mechanism for promoting a coherent nationwide symbolic system and, therefore, serves well as a tool to form and mold national identities. Yet, the emergence and development of online media raised the question about imminent end of the television era when the consumers of information opt for the Web instead of TV. An analysis of the trends in terms of transformation of media and the patterns of television viewing in the context of particular countries appears to be rather aidful if one is to gain a profound understanding of the actual prospects the contemporary television faces. The article, therefore, discusses the outcomes of a comparative analysis of the demand for television in its «traditional» form and that for the internet resources in a number of countries.