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The world of television has now become compacted in various mediums in which people especially college students can take their favorite television series with them on the go.
T.V. watchers today have alternative ways to watch their favorite shows and very few of them even involve an actual T.V.. Evolving mediums such as tablets, laptops, streaming services, electronic applications and smart phones are making the act of sitting in front of your T.V. an obsolete memory of the past.
So just how much T.V. do SHU Pirates watch?
In a general survey assessment of the student body, 80% of students answered that they do in fact have a T.V. in their dorm rooms and 70% said they actually use it.
Alexander Colon, an Aquinas Hall residence coordinator, believes having access to television unifies the students on a personal level.
“As an administrator who resides in the building with the residents, I have been able to witness firsthand the benefit of having access to television, both in the lounge and in their rooms,” he said. “When you think about the concept of students living away from their home, you want to create an environment that is welcoming, wholesome and encourages positive interaction.”
Colon added that students are always in compliance with rules and regulations regarding T.V. use and to his knowledge, there may be the occasional noise complaint, but even those are fewer and far in-between which can create for great conversations about being cognizant of their actions and respectful.
Rachel Petke, a freshman graphic design major, said she invested in a T.V. in her room as a cure for night time boredom, but now believes it has become a staple in her daily life.
“I think it provides nice background noise, and it can be used at any time of the day or night. I’m a very bored person sometimes and want to be able to just veg out and enjoy what’s on the TV,” Petke said.
She added that she loved having the ability to watch ABC Family’s 25 Days of Christmas specials right from the comfort of her own room.
The survey also showed that 46% of the students at Seton Hall reported using their television set to watch primetime shows and 34% said they use their T.V. for streaming sites.
When asked how much time they spend using their T.V.s, the Pirates responded moderately.
Of the survey respondents, about 70% reported using their T.V. only 0-5 hours per week, 15% said they use it 6-10 hours a week and 15% admitted to using it between 11 and over 20 hours weekly, but not every hour of its use is equivalent to programming.
The television set can serve as a display for laptop movies and video games.
Petke said that in her room, it serves as much more than a cable provider.
“Typically I’ll leave it on ESPN, ABC Family (now Freeform) or TLC, but when I’m with my friends and boyfriend, we use the TV to watch Netflix or play on the PlayStation,” she said.
In a world where Netflix, Hulu and other streaming services make television favorites accessible from multiple devices, the medium of television itself is beginning to die out.
“I think for an actor, they would be more likely to be cast on a Netflix show than a NBC show, which is unfortunate but it happens to be the society we live in. Maybe in a few years, Netflix will take over as a major cable provider and everyone will be able to enjoy their services,” she said.
Whether it’s in their dorm rooms, the common areas and lounges or on the go, Seton Hall students are getting creative when it comes to catching their favorite shows. The survey showed how the college experience at SHU for many students includes binge-watching a favorite series through a T.V., Netflix and other mediums.
Heather Harris can be reached at heather.harris@student.shu.edu.
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