For as long as I can remember I have loved to watch television. Whether for better or worse I am one of those statistics -- I've spent some large percentage of my life in front of the tube. I've also read a lot. These days, however, I spend most of my conscious hours online.
For much of my life, I thought of TV as being real. Possibly even more real than my actual life. TV News was serious, important, consequential. TV Dramas were serious, important, and consequential. I thought sitcoms were what life was supposed to be like.

When I now watch sitcoms that seemed perfectly viable to me 15 years ago, I'm amazed at how corny and staged they now appear -- almost like vaudeville. I've gradually become accustomed to the internet, which, although nothing near a direct translation of reality, is in many ways less mediated.

There is much less voluntary censorship. You get the swear words, the nudity, the actual thoughts of real people rather than the highly produced shows you see on TV. Many on the net feel anonymous, and are more open about their viewpoints, resulting in much more honest, real information. Much of the news I read on the internet is provided for free, so there is no fear of financial reprisal from advertisers.

I am happy with the way things are going. Although I still find TV entertaining, it is becoming more and more like the vaudeville acts and radio dramas it replaced. Reality is just more engaging.