I was filling my car up with gas the other day at a Mobil station when it struck me that television sets are everywhere! The thought occurred to me because I found myself watching TV while pumping gas. The gas pump had a TV built into it and was showing a combination of news, ads and short entertainment features on a special network just for gas station pumps. At the next aisle over was a taxi cab. Between the driver and the backseat was a small TV, so that passengers could be entertained and shown ads while the cab was stuck in traffic. This got me thinking; it is not just gas stations and taxis. I often watch television while sitting on planes. Not long ago I even found myself watching in a rest room. I was at a sports bar and the bar had individual tv’s at each urinal so that patrons didn’t have to miss a moment of action, just because they needed to use the bathroom.
The key question is “why have television sets become so ubiquitous?” Continue reading