Tech Talk - Have television’s evolved from Entertainment devices to 'Edutainment'?

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Disclaimer This is an opinion piece discussing how technology impacts on how we use our entertainment equipment. All views and product reviews are those of the article author.

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Lockdown, it's a new way of life! I don’t know about you but it has certainly changed how I have used technology over the past few months and how I use my television. Before I begin, what do you use your Television for?

Think back to 2019, has your TV usage changed?  Recently Samsung released an interesting article about: ‘Edutainment’ Is The Latest Trend In TV, could this impact on entertainment shows and how we look to entertain ourselves as we move away from traditional television watching?

No longer are we using our TV just to watch the latest episode of our favorite TV show on the BBC, ABC, etc. The invention of the Smart TV has made it possible to access online and streaming services with ease, allowing Television to evolve again for none entertainment purposes. In the poll of 2,000 UK adults, we are using our television for both education and entertainment purposes forming a new desire for ‘Edutainment’.

I know what you are thinking education is mainly for school kids, but adults are now using their televisions for education as one-half of UK adults surveyed answered that they have been able to maximize their own time at home to better themselves and keep the mind motivated – through watching documentaries or tutorials. I'm guilty of this, and instead of watching Lucifer, Scrubs, or How I Met Your Mother for the 50th time or watching the latest Netflix show, I’m watching Youtube videos learning PC building skills, fitness advice, and more.

“From the popularity of shared and interactive game-playing, such as quizzes, to using screens for educational material for helping children to continue to engage with the school curriculum – TV screen time is unquestionably playing a central part, and therefore offering some insight, into how many people are coping and developing whilst going through these unprecedented times. - Dr Kairen Cullen, Chartered Educational Psychologist

Smart Televisions with apps, games, and online resources and are now becoming communication tools with the use of built-in webcams and microphones. We are using our gaming consoles to communicate with friends, video calls with groups of people, and chat windows from the comfort of our sofas, distracting us from our typical TV usage. Is the availability of interaction with real people making us move away from the characters on screen?

So my question to you is this, are you changing how you use your television? Has your viewing habits changed over the past few months? I would love to know your thoughts and opinions in the comments below. I personally have seen a significant change in how I have used my television and if I'm not the only one, what does this mean for the future of entertainment shows? Our televisions are becoming the new mobile phones, giving us a one-stop place for our needs, especially in lockdown.

Source: Samsung Newsroom