The Small Screen How Television Equips Us to Live in the Information Age

Television is one of the most important socializing forces in contemporary culture. This cultural history of primetime television in America during the 1990s documents a period of dramatic change, examining how TV helped viewers come to terms with their fears about living in a fast-paced, increasingly diverse, information-laden society.Ott considers changes that took place in programming, such as the rapid adoption of cable, the proliferation of content providers, the development of niche marketing, the introduction of high-definition television, the blurring of traditional genres, and the creation of new formats like reality-based programming. In doing so, he argues that television programmes of the 1990s afforded viewers a symbolic resource for negotiating the psychological challenges associated with the shift from the Industrial Age to the Information Age.

Brian L. Ott is an Associate Professor of Media Studies at Colorado State University. He is an award winning scholar and teacher, who has published widely in the area of media studies.