The tyranny of entertainment

We were beguiled by the adverts and then worn down by the children. So we finally relented and upgraded to a Tivo box. You know – like a Sky+ box – but for Christians (not as much money, and not owned by Big Brother Rupert).

So we could record the shows and movies we like and watch them when we want to. We can pause and rewind programmes on the fly and access a whole new world of online content. TV heaven awaits.

Or does it?

I’ve noticed three nett effects in the 3 weeks since the Virgin Upgrade Geezer drove off:

1. Programmes now take longer to watch.

Because we can rewind – we do! Tracking back and re-watching bits that we thought were funny, or missed when someone went out of the room to brew a cuppa. Admittedly, it also allows us to fast forward through the interminable ad breaks, but still – we inevitably finish watching something after it has long stopped broadcasting.

2. We watch more TV, not less.

When previously I spotted a film I would like to see that was broadcast late at night – I just didn’t bother and went to bed. Now, I record it, and start watching after the day’s work is done, and the teenagers are snug beneath their duvets. Invariably, I am now later in bed than before, having ticked off another of my “1001 cinematic experiences to have before I die”

3. I feel an unhealthy sense of debt towards unwatched programmes.

Because we can now record whole seasons of shows, I don’t have the opportunity to miss out on an episode – I can (and therefore should) watch them all in sequence.

In short, I have discovered what I should have guessed in the first place. That another promise from the world that I would have my life enhanced and be set free by the payment of a slightly bigger subscription, and a shiny new piece of technology in my home, so easily turns into the opposite. Something that diminishes and enslaves me. Turns out that entertainment requires just as much discipline as work to enjoy it in a godly way—if not more.