A little joy of our time. The video shop. It was a big part of many people’s leisure experience growing up, if you were born in a certain time of course. And that colour scheme we have recently become familiar with again, but for slightly different reasons. It was a special thing to be able to watch videos, remembered well by me as we didn’t have a VHS player until I was nine I think – so most of the 80’s were only watching normal TV, films at Christmas and very occasionally going to the cinema as an extra special treat. Then we had one, and of course no videos to watch as they were expensive, so you rent them, from Blockbusters. And along the way you learnt to buy blank videos so you could start recording programs, same with music tapes, but if you wanted to keep up with films that’s where you went. Seeing the ones rated out of your age range, trying to find someone to blag to rent them for you, Friday night hanging around waiting for someone to bring back a tape.

Completely different to these days, but I can’t deny I wanted the change to happen. I used to dream of having a ‘video store’ within the TV, and at just the push of a button you could pick any film you wanted and watch it in your own time, at your own leisure with no hurrying to get it back before you get charged a fine. Then we had sky, cable, save for later, amazon and netflix, all providing the efficient system of stored digital copies of all the things you could ever want to watch. No waiting, there at your fingertips all the time. Sounds great doesn’t? And it was, until you realise what it is you are actually doing. Giving up your real life, to spend your time watching pretend people, living a scripted and well arranged ‘life’ instead. It seemed so buckled once I realised, even though I was aware that it took you away and tapered off my viewing once I hit adulthood, I wasn’t really aware at how others were engaging with it. Video games will also be included here, because back in the day you could rent those too from the video store, and they have gained more attention for ‘influencing’ behaviour in recent years.

And although I have defended both in the past, I now think I was wrong. Films, TV and games can heavily influence some people, can desensitise, distract and confuse people. About themselves, other people, situations and reactions and responses they should employ in certain situations. ‘Learning’ from a completely fabricated and exaggerated version of an ‘experience’, and then basing real life on that, or your expectation of life of it. Reinforced over and over by repeated watching, or binge watching as its now a thing, and not by accident. They know drip feeding is effective, so one episode a week used to keep you hooked. But takes time. So, to make it all available at once means some can give themselves an extreme dose, which they do.

Previously with a TV schedule, it would be known what people were consuming, because they decided what and when. Now people dictate their own consumption, which seems like choice on the face of it, but is it? It is if you choose to not watch anything, but allowing a programming schedule to be given your time is an odd one. I would take it that your real life needs more in it if you have enough time for how many hours are spent watching. But that’s just my opinion, others may not want a real life, and instead find comfort and company in watching others have one instead. Even if it is a fake or scripted one.

And sometimes I think it’s nostalgia that makes people keep watching, because of a memory of enjoying the engagement and of being entertained. As well as the overall anticipation and socialising that often went with it. And that’s where I thought Britain is starting to feel like Netflix, where there’s too much, it’s tainted and not what it thought it was going to be. But you keep thinking of it like Blockbusters, with a feeling of how it used to be and how good it was back then. But as with the boarded up and changed venues now long gone, I get the impression that Britain as we knew it is as well…

(c) K Wicks