In a recent Doug Saunders article about the current state of the media universe, Starowicz opined:
When linear time no longer governs the airwaves, it puts an end to the shared national experience. People no longer have anything in common with each other.Now that's some elegant language. What he's referring to is the fact that video recording technology and online video streaming have made program scheduling largely irrelevant. People no longer build their lives around television program schedules; they can watch their favorite shows whenever it's convenient for them. Television no longer helps maintain the family construct; families don't sit together to watch Being Erica like they used to watch Don Messer's Jubilee.
[For what it's worth, I would argue that although TV may no longer be the Great Facilitator of family cohesion, it does serve a similar purpose within broader societal groups. I have plenty of friends and colleagues with whom I share regular discussions and debates about our communal TV-watching experiences. Shows like Mad Men or Dexter or the multiple shades of CSI have infiltrated the zeitgeist as much, or more, than I Love Lucy or The Honeymooners or Ed Sullivan ever did.]
But let's leave that debate to one side for the moment. I have to admit that when I first saw the Starowicz quote, the very first thing that I thought about was the last time I heard the words "linear time" used on television. That's right: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.
I've always thought that Mark Starowicz was a little bit more intense than the average human being. Now it all makes sense! He's a Prophet! or a wormhole alien, if you prefer. Maybe that's why - according to rumour, anyway - they used to let him smoke in his office.
As another Star Trek character would say: fascinating.
