The DTV Transition and the Interpersonal Divide

There are about 3 months left until all of the United States transitions into the digital television era, and officials still have the task of informing everyone about the DTV transition. With the constant barrage of scrolls across the bottom of the screen during primetime programing and the commercials that run at least once an hour, most people would think the government is accomplishing its task of informing the viewer. However, an article on multichannel.com states when Wilmington, NC, stations turned off their analog signals a few months ago, 5% of the community did not know about the transition.

Although 5% is not a very high number, it actually is very significant when you take into consideration that this is one medium size market in one state. If something is not done to get the word out soon, this number will be quite a bit larger by the time the rest of the country makes the transition in February.

So the question is why weren't the government and local television stations able to reach this portion of the population in North Carolina? I think part of the reason is that they were primarily using technology to inform people about the DTV Transition. If someone is going to be needing a digital converter box for their current television set, chances are they don't watch a lot of television to begin with. Also, these people probably don't have computer access either, which is another primary means of getting information out about the transition. If by chance they did have access to a computer, the information about the transition still needs to be sought out on the Internet.

Although the government still has the daunting task of figuring out how to inform all Americans about the transition, it makes me hopeful to think we all haven't succumbed to what Michael Begeja calls the "Interpersonal Divide." Bugeja highlights this concept in his book Interpersonal Divide, where he explains how people have become disconnected from society and from other people in their households due to the technology of the 21st Century. Bugeja claims people focus more on social relationships they have formed on the Internet and spend more time watching their own television away from other members of the family, and they have forgotten the importance of face to face interpersonal interaction.

I don't completely agree with all of Bugeja's concepts, but I do somedays feel I am one of those people who have become so wired that interaction with other humans almost seems foreign. This is probably the case with many other people whose jobs and lives revolve around technology.

Living your life through technology may seem like the norm in today's society, but there is still that 5% North Carolina population that I like to think escaped the interpersonal divide. I want to believe they were out serving on a city council or involved in a quilting circle as to not get the message about the DTV Transition. I know this may not have been the case, but it is certainly a pleasant thought to think that not everyone has given up on the basic social skills needed for a functioning society.

We may never know why this percentage of the population missed the message, but the point is they did. Because of this fact, the government needs to step up its efforts to get the word out to all Americans. Any questions or comments on how you think they could help can be left below under comments.