DISQUS

Why is it important that the common man know what a "browser" is? Most people don't know what an "EPG" is either but they use them anyways. Knowing the terminology doesn't matter. Most people have more important concerns to deal with. People SHOULD know about matters that will affect their vote, such as taxes, the economy, constitutional issues, etc. But tech issues? Who cares? Just as long as they keep buying...

This is not surprising. We geeks spend all of our time talking at each other while forgetting that the vast majority of the public out there doesn't follow the latest Web tech news, and for those that do, tech-y terms don't mean much. They might know what Internet Explorer is or Firefox, but that's as far as it goes.

Not so fast. Did it ever occur to you that millions of people were at work so they watched it on their computer screens at work? YOU may think that the Internet is killing broadcast TV (because since you spend all YOUR time on the Internet, that must mean the rest of the population does!), but apparently advertisers haven't realized that yet. They're still spending the bulk of their ad dollars on network broadcast TV which still has the massive numbers that they want.

The demise of broadcast television has been predicted many times before, but network television broadcast is still quite healthy- witness the overwhelming ratings that NBC garnered for the Olympics. While online may chip away at broadcast, I don't think the situation is as dire as you may think.

And whatever the outcome, current major players, such as Disney and GE, will still be in control.