Resistance and Flow

New modes of watching TV shows, especially on the internet, have allowed people to skip commercials and circumvent the traditional flow of television. However, this is not necessarily a successful form of resistance of a victory over the commercial aspects of television. Flow is used by broadcasters not as an end but as a means, a way to get people to keep watching to keep ratings up and increase ad revenue. The ultimate end is of course profit, and the traditional flow on television is not the only way to accomplish this.

As more and more people use the internet to watch television, we can see the websites of the televisions shows adapt to form their own version of flow. There are the commercials added in where the normal commercials will be, although it is often just one commercial. Throughout the website are links to different things related to the show, generally kept within the diagetic world. On the website for "The Office," there is a link to "Dwight's" blog, and another to "Angela's" Halloween pictures. This is a way for the viewer to stay not just on the website but in the world of the show. This increases ad revenue and makes the viewer more invested in the show and therefore more likely to keep watching. At the top of the website you can link to any other NBC show, starting the cycle over again. Although the traditional television flow has been resisted, the end result is the same.