I for one, was shocked when I read the statistic that close to 60% of the televisions sold when they were first introduced were purchased on credit. That may not seem so drastic in this day when credit lines and accounts are readily available to everyone over the age of 16, but in the '60s that represented an overwhelming majority. I was mostly taken aback for two reasons. First being that, I find it difficult to imagine the ready acceptance for a technology that was not entirely proven. Upon first release, it seems that televisions for the most part were big, expensive, had horrible picture quality and almost no network/channels to work with. Yet droves of people clamored to have one. Radio and Print media would still be the king of news and entertainment venues for several years to come, however a large number of people went beyond their average means of living just to purchase a television set. People that couldn't very well afford a set, did everything in their power to make sure they had one set up in their homes before too long. It's hard to believe that the average person buying a television at that point would have done it for sheer potential of what they believed the sets could accomplish. Rather, it seems more like the creation of television contained the perfect mix of future wonder and current practicality. As far as media was concerned, television had all the makings of radio but with the added incentive of picture broadcast.
The release of televisions to the general public also seems to be the last truly large scale release of a "must-have" product. As mentioned before, over 60% of the televisions bought were done through credit and loans. Ever since then, there hasn't been a technological release that has matched the enthusiasm that customers showed then. The next remotely similar launch would more than likely have been of the personal computer. While innovating the way information is broadcast and opening a door of potential applications to the user, computers were far too complicated to be inhaled by the masses directly after it's release. Eventually more savvy users would begin to purchase the machines, however in terms of technical revolution and ease of use, the television set remains King.
2 comments:
The statistics you claim seem to be misleading. You say 60% of television purchases were done through credit and then claimed that to mean that it was a must have product. This makes no sense because with expensive technology you must take loans to pay off. For example, the automobiles today are expensive and I am assuming that close to 100% of automobile consumers must take some type of loan to pay of their cars unless you are a millionaire looking to purchase a Kia Accent. But all said and done, the television was a hot commodity just like the computers were/are.
The numbers may be skewed but the point is that many people bought televisions on credit. I worked at Best Buy for a summer and when people came in to buy a computer, they simply charged it. With a credit card or customer financing, they charged thousands of dollars (if not millions) to their good name. So I understand the technology trend has its rushes for people to have the greatest thing. Of course down in San Antonio, they were mostly buying computers and asking how to copy movies.
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