Thursday, May 2, 2019

De Throned?

Today I was in the Chapters-Indigo bookstore at Bay and Bloor Streets here in Toronto. Hanging out with a bunch of books was not too painful. Near the "fiction" section was an island display of Game of Thrones material. Every time I looked over at the display, or walked by it, which I did a few times as I bounced between categories, not once did I see anyone perusing the Thrones. And I was there for over half an hour.

I've noticed over the years that nobody in my circle of friends ever talks about Game of Thrones. I could extend this notion to my business clients and casual conversation I might overhear in coffee shops. This curious phenomenon was explained a few years ago by my esteemed peer, John Kenneth Muir, in a piece he published to his blog. He talked of how television has changed. “Watercooler conversation" is not what it used to be. Television has become fractured, each “popular” series more cult than broad….if one uses the traditional application of those terms. There are exceptions, most of which belong to the Big Three (ABC, CBS, NBC).

What happens is some newspaper columnists and media personalities like a series and give much copy to the subject. Understandably this can give one the impression that “everyone is watching it”.

Doesn’t happen anymore. Anyway, I’d rather go to my books….


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