Name interviewer Giulia Negri Name respondent
(pseudonym) Ilaria
Date interview March 7th, 2022 Location interview Interviewer’s kitchen Duration interview 37:48 minutes
Age respondent 21
Gender respondent Female
Sexual orientation Straight Class background
Residence Milan
Composition of household /
Interviewer: Do you consider yourself a television viewer?
Ilaria: Uhm… by television you mean like Rai1, …?
Interviewer: By television I mean whatever you mean by television.
Ilaria: Ok. Not really, because I use mostly streaming platforms… I don’t know if that is television.
Interviewer: How much television do you usually watch?
Ilaria: I almost never watch it, but sometimes if there is a program like X Factor I watch it and that is on television but it is gonna be like once a week for a certain number of months.
Interviewer: So do you see it as an appointment, like if you watch X Factor you think “Ok, on that night I will watch television”?
Ilaria: Yes, exactly.
Interviewer: So if I ask you when do you watch television during the day…
Ilaria: I would say I mostly watch it at night.
Interviewer: Ok, but that is because you don’t consider streaming platforms television…?
Ilaria: Also because I don’t watch anything during the day, not even streaming platforms. I only watch them at night.
National identification Italian Political preference Left wing
Work, study Computer Science bachelor student Way of living/lifestyle /
Remarks
Even though both I (the interviewer) and the interviewee are Italian, the interview was carried out in English in order to facilitate the transcription process.
However, I occasionally corrected some minor grammar mistakes.
Interviewer: Ok. And where do you watch it?
Ilaria: Are you talking about streaming platforms?
Interviewer: I’m talking about whatever you consider television, but regardless of how you consider streaming platforms they are part of the discourse, too.
Ilaria: Ok. If I am watching tv, I am watching it in the living room on the sofa, while if I am watching on my computer then I am watching it on my bed.
Interviewer: But do you watch streaming platforms on your computer or also X factor, Masterchef, …?
Ilaria: Streaming platforms. No, I watch tv programs only on tv.
Interviewer: And you never watch them in a place other than home, like a friend’s house…?
Ilaria: Streaming platforms yes, but television no, only at home.
Interviewer: So, why don’t you consider streaming platforms television?
Ilaria: Because I thought that by television you mean more reality tv - I don’t know why I associate it [television] with that - or the news, …
Interviewer: So for you the difference between streaming platforms’ content and linear tv’s content is basically the liveliness?
Ilaria: Kind of… I don’t know, I think it’s a personal thing because I started watching tv series and movies on my computer so if you ask me about television I don’t associate it to movies and tv shows because I am no longer watching them on television, so if you ask me about it they don’t come up to my mind. I do not associate tv series to television anymore because of the devise I am watching them on.
Interviewer: And regardless of the device, do you think you watch more television or streaming platforms?
Ilaria: More streaming platforms Interviewer: Like how much more?
Ilaria: Uhm… I would say that I watch streaming platforms almost everyday.
Interviewer: For how long?
Ilaria: I would say 1-2 hours maximum, almost everyday. Whereas for tv, as I said before, it is going to be like once a week for… depends for how long the program I am watching [goes on].
Interviewer: Ok. Do you prefer television or movies, and why?
Ilaria: I would say my opinion has changed during the years, because I used to like movies a lot more but… This is probably pandemic-related, but my attention span has shorten so even if the time I spend watching a tv show is the same as the time I would spend
watching a movie, with a movie my attention is going to lower.
Interviewer: So you don’t enjoy it as much because it is too long?
Ilaria: Not anymore, yeah.
Interviewer: You prefer shorter episodes.
Ilaria: Yes.
Interviewer: Do you prefer television or social networks?
Ilaria: Uhm, maybe social networks.
Interviewer: Ok and what do you usually look for when you switch television on or login on Netflix, or whatever platform? A moment of relax, to be educated, to be entertained, to fill the silence and have something in the background, to actually watch it…?
Ilaria: Uhm, normally it is to actually watch it… YouTube is not television, right?
Interviewer: Uhm, if you consider it as such… I should not influence you at all, so - you can totally also talk about YouTube.
Ilaria: Ok because when you said “do you like to put it in the background”, that is something I usually do with podcasts or YouTube when I am cooking or tidying up my room. But I wouldn’t do that with a tv show because I like to actually watch it. I usually put
them on during lunch when I am alone because it keeps me company and also because I feel like I am doing something because I have something to concentrate on. So, it is weird to say but to not feel lonely, mostly? Or if I am with my friends it has happened that we have seen tv shows together.
Interviewer: And what is your favourite type of content? Relaxing programs, shows that make you excited, that educate you, …? Or even more specifically, what are your favourite tv programs or genres?
Ilaria: Something relaxing or something that makes me laugh, something that doesn’t make me think. I prefer those [that allow me] to switch off my mind.
Interviewer: Cool, so what are some examples of your favourite tv shows or programs?
Ilaria: Brooklyn99 is one of my favourite tv shows, Friends, How I Met Your Mother, they are all same format…
Interviewer: Sitcoms.
Ilaria: Yes. Also, this happened more recently, but since I have stopped watching psychological, thriller movies, I have started looking for these [genre] in tv shows.
Interviewer: But you don’t watch other things, for example the news, educational stuff…?
Do you use social networks for those?
Ilaria: Yes. For educational stuff I use YouTube, but since I study all day everyday, when I am not studying I don’t want to learn anything anymore [laughs].
Interviewer: Yes, I know [laughs]. Do you watch different kinds of programs when you are with your friends or family compared to when you are by yourself?
Ilaria: Uhm… I never thought about it. I think so… Maybe the thing is, if my friends and I want to watch a tv show or movie together we have to meet halfway to find a genre that we all like so… maybe yeah, we are not going to watch the usual 20 minutes comedy show that I watch.
Interviewer: Ok, and same with your family?
Ilaria: I don’t really watch anything with my family but if I do it is going to be programs like X Factor, we don’t watch streaming platforms together.
Interviewer: Ok. Do you sometimes have conflicts with friends or family about what to watch?
Ilaria: Not really, because in my family we don’t talk about television, we don’t watch it and if we do we watch the kind of programs I was talking about before, so we all watch X Factor or Masterchef. And since we only watch streaming platforms on our computer, everyone has his own computer, so…
Interviewer: And do you talk with your friends about tv shows or tv programs?
Ilaria: Yes, sometimes it comes up in the conversation. Like “I am watching this tv show, you should do too” or sometimes people ask which ones I like…
Interviewer: But do you ever feel peer pressured to watch certain programs or genres?
Ilaria: No.
Interviewer: I don’t necessarily mean actively pressured, not like you are getting bullied if you don’t watch something. But for example, now everyone has watched Euphoria, so you feel the need to be int he conversation so you watch it.
Ilaria: Ok… It has only happened a few times, like with Games of Thrones; everyone was talking about it but I knew it wasn’t going to be my thing because I don’t like the genre.
Honestly I have never felt excluded because I have never been the only one in a group to not watch something. Maybe I just have good friends that if they see that I am not
participating in the conversation just switch the topic. Actually I usually watch popular stuff, but only if I think I am going to like it. For example Game of Thrones is fantasy, I already knew I was not going to like it because I don’t like fantasy books or movies… while with Euphoria I did not watch it only because it is popular but also because I thought I would have liked it.
Interviewer: So, in this sense, when you talk about it with your friends do you feel like television is more of a collective or individual experience?
Ilaria: I feel like before streaming platforms it was a more shared experience, while now with streaming platforms you watch it alone in your room…
Interviewer: Are you talking about the theory right now, like what you imagine it is and was like, or about your own experience? How did you experience television before streaming platforms?
Ilaria: I used to watch a lot of movies before Netflix became popular. Before age 16/17 I used to watch movies and tv shows on tv, because that was the only place where you could find them. And I think [the experience] was shared because I remember it as a chiller time: I had less to do, I used to meet with some friends to watch tv shows and movies together, … That was an actual activity, like “What are we going to do today? Let’s watch a movie”. But now, since we are more busy, if we meet we are not going to watch a movie or a tv show, we are going to talk. So yes, it used to be a shared experience before and now we share what we watch and we do talk about it, but it stops there.
Interviewer: Great. Do you think television is mainly progressive or conservative?
Ilaria: I feel like this is a very subjective question because it really depends on what you watch. If I think about what I watch, I think it is more progressive.
Interviewer: So for example what do you watch that makes you say so?
Ilaria: For example Euphoria, when I watched it I was like… “I don’t personally relate to it, but I’ve heard a lot of stories like this”. Also Normal People, I remember watching that tv show and it was very… I was very surprised to see that kind of representation of modern relationships in a tv show.
Interviewer: Why in particular?
Ilaria: In Normal People the two protagonists are kind of in a relationship, they are interested in each other but they never say it, they hang out but they never label it and then there is this scene in which they fall apart, but then they reconnect… And I feel like a lot of modern relationships are like that because we try to use less labels and this it the first time I see it on tv.
Interviewer: Ok. Do you think there is a program that left an influence in your life? Maybe temporarily, just during period you were watching it for and shortly after, or maybe that changed you for a longer time?
Ilaria: I have a dumb thing to say: since I watched all 14 seasons of Criminal Minds, I can always spot the criminal in a thriller movie [laughs]. I feel like watching all these 20 minutes
long comedy shows shaped my sense of humour… but I wouldn’t say [that anything influenced] my view on real-life.
Interviewer: Do you think you watch sows that have some sort of connection with you or your life or completely different things?
Ilaria: What I watch depends on how I am feeling. If I’m feeling lonely, I prefer to watch something that makes me laugh, with lots of characters, while if I feel like my brain is very active and I don’t want to switch it off I watch psychological series, thrillers…
Interviewer: If you could take part in a tv program which one or what kind of program would it be?
Ilaria: No one, really. Maybe a program where they explain scientific stuff.
Interviewer: As a host?
Ilaria: No, as a guest.
Interviewer: Ok. Are there or there have been specific periods in which you watched more or less television than now?
Ilaria: When I was 14 or 15 I had a group of friends I used to meet with at least twice a week to watch movies together… I would say that from 13 up to almost 16 I used to watch 2 or 3 movies each week.
Interviewer: And why are you now associating movies to television?
Ilaria: Because, since I don’t know the actual meaning of “television”, I associate it with the device. When I was younger I watched movies on tv, so…
Interviewer: But were these movies aired by tv broadcasters or were they on cassettes, DVDs, …?
Ilaria: No, they were airing on tv. Now I watch them more when I am stressed,
overwhelmed, when I feel lonely… It is something I do when I am not feeling very well.
Interviewer: Ok. Do you watch more Italians or foreign programs?
Ilaria: I would say foreign. All the tv shows and movies I watch are foreign, but if I think about reality competitions, they are only Italian.
Interviewer: Why is that?
Ilaria: I would say that Italian movies and tv shows are very conservative, I never like their humour because sometimes it is black humour, which I don’t like, or it is very sexist… I don’t relate to Italian humour, it gives me nothing, while foreign movies and tv shows are more progressive. But with reality competitions it is different, I don’t know why… It is real people, I kind of relate more to them.
Interviewer: Do you watch foreign programs in the original language?
Ilaria: Yes, with subtitles if it is a language that I don’t know.
Interviewer: So you watch them with the original audio even if it is not even English?
Ilaria: Yes, because I feel like the voice tone is part of the acting and if it is dubbed it is just not the same.
Interviewer: Do you consider the tv programs you watch to be high or low quality?
Ilaria: Uhm… If I am very tired and I want something to switch my brain off I would say I watch low quality, meaning that the contents are not “high level”.
Interviewer: For example?
Ilaria: Dumb jokes… No real plot… I remember this very low time when I watched Too Hot To Handle. My brain completely shut off.
Interviewer: So, do you consider Too Hot To Handle low quality because- Ilaria: Because it gives me nothing.
Interviewer: So the quality level depends on whether the program is intellectually challenging or not?
Ilaria: Yes.
Interviewer: Then what is an example of high quality program?
Ilaria: Normal People.
Interviewer: Ok.
Ilaria: It has to make me think about something; if I watch Too Hot To Handle I don’t think about anything, while for instance Euphoria makes me think “do I know people [like the shows’ characters]?”, I just think about my life, my experiences, …
Interviewer: What about the reality competitions you said you watch, like X Factor, or talk shows?
Ilaria: These kinds of competitions make me excited so they give me something, they are not like Too Hot To Handle.
Interviewer: Does it mean they are high quality?
Ilaria: Uhm… medium quality. They are not hard to follow, they do not make me think about stuff, but they do make me feel something.
Interviewer: While talk shows are high quality for you?
Ilaria: Uhm, it depends on which talk shows… again, they have to make me think, so if they are making interviews that make me think about what I would answer, then that is high quality to me.
Interviewer: Ok. Going back to YouTube, do you watch high quality or low quality videos?
Just because I know you watch online talks like Venti, do you think they are qualitatively valid even if they come from YouTube?
Ilaria: Yes, for the same reasons as before: they make me think, they make my brain work, they make me ask myself questions, so I would consider them high quality.
Interviewer: Do you consider the television offering to be mostly qualitatively valid right now?
Ilaria: I think it is very subjective, again. It depends on what you watch. They still broadcast programs that aren’t qualitatively valid, but form what I personally watch, what Netflix suggests me, I don’t really see these programs. I am in my own bubble, I do not even hear about low quality programs from the people I hang out with.
Interviewer: Do you think television is a top-down or bottom-up media?
Ilaria: I feel like I am influencing the media through streaming platforms, because I know how data works so I know that if I am watching or not watching something this has some impact. If I compare it with a few years ago, when I was not using streaming platforms and just watched television, what they used to broadcast in Italy was more “static”, it did not change depending on the demand, or at least I think that right now it changes a lot more [quickly].
Interviewer: So you think television is a bottom-up media, right?
Ilaria: Bottom-up, yes.
Interviewer: Great. Last question: what is the last big event you watched on television, and do you think television portrayed it well?
Ilaria: Uhm… [laughs] If I think about big events my mind goes to the war and Sanremo [Italian Popular Music Festival].
Interviewer: Yes, they are both big events indeed [laughs].
Ilaria: I don’t know, I think they are news-bombing us with the war. Honestly I have not thought about it that much, I am just listening to the facts.
Interviewer: So how do you think the facts were delivered.
Ilaria: Uhm… yeah. With the news, I always consider that they are delivered subjectively. I don’t know how to explain, but newsmakers are human too, and of course the light under which they explain the facts depends on the news channel [they work for].
Interviewer: And do you think that this is detrimental or lowers the news’ quality or have you just accepted it?
Ilaria: I think it is just their perspective. I know that I should compare different news channels to get the big picture.