Interviewer: Do you consider yourself a television viewer?
Michelle: Occasionally, yes. More so recently.
Interviewer: Okay, how much television do you usually watch?
Michelle: Probably like once every 3 days.
Interviewer: How much of it?
Michelle: Uhm, it’s usually when I am by myself, and that will be for a few hours.
Interviewer: And where do you watch television, from what kind of devices, when during the day…? What are your general habits?
Michelle: Usually I watch it before going to bed, I know that it is not good but I watch it before going to bed.
Interviewer: And from what kind of devices?
Name interviewer Giulia Negri Name respondent
(pseudonym) Michelle
Date interview April 29th, 2022
Location interview Interviewer’s living room Duration interview 28:19 minutes
Age respondent 23
Gender respondent Female
Sexual orientation Straight
Class background /
Residence Amsterdam
Composition of household Lives alone National identification American Political preference /
Work, study Media student
Way of living/lifestyle /
Remarks /
Michelle: My laptop, sometimes my phone, like in the middle of the night… yes, my phone, because I don’t want a big bright screen.
Interviewer: So never from the television set?
Michelle: Sometimes when I am at my boyfriend’s, yes. I don’t have a television set.
Interviewer: Okay. So you do watch television together? Like, when you are together, you spend some of that time to watch television.
Michelle: Yes, sometimes.
Interviewer: Okay, then what kind of programs do you watch [together]?
Michelle: Well, a lot of documentaries, we both love documentaries. Recently, Russian Doll… Lots of Netflix shows because we have subscriptions, or Hulu, which is American, you don’t have that in Europe.
Interviewer: So, do you mainly watch streaming platforms?
Michelle: Yes.
Interviewer: And now, for example, since you are still watching Russian Doll: do you watch tv series every 3 days, as well? Can you wait for that long [form one episode to the other]?
[Laughs].
Michelle: Yes… I’d say maybe once every 2 day then, yes.
Interviewer: Okay. And do you- I guess so because you said that you are a television viewer, but do you consider streaming platforms television?
Michelle: Yes, because they have television shows. I would’t consider it a television because it is a service, but it does hold tv shows.
Interviewer: A few straight-forward questions: Do you prefer television or movies? And why?
Michelle: Uhm… Lately television because it is a longer story, you can get more invested in it.
Interviewer: Okay, and do you prefer television or social networks? And why?
Michelle: Well, that’s a hard a hard question. I like social networks to connect with friends and that is what I use them for. But television has been my preferred form of entertainment more than social networks lately.
Interviewer: Okay. What do you generally look for when you switch on your television, or any other device you use? To be informed, to be entertained, …?
Michelle: Uhm, so, I like to fill the silence, something easy, something that you don't have to be glued to the screen, so like you can leave it for a few seconds or for a minute and the story is easy, so for example reality TV shows are easy. I like a lot of interior design,
architecture or house hunting shows, so that are the kinds of reality I usually watch.
Interviewer: Oh okay, because for now you only mentioned documentaries and tv series like Russian doll, which are not as easy to follow. So what would be some shows you put on in the background?
Michelle: So, House Hunters, Selling Sunset [laughs]. Uhm… My Dream Home Makeover, Hell’s Kitchen…
Interviewer: But those are tv programs, do you watch them from streaming platforms?
Michelle: Yes, usually either on Netflix or Hulu.
Interviewer: Okay. I assume Hulu because I haven’t seen most of them on Netflix. Is Hell’s Kitchen on Hulu?
Michelle: That’s on Hulu, yes.
Interviewer: So your favourite programs and genre range from sitcoms to crime-ish things, right?
Michelle: Yes, I think that depends on my mood!
Interviewer: And do you watch different kinds of programs when you are with your friends and family compared to when you are by yourself?
Michelle: Yes, definitely. I watch more reality tv when I am by myself.
Interviewer: Okay, do you ever have conflicts with friends and family about what to watch?
Michelle: When I am by myself or with other people?
Interviewer: When you are with other peop- actually, both?
Michelle: When I am by myself, definitely. I’m always like: “I can’t decide what my mood is”… I can’t watch scary stuff ever, so I have lot of parameters: I don’t like to watch anything scary, no hospitals, so I have to narrow down a lot of choices. And with other people I find it hard, too, because I don’t want to watch these things when I am with other people either, while they always want to put on those kinds of vibes, like The Office… I don’t like shows like The Office.
Interviewer: Oh no, why?
Michelle: I don’t like dry humor. I don’t like Parks and Rec, or The office, or stuff like that.
Interviewer: Okay. Do you usually talk with your friends about tv programs?
Michelle: Yes because here in Amsterdam I am often among television students like you, but when I am in California not as much, no.
Interviewer: Do you ever feel “peer pressured” to watch certain programs or genres?
Michelle: Yes, I felt a lot of peer pressure with The Squid Game.
Interviewer: Okay, just because you wanted to take part into the conversation?
Michelle: Yes. And Euphoria, because I don’t have HBO Max, so I still want to [watch it].
Interviewer: Do you think television is a collective or individual experience?
Michelle: I would say that it has changed it into a more individual experience, whereas when we were younger it was more of a collective experience; but now, because of the multiplication of the devices we have transformed the infrastructures to become smaller and more individual.
Interviewer: And in which ways was it a collective experience when you were younger?
Michelle: The first thing that pops into my head is American Idol. Kelly Clarkson killing it on stage, voting in with your phone, waiting every week for the show to come on with your family… We knew it was coming on, Costco cream puffs were coming out… American Idol was like that, every Tuesday.
Interviewer: [Laughs] Cool. And do you think television is progressive or conservative?
Michelle: It’s conservative, I’d say. Now it is leaning to be more conservative, if you were to watch public television I think it is more conservative. Uh, just because a lot of the
privatisation that is going on is by rich conservatives. Especially in America, it is a lot of private television, a lot of conservatives. But I’d say that streaming platforms try to be progressive.
Interviewer: In what ways do they try to be progressive?
Michelle: They try to have certain documentaries that you can tell are leaning a certain way. You wouldn’t see as many pro-Trump documentaries as you would see anti-Trump documentaries, I don’t even think there are any programs that are pro-Trump on Netflix.
Interviewer: No, I’m sure there aren’t any. Do you think tv programs can have a concrete impact on the real world?
Michelle: Definitely. More so earlier in our lives; now I don’t think as much.
Interviewer: Why?
Michelle: Because the collective experience is not there.
Interviewer: Okay, so how would they have an impact?
Michelle: I think that because back in the days you had to be physically there to watch the television program, it was something that you arranged your schedule around, whereas today you can just pause and play whenever you want.
Interviewer: Okay so you mean an impact on habits, on how [people] watch it?
Michelle: Habits, yes, and just family structure, you know? You always had those
Wednesdays when you got with your family to watch [a program], it impacted the way you lived your family life and your relationships with friends and relatives.
Interviewer: Uhm, do you think any program - it could be any kind of program, even the news, an informative program or a stupid program, as well - left an influence of any sort in your life?
Michelle: Definitely, a lot of programs.
Interviewer: Can you think of an example?
Michelle: [Takes some time to think] I’d say that National Geographic made me want to travel a lot, so that is why I love travelling today.
Interviewer: Okay, cool. Do television programs ever teach you new things?
Michelle: Definitely, yes.
Interviewer: Such as?
Michelle: Well, I don't know if they are tv programs, but I would say shows on Netflix.
Interviewer: Okay, yes, what about them?
Michelle: Uhm, they teach me a lot about crime, nature, humans, how we interact, politics,
…
Interviewer: Okay, cool. If you could take part in a tv program, which one or what kind of program would it be?
Michelle: Reality tv.
Interviewer: As a participant?
Michelle: No, no, no. I would like to be the one to pick out the people.
Interviewer: Okay, so the casting director?
Michelle: Yes, the casting director, because these people are interesting [laughs].
Interviewer: Yes, casting can make or break a reality tv program! Are there periods during which you watch more television? And why?
Michelle: Yes, for sure during winter when I have to be inside, the weather is cold… I think the weather really influences what I watch, so if it's sunny outside I don't stay inside to watch tv.
Interviewer: Okay. Have there been periods of your life during which you have watched more or less than now?
Michelle: Yes, I would say that right now I am watching a lot of more television because I have the time, while before I don’t think I ever had the time, so…
Interviewer: Even during your childhood?
Michelle: Uhm, in my childhood I didn't really have a tv, I mean, I did, but I really liked being outside with my brothers from sun up to sun down.
Interviewer: Okay, perfect. Do you watch the same kind of television you used to in California?
Michelle: Yes, definitely.
Interviewer: And what are some differences that you’ve noticed in the tv programs you watch compared to television in your home country?
Michelle: Well, because I come from LA I think there are a lot of differences! [Laughs]
Obviously the language, but I think [also in the] direction, the way the films are shot… I think they are very different just because [here] they are not as much dramatic, I'd say. But I haven't watched enough Dutch television to really judge.
Interviewer: Okay. Actually most of the moves we watch here come from LA anyway [laughs].
Michelle: Yes, yes.
Interviewer: Do you consider the tv programs you watch to be high or low quality? And why?
Michelle: Uhm, I would say it depends: some of the reality shows that I watch are low quality just because they have “The Bachelor kind of vibe”, but the high quality shows that I watch (and that I think everybody needs to watch) regarding… I don’t know… Ah, The Tinder Swindler! I think everyone needs to know stuff like this.
Interviewer: Okay, so how is that high quality?
Michelle: I don’t know if that is really high quality, I- [it’s] so hard to judge what quality television is! Uhm, maybe Black Mirror, I’d say that it is high quality because a lot of production goes into that, you can tell there is a lot of planning that goes into that, the acting,… You can tell that there is a lot of thought that goes into that, whereas reality television- I don’t know how much work there is behind that, but you only see those people with outrageous personalities.
Interviewer: Okay, okay. Why do you prefer to watch either high quality or low quality television, depending on the moment?
Michelle: It depends on the mood. If I have enough capacity I will watch something high-quality.
Interviewer: Okay, do you consider the television offering - so not only what you watch but in general what you see they are offering - to be qualitatively valid?
Michelle: Depends, like I said, on what I am watching.
Interviewer: No, I don’t mean what you are watching, but what is offered in general by television producers. Obviously you don’t watch 100% of the programs that are out there, but do you think television, right now, is providing high quality content?
Michelle: Ah, okay! Uhm, yes and no. I feel like a lot of it uses the same formula, I feel like tv programs have found a formula that works, so you see a lot of shows like The
Ultimatum, The Bachelor, the “getting-married-before-seeing-each-other” format, so I feel like this in a way is low quality because you are just repeating the same model to make money. But yes, there is some high quality stuff out there, even if that doesn't even compare to what was out there 50 years ago because of technology development.
Interviewer: Do you mean that it is better or worse quality?
Michelle: I would say better quality, I mean, in terms of visuals; but sometimes the storylines aren’t there as they used to be.
Interviewer: Are you thinking of some programs in particular, or…?
Michelle: Definitely, like Gossip Girls, How To Get Away With A Murder, … While when I was younger I used to watch a lot of Lizzie McGuire.
Interviewer: Okay, and now what are you comparing them to?
Michelle: Any Netflix series… I don't really get hooked. Dead To Me was good, but it didn’t stuck with me forever.
Interviewer: Okay, yes. And do you think that is because you watched them in a certain period of your life?
Michelle: Uhm, not really.
Interviewer: You think they were just better?
Michelle: Yes. Jane The Virgin, which is probably my favourite tv show, was made a long time ago. But I only watched it recently, like last year, and it has become my favorite.
Interviewer: Okay. Do you think that television is a top-down or bottom-up media?
Michelle: Uhm, I’d say top-down.
Interviewer: Even streaming platforms.
Michelle: Uhm, yes. It is kind of a hard question. I’d say it is both, depending on what you are watching.
Interviewer: For example?
Michelle: I don’t know, I’m blanking.
Interviewer: Okay, that’s fine. What is the last “big event” you watched on television? And do you think television portrayed it well?
Michelle: Uhm, good question, good question. Yes, it is probably the war in Ukraine. And no, I don’t like the way people are saying “Oh, we see those people on tv that look like us with blonde hair and blue eyes [and are at war]”… There are wars everywhere, just because people don't look like you it doesn't mean we should care less.
Interviewer: Okay, so you think the television didn't a good job in the sense that it overexposed this war while it has never done the same with all the other ones?
Michelle: Yes- I don't think that it is overexposed, but I think that they are putting a lot of emphasis on it because it is [happening in] a western country, it is a “civilised country”, quote unquote.
11. Ian
Interviewer: Do you consider yourself a television viewer?
Ian: No.
Interviewer: Why not?
Ian: Because the traditional television- I don’t have that, I have my laptop. So I mainly watch Netflix. You can say that it is television, sure, but- no. Just no.
Interviewer: Okay, so you don’t consider Netflix or streaming platforms television, right?
Name interviewer Giulia Negri Name respondent
(pseudonym) Ian
Date interview April 30th, 2022
Location interview Singel library, Singel 425, Amsterdam Duration interview 30:20 minutes
Age respondent 25
Gender respondent Male
Sexual orientation Straight
Class background /
Residence Amsterdam
Composition of household Lives alone National identification Dutch Political preference /
Work, study Communication student
Way of living/lifestyle /
Remarks /
Ian: No.
Interviewer: Okay, but do you consume them?
Ian: Yes.
Interviewer: So how much of them do you usually watch? Also, which platforms do you have?
Ian: I have actually recently ended my Netflix subscription. I had VideoLounge and
Amazon Prime for a little bit, but basically I only watch TV series and movies, and movies I watch them on illegal streaming platforms. And same with the series.
Interviewer: Okay. So right now which active subscriptions do you have?
Ian: I have no streaming platform subscription right now.
Interviewer: Okay, and whatever you watch, you watch it on- Ian: Illegal streaming.
Interviewer: But how much of that do you watch? Just generally, what are your habits?
Ian: My habits are… I watch something before I go to bed, or in bed, uhm, let's say I watch at least two movies a week.
Interviewer: Okay, not every day then?
Ian: No.
Interviewer: And only in the evening or also at other times of the day?
Ian: I only have time in the evening, so never during the day.
Interviewer: So, you said that you only watch programs from devices that aren't the tv set, so that would mean your laptop and your phone, correct?
Ian: Never my phone, it is too small.
Interviewer: Okay. Why don't you consider streaming platforms to be television?
Ian: Because they miss the element of live broadcasting and continuous broadcasting, basically. It’s all… There’s no “program”, it is all on-demand.
Interviewer: Okay. Do you prefer television, which in this case would be basically just tv series, or movies?
Ian: Movies are more sporadic. But- currently I am not watching any series, because I finished everything that I was watching, but I prefer series because, you know, you can binge watch… They lead up to something more.
Interviewer: Because they are longer?
Ian: Yes, but individually [the episodes] are shorter, so they are easier to consume.
Interviewer: Okay. Sorry if I keep making you repeat the same things, but so you really only watch TV series and movies, you never watch anything else that comes from television, not even the news, or gameshows, or…?
Ian: So, when I’m visiting my parents the tv is always on, always on the news channel, and then I automatically just look at it; but that is only for the time I am there. So, if I am there for 20 minutes, I will be watching tv for 20 minutes. But then I do enjoy watching the news and informative talk shows.
Interviewer: So there are never competition, reality tv programs or anything else, just newscasts when you are there?
Ian: No, none of that entertainment, sensational [television].
Interviewer: Okay. Do you prefer television or social networks?
Ian: Uhm… If YouTube is [considered] a social network, then social networks.
Interviewer: What do you generally look for when you consume these - well let’s just call the series you consume “television” for simplicity, even if you don’t consider them to be television. What do you generally look for when you what these stuff?
Ian: In general to be entertained, but sometimes I'm in the mood for some knowledge, sometimes I'm in the mood for some action…
Interviewer: What do you watch when you are looking for educational programs?
Ian: Mostly documentaries on Netflix.
Interviewer: Okay, and do you always actively watch whatever you put on or do you also sometimes leave them in the background?
Ian: Yes, sometimes I have shows or movies in the background because maybe I don't care too much about it and I have something else to do, so it is just easy to leave it in the background.
Interviewer: What kinds of programs would they be? The ones that you leave in the background?
Ian: Most times either blockbuster movies or those ones that everyone is talking about and I am like “Okay, sure, I will give it a shot” but then I don’t really care too much about it. So any Marvel- well not every Marvel, but some of the Marvel films. Just the big movies.
Interviewer: Well, that's interesting because they have, let's say, not a complex plot, but still they are not like sitcoms that even if you get distracted you can still follow.
Ian: Yes. I mean, but [sometimes] they don’t have interesting plots.
Interviewer: And do you still watch them in the evenings only or also when you are doing something during the day? The background movies.
Ian: Well, I am out most of the day, so always in the evening.
Interviewer: Okay. What are your favourite programs? Or your favorite genre?
Ian: Uhm… I’d say… I like Netflix documentaries. Series… I watch everything.
Interviewer: For example, can you give me some titles? Of the ones you like the most?
Ian: I don’t know, the first I can think of is Explained, on Netflix. Very short and easy to consume. Uhm… Other titles… I watched- if I think about it, nothing really stuck with me.
Uhm… Oh, yes, I watched The Wire. [As far as] genres, I like thrillers, I like dramas, science fiction, action, biographies.