Simon: [Laughs] It is top-down, of course, but I think that interesting programs are those that can also be bottom-up. So, that is what I partially mean by human interest programs, where you can show common people’s very personal stories and their vulnerabilities.
Interviewer: How does this make a program bottom-up?
Simon: Uhm… because you start on a small scale, you start with the person’s personal story and you make it bigger by showing how that person’s personal story is actually universal; that can be shown on national level and so can influence decision makers [by unveiling a social problem].
Interviewer: Okay, so the program is still planned and produced top-down, but then it works bottom-up.
Simon: Yes.
Interviewer: Last question and then you are free [laughs]: what is the last “big event” you watched on television and do you think television portrayed/explained it well?
Simon: I have two of them: the Covid crisis and the war in Ukraine. They are [largely]
explained, but a lot of the information you get is always seen from a single viewpoint.
People in Russia are convinced that there is not even a war and that what is happening in Ukraine is good, while we are 100% sure that it is a war and it is not good. So it is always difficult to be 100% sure about the information you get. It is very complicated to form an opinion about the vision that is proposed by television- or whatever media. So it is always a good characteristics for a program, whether it is fiction or documentary, to show different nuances; but television is not the media of nuances, it has to be quick and short, so it is far easier to say “this is black and this is white”, rather than to show all the nuances of grey.
Interviewer: Do you consider yourself a television viewer?
Paolo: Yes.
Interviewer: Okay, how much television do you usually watch?
Paolo: I watch television everyday to follow the news, which means that every day when I wake up I look at the first news in the morning , which are around 7:30-8:00 on Canale 5- that’s when I am getting ready, I usually watch TG5 Prima Pagina. And then in the night, if I can, I usually watch TG5 or TG1, and then when I am with the kids we usually watch a movie or a couple of a tv series’ episodes altogether.
Interviewer: So, how many hours do you spend watching television, more or less?
Paolo: When I am with my kids it can be a couple of hours per day.
Interviewer: Okay, perfect. But when you are by yourself you only watch the newscasts, correct?
Paolo: Yes.
Interviewer: And from what kinds of devices do you watch television?
Gender respondent Male
Sexual orientation Straight
Class background /
Residence Piacenza
Composition of household Divorced with two children (pre-adolescent)
National identification Italian Political preference /
Work, study Lawyer, legal consulent and professional pianist
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.
Paolo: Only from normal television.
Interviewer: You don’t check other devices during the day, maybe to look at the news from different sources?
Paolo: Uhm, no, usually only normal television.
Interviewer: Okay. Do you have or use streaming platforms, like Netflix for example?
Paolo: Yes. I never watch anything from the normal TV channels except for the news, but I use Netflix; sometimes we watch a movie but much more often we- once again, I say “we”
because I mean my kids and I - watch TV series.
Interviewer: Do you consider them, meaning the streaming platforms, as television?
Paolo: Oh yes, yes.
Interviewer: Why?
Paolo: Maybe because I watch everything on television and not on a computer or an iPad, or something similar. So for me the result is basically the same as watching regular
television.
Interviewer: Okay, and do you think that you spend more time watching content from streaming platforms or newscasts from linear television?
Paolo: No, as I told you, I only watch the news from the normal channels, so the majority of my time is spent on Netflix.
Interviewer: Perfect. Do you prefer television or movies? Why?
Paolo: Uhm… I prefer movies, generally speaking, even if we like some series very much.
Series are good because, you know, they have 50 minutes long episodes so you can better define how much time you want to watch television for. So that is good because if it’s late I watch just one episode, if it is not I watch a couple.
Interviewer: But then why do you prefer movies?
Paolo: Uhm… Because I like to follow a story that get to an end.
Interviewer: Okay. You are the first person who tells me that! Second “this or that”
question: do you prefer television or social networks, and why?
Paolo: Uhm, I prefer television. I do use social networks, even if I’m not too much into them. I mean, social networks, if you mean Facebook and Instagram, are good to look at what other people are doing, and this is what is really interesting about them. But apart from that, if you just want to relax and empty your mind for a while it is better to watch a movie.
Interviewer: So, connecting to what you just said - that you like to be entertained without having to think that much - is that what you generally look for when you switch on your television? Or maybe sometimes also to enjoy a moment of relax, to be educated, to just fill the silence…?
Paolo: Okay… Okay. So clearly I look for different things, so when I watch the news of course I want to be informed about what’s happening, and then usually at night before sleeping I look at the news on the iPad, but it is usually easier to just listen to television.
But then when I watch a movie, clearly the aim is just relaxing… So I just empty my mind.
Interviewer: But do you actively watch them or do you just have them in the background?
Paolo: No, every time I watch a movie I get myself deep into the story. And I am very emotional: when I watch a movie I can cry for anything [laughs].
Interviewer: Well also I assume they are mostly kids movies if you watch them with your children, so… [laughs]
Paolo: No, not necessarily, because they are not that young any longer, so not necessarily [laughs]. I can tell you they don’t love love stories overmuch, at least not yet, but we watch all other kinds of movies.
Interviewer: Okay, and you also said that sometimes you look for more news on your iPad when you are about to go to bed, but you think that television is easier to follow. Why?
Paolo: Yes. I mean, you know that they [newscasts on television] are touching the main issues and that in a certain amount of time - which can be, you know, 20 minutes - you get an overview of everything. Uhm… and also, of course, watching images can easily get you into the news. Then, if you want to go deep into something specific, it is better to read about it.
Interviewer: Does it help that television newscasts prepare a selection of news for you, so they touch different topics without you having to search around the internet to get an overview of the day?
Paolo: Oh, yes! Even if of course when I read Il Corriere della Sera on my iPad, that is also a selection. In any case, you can say that it is easier to just follow a prepared selection instead of having to scroll down yourself and choose what to stop to read.
Interviewer: What are your favourite tv programs, or genre of programs?
Paolo: I think we like fiction very much and in particular if there is something a bit… let’s say, not necessarily science fiction, but something of that kind. So if there is something…
Interviewer: … Something out of normality?
Paolo: Yes! We really loved Stranger Things, I think you know it. We loved The 100, I don’t know if you know it…
Interviewer: Oh yes, I watched it all, and it is a lot of seasons! [laughs]
Paolo: Then we watched Manifest - it’s intriguing, very intriguing. Even if we love also Che Dio ci aiuti [laughs].
Interviewer: [Laughs] That is a very different genre!
Paolo: Yes, definitely more realistic. Also, Il Professore…
Interviewer: But since you're answering saying what you all like, do you sometimes have conflicts with them [the children] about what to watch? Because maybe you like different things?
Paolo: Uhm, not too much, no.
Interviewer: Okay. Do you usually talk with your friends/family about tv programs?
Paolo: Yes, it can be a conversation topic.
Interviewer: Do you ever feel “peer pressured” to watch certain programs or genres? And if that ever happens, which ones?
Paolo: No. I have to say that my kids pushed me to watch Squid Game and a lot of people talked about it, but I never watched it.
Interviewer: You never cracked under the pressure, okay [laughs]. Do you think that television is a collective or individual experience?
Paolo: Generally speaking, it is clearly an individual experience; but in my case, I love when it is a collective experience. I lay down on the sofa to watch it and my kids are basically both over me… I love this feeling so I prefer when it is a collective experience, even if we are only 3.
Interviewer: Yes. It can also be considered a collective experience when you talk with your friends about watching certain programs…
Paolo: I understand your point, but I have to say that these shows can be a topic of conversation, but they are not my favourite topic, they do not come up that often.
Interviewer: Okay. Do you think television is mostly progressive or conservative?
Paolo: I think that it can be progressive.
Interviewer: What do you mean? “Progressive” in what way?
Paolo: Because television can give you the chance to- of course, if you watch certain movies or certain programs, they give you the chance to think about something, to get an idea of “what is around”. You get a sense of what the common ethic is, and I think
everybody gets a sense of what the ethic of the state is.
Interviewer: But when you say that “it can be [progressive]”, do you mean it is mostly progressive, or sometimes it is and sometimes it isn’t?
Paolo: Of course sometimes it isn't because you cannot always have something that makes you think about something in particular, it does not necessarily give you an idea of the culture.
Interviewer: So you are talking about political ideologies? And mostly in television and movies?
Paolo: Yes.
Interviewer: What about the news? Or linear TV programs in general? Are they mostly conservative or progressive?
Paolo: Uhm, let me say, I think they can be progressive- I mean, if you have a chance to listen to people, you get an idea of what is now [the common opinion circulating] around.
Interviewer: Okay. Do you think tv programs can have a concrete impact on the real world?
Paolo: Yes, yes. I think they are still a way to communicate a lot- to share ideas and opinions, so yes.
Interviewer: Okay, so in a sense they influence the audience?
Paolo: Yes.
Interviewer: What kind of television programs do you think can have this kind of impact?
Paolo: Well, I mean… Okay, I would like the news to be objective and do not necessarily influence… Movies can influence you by giving you certain opinion or certain approaches.
Uhm… There are so many examples, from Rocky to Spiderman, in which there is always
“something behind it” and of course it's up to you to understand the meaning hidden behind and to receive it as a message.
Interviewer: So do you remember the last time that a TV program has left something, maybe changed your way of thinking…?
Paolo: For instace- I don’t think you watch Il Professore.
Interviewer: No.
Paolo: Il Professore is an Italian series with Alessandro Gassman and it is quite fun
because it is about an High School Philosophy professor- it is definitely a normal series for families, and now suddenly there is a love relationship between the son of the professor and another male student, so a gay relationship. Just to tell you that there is always an attempt to be aligned with the times.
Interviewer: Okay, but how did this element in the plot influence you?
Paolo: It did not influence me particularly, but I thought “Come on, now this is something that we have to put in every program just to influence- this is something that 10 years ago you would have never seen”.
Interviewer: Okay, does television teach you new things?
Paolo: Uhm… Well, it can teach something. Of course, that's very difficult if you only watch movies or TV series; it can teach you a bit more if you watch educational programs. We still have [programs like] SuperQuark, that can teach you things.
Interviewer: Changing the tone, if you could take part in a tv program, which one or what kind of program would it be?
Paolo: A music program, of course!
Interviewer: Okay, I assume as the musician?
Paolo: As the performer, yes [laughs].
Interviewer: Are there periods during which you watch more television, and why?
Paolo: Yes, of course I used to watch it more during my childhood. In summer it is very difficult for me to watch television, except for the news. I like to always watch the news, but during the night in summer it is different, I am out- I like to play the guitar, maybe I am at La Gardoncina [his holiday house at the lake], I go on the balcony and play my guitar.
Interviewer: Okay, and why did you watch more television during your childhood?
Paolo: Maybe because - it was different, of course. Now you spend a lot of time looking, surfing the internet with your iPad or just looking at Instagram, Facebook, stuff like that. So of course, television is not the only instrument that you have to get a view of the world; in the past you only had newspapers and television, now you have so many things and television is just one of those devices.
Interviewer: Okay, so you don’t have that much time to spend on that one screen anymore?
Paolo: Yes.
Interviewer: Perfect. Do you consider the tv programs you watch to be high or low quality?
And why?
Paolo: [Laughs] Okay, I won’t say “high quality" because, as I told you, I try to relax when I watch television, except for [when I watch] the news. So, if I think about high quality, I think about very nice movies with a certain thinking behind them, something like that. Uhm…
what I look for is pure emotion, a bit of adrenaline, maybe, but without much thinking or ethical reflection… Middle quality.
Interviewer: Okay, so quality comes from the morale, the teaching-
Paolo: Yes, I think that good quality comes when you want to provide your audience with some sort of message, or something like that.
Interviewer: Okay, perfect. And do you consider television offering to be mostly qualitatively valid? So not only what you watch, but what is offered in general - is it nowadays
qualitatively valid?
Paolo: I think that… Yes, it is, but coherently with the times. For instance, I don’t like the debates which are not true debates, but just screaming. But somehow, they are of that quality because that is what people like to watch. There are so many chances… For example in this period, if I want to be updated about what is happening in Ukraine, I am basically sure I can find a debate [about it] somewhere, either on [channel] 1, 2, 7… You will find it.
Interviewer: Is it a sign of high or low quality? I mean, the fact that you can find it somewhere?
Paolo: Uhm, in my opinion the possibility itself is a sign of quality, then the quality of the program is a different thing.
Interviewer: Okay, so in general the answer is that you consider the current linear television offering mostly low quality, right?
Paolo: I mean, not necessarily. There is some low quality, for example the debates, but the quality is in line with what people want to listen to and to watch. And I think that with
television you get a level of quality that is in line with the times, so you can say it is high quality relatively to this time period. Then if we want to talk about whether this television is educational or not, that is another subject. And of course, today television is not
necessarily educational, there are only a few programs that are.
Interviewer: Okay, perfect. Do you think that television is a top-down or bottom-up media?
Paolo: Oh, well… [laughs]. Considering what I just told you, you can say that it is bottom-up because basically television programs are in line with what people would like to watch.
Then, of course, the audience is not the one that prepares the single program, so in this sense it is top-down. So, in fact the somehow choose- I am not surprised that apparently in Russia everyone is currently supporting what Putin does, because television is so good in creating ideas and opinions. This is clearly a top-down approach.
Interviewer: So it is some sort of balance, in the sense that they give people what they want, but in the way they decide to.
Paolo: Yes, that is exactly what I was trying to say!.
Interviewer: [Laughs] Last question: what is the last big event you watched on television, and do you think television portrayed or explained it well? “Big event” can mean anything, it can be a football match, it can be the war, it can be a popular tv series finale… whatever comes up first to your mind.
Paolo: I mean, that would be the Italy vs. North Macedonia match that got us out of the World Championship! [Laughs]. Of course, we get news about the war in Ukraine
everyday, so that is not the last big event, it was a big even a month and a half ago; now, it is a recurrent event.
Interviewer: So, do you think television explained it well?
Paolo: Uhm, I think that- as I told you, this topic in particular is something that you can find on so many different channels, so I think that you can get an idea from various sources, and the final result, I hope, is that you get a correct idea of what the actual situation is.
Sometimes I wonder if it would be different to be in Russia…
Interviewer: For sure!
6. Eva
Name interviewer Giulia Negri Name respondent
(pseudonym) Eva
Interviewer: Do you consider yourself a television viewer?
Eva: Yes.
Interviewer: Okay, how much television do you usually watch, then?
Eva: Let’s say I watch it almost everyday and I think that depending on the day, it would be like 1 hour or 1 hour and a half.
Interviewer: Okay, and just to collect a little bit more details about your habits, where do you watch it? If at home, where in the house? When- like at what time of the day… and also from what kind of devices?
Eva: So usually I watch it from television itself, and that’s in the living room, but sometimes I also watch [it on] my telephone. [Sometimes] television is “occupied”, so I watched on [another] screen, my laptop.
Interviewer: Okay, and do you watch normal television programs from your laptop or your phone, or more streaming platforms content, like Netflix’s tv series?
Date interview April 13th, 2022 Location interview Zoom
Duration interview 48:10 minutes
Age respondent 55
Gender respondent Female
Sexual orientation Straight
Class background /
Residence Lovanio
Composition of household Married with children in their 20s National identification Belgian
Political preference /
Work, study Works in Human Resources for an ONG Way of living/lifestyle /
Remarks
Since the interviewee is not a native English speaker, I have occasionally corrected some minor grammar mistakes during the transcription process.