TV and ADD: A Match Made in… Well, Hollywood, Probably

At a recent industry gathering on the future of television, the president of TiVo declared that “Attention Deficit Disorder is not just a disease, it’s a lifestyle.” And if Americans – particularly young Americans – are determined to watch what they want, when they want it, and to surf the ‘net for ‘extras’ and discuss what they’re watching in a chat room while the program is still on the air, who is anyone to stand in their way? Joanne Ostrow doesn’t particularly like the way this type of thinking points: “Judging by the panel, those in charge of capturing our attention in coming years are blind to any unpleasant sociological fallout.”