“Idiot Box” defines the idea that television is merely a consumer product. This idea encourages us to minimize television’s role in new media, thus, minimizing the role of its adaptions. New media gives us the ability to interact and escape–an ability introduced to technology by television. However, film is often seen as the more important predecessor to new media because of its reputation for being more artistic and meaningful. Furthermore, the video-oriented Internet, is often valued higher than television because it uses “cool” computer technology and is more physically interactive. Television, though, should not be ignored in this way. It helped shape modern media with its visuals and engaging nature. The concept of an episode, a short visual story that is connected by a larger plot, fits in well with the modern urge to condense or reduce information without losing its meaning. The Webseries today would not exist as we know it today without television. While its production quality is lower, its episodes micro, and its plotline shorter, it is an adaptation of its older but still relevant counterpart. It takes television as a concept and reinvents it to fit in a different environment–online. Televisions influence over new media, then, should be more appreciated. Its ability to adapt should also be admired, as adaptability is another quality revered in the sphere of new media.

Pg. 9 of “How Television Invented New Media”