Cable is dead, and streaming killed it with a smile. 

When I was a kid, I watched cable television. I’m 20 now, but I was part of the generation that watched VHS tapes growing up, then CDs and cable followed by the introduction of streaming platforms when I was in middle school. I vividly remember eagerly awaiting season finales on Disney Channel or begging my parents to wait until 8/7 central — whenever that was — when a movie would premiere on Friday nights. 

My generation is also a product of rapidly changing technology. I remember when old TVs used to have antennae on them and the back of a television was three times the depth of the front screen. When TVs became flat screens, I marveled at their new, high-tech features. As the televisions themselves changed, so did the culture of accessing online entertainment. 

With the introduction of streaming platforms like Netflix, Disney+ and HBO Max, the practice of patience has been completely lost. Humans have learned to access entertainment on quick demand. In addition to iPhones allowing instant social media gratification, streaming platforms release entire seasons at a time, diminishing the joyous suspense that slow release television brings on cable. 

My mom has told me stories of rushing home from work in the late 90s to watch shows like “Friends,” “Seinfeld” and “The Cosby Show.” Every Thursday, new episodes would air on cable television, furthering the plot of the episode from a week prior. Of course, cable would play reruns during the daytime, but new content was set on a strict schedule, spurring excitement and wonder as eager anticipation grew for the audience. 

In a society where patience is a lost art, cable gained attention and brightened everyone’s day by creating an event of watching television. People could gather around the coffee machine in their offices on Friday mornings, discussing that crazy cliffhanger from a popular show the previous night. They could relate to one another — television brought a camaraderie like nothing before. Instead of just the local news, coworkers, friends and family could talk about their favorite characters, scenes, plots or seasons of shows that most people knew well. Cable built a new community of connection. 

With the loss of cable — meaning streaming platforms are the new corporate giant in the entertainment business — prices to access restricted content have skyrocketed. To watch shows and movies on Netflix, for example, you’d have to pay $18 per month for the no-ad option.

Let’s say you’re willing to cough up a few bucks and splurge for Netflix — good luck trying to watch your favorite movie. That’s going to be on one of the many other streaming platform options. Let’s say you splurge for two platforms now and log into HBO Max, which is $18.49 a month. You still might not be able to access your favorite movie without a premium subscription, which is $23 per month. 

The absurd prices and variety of platforms to choose from have gotten out of hand. We can no longer flip through channels or wait for a designated timeslot for our favorite show. The purchase of five different streaming services is the only way you can truly watch what you want, whenever you want. In true impatient fashion, people do actually purchase all of these services — something that’s unfair to ask of consumers just looking for entertainment. 

But don’t worry — the threat of corporate monopolies is right around the corner. If you’re fed up with too many options, we might all be paying a monthly subscription to Disney for virtually every form of entertainment in the future. With the absorption and current debt of streaming services, our options may soon tighten, and I can guarantee you that the price will go up. 

Companies like Netflix are also notorious for pumping out low-quality, high-quantity series in order to try to claw their way out of their financial issues. Why would we want a “Kissing Booth” one, two and three? Why in the world would “To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before” need three movies and a spinoff television series? People are tired of remakes and sequels produced for a quick buck, and that’s the problem with these streaming platforms — they’re unoriginal. 

The overwhelming influx of poorly constructed plots, characterization and setting has tremendously impacted our culture as a whole. What do we watch if stories no longer portray meaningful issues and important lessons?

But the problem lies in the fact that there is no clear solution. The impatient demand for instant entertainment will never allow for things to go back to the way they were when cable reigned supreme. 

I don’t want to actually watch cable television again — I want to go back to a simpler time of nostalgia — a feeling, an atmosphere and the excitement of next week’s episode. Streaming gives us instant satisfaction, but somewhere along the way, we have lost the joy of waiting and the comfort of watching together. 

Faith Richardson likes to write about student life, the arts and the media. Email her at [email protected].