I was playing songs off youtube for my kids to go to sleep to tonight, when I decided to play a theme song from Gilligan's Island, just cuz it's got a catchy tune and I thought they'd like it. I suddenly had a thought - a memory. 
Well, there's over a billion blogs out there in the world (thank you for tuning in) and I don't know how many TV shows and movies available in an instant online, but I remember growing up how when the 80's rolled out and there was cable if you were rich - but before that - if it wasn't on and wasn't in the theaters, good luck! You weren't going to see it! Movie poster? Maybe. Go read the book. You'll have better luck with that.
But as for the TV show, you'd better do your business during the commercial or you missed out. 
And if you were watching the show at your friends house while your parents socialized and then they decided it was time to go in the middle of the show, and it was a special, you had to wait till next year to see it if it came on again. Like, the Wizard of Oz? OH THE HUMANITY!!!! GAAAAHHH!!!!
But then you'd get to school, and some loser girl who was in the in-crowd and was way more popular than you, but who's IQ was as high as a 25 watt light bulb would ask who else saw "Little House on the Prairie" or whatever and they would all talk about the latest episode automatically cementing herself at the head of the popular crowd and you in dead last hopeless place. You were a pathetic loser because you were out doing something stupid and nerdy like building an actual ultralight or had been hiking around Mt. Saint Helens or learning to rappel over the cliffs on the Pacific Ocean like the loser you were or were busy planning your next long distance bike ride or working on recycling energy in a closed circuit system or learning how to do stained glass windows or working on metallurgy properties of tempering with various torches (or I was at any rate like the pathetic loser that I was).....a lot of American culture was very much the same and influenced by the TV schedule.
Do I have a point? Not really. Just I think we've become more diverse, and despite the ability to be more connected, we've become more isolated in some ways as well.
And as for that oh-so-popular and not so bright girl who wasn't even worth envying that she was out of my reach, though I didn't realize it at the time, who will here remain nameless....well...I bet she watches reruns and attends every single high-school reunion. Its her life, fine with me. Though I haven't been to any of them and I am planning on missing the next one too. So THERE! (Its hard to finish this on a note of humor without sounding like some obsessed psychopath....).
Hmmmm, guess I'll just leave it at that.
