The depression was a fabulous time for the film industry. Films were very popular and also very cheap for moviegoers. Musicians and musical theater stars had a very difficult time keeping on the stage. I remember hearing stories about the Great Depression from my grandfather who was born in 1928. (He just passed away this New Year's Eve.) It was impossible to find the time to work and to be a musician. Though he was a talented singer, his 60+ hour work week had him out of the educational system by middle school. His favorite entertainment: the movies. He would walk through Trenton on a day off and for five cents he could sit in the movie theater all day if he wanted (popcorn included). This high level of accessibility was largely responsible for the era of the silver screen.
In our recession the exact opposite reaction is taking place: cinema (or at least the movie theater itself) is dying. With the boom of online videos and the advance in quality of home theaters we can have any entertainment we want instantly. Even DVD rental stores are closing their doors with new rapidity. What has happened to printed media (books, newspapers, magazines) will continue to happen to anything not computerized.
On another note, landline phones are becoming a thing of the past. More and more families are choosing to own only cell phones. The phone companies are buying each other out in a panic. Will one company end up having a phone/wireless/internet/cable monopoly? Most likely no, but our choices are dwindling.
Yes, Youtube, Netflix and Hulu are the popular media of the Recession.
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