I just learned a new thing this weekend. The California government has signed a new law banning streaming services from making advertisements significantly louder than the shows. It’s been signed into law, and it’s going to take effect from next year.
And then, the more I think about it, the more I realize that this is indeed a law! And I see why it’s so important. I don’t watch much TV anymore because I don’t have that kind of time. All my streaming is done through my smartphone. However, it also reminded me of the old days when I watched TV as a kid. It didn’t matter if it was local TV or cable. Whatever the volume your TV was on, regardless of what you were watching, once an advert came on, it always got louder! Almost like a scream.
And I can remember this very well because I used to do a lot of late-night sneakings, watching late-night shows even though I had to go to school the next morning. I knew that if my Mom caught me, she’d order me to go to bed. So, to avoid that, I watched the shows on a low volume. Not too low that I didn’t hear what they were saying, but also not too high that it woke her up. And usually, it always went well. Until it was time for ads.
Then, all of a sudden, the TV that was on volume 5 would suddenly start screaming as if it was on Volume 15. Forcing me to reduce it even further. It was always jarring and unsettling, making me scared that I was gonna get caught. But that was just me as a kid. People who had babies had it worse because such surges in the volume woke their sleeping babies, and for many, ruined their night.
And the reason for all this will shock you. Well, it won’t really shock you, because you won’t be surprised. It’s all money. Capitalism. They know that many times, especially late at night, people watch TV until they fall asleep. And that’s the point! They raise the volume on the adverts so whoever is sleeping would wake up at once and see those adverts. After all, companies are paying big money to put them on your screens, the least you can do is watch them.
And I guess it worked because they’ve been doing it for so long, countries all over the world have adopted it as well. It never really clicked for me until I found out about the law being passed. Then, I did some research, and it all made sense. Funny enough, this law only exists because the lawmaker’s staff kept having his baby woken up by the extremely loud adverts.
So far, I don’t know if other states are adopting this law, but I do hope that other governments will consider it as well. Although, as I said before, I don’t watch TV anymore, so how they broadcast their ads won’t really matter to me. But there are many who still watch TV, there are many who have kids… the governments of the world really need to consider this.
It might not be a law that would change the world drastically, but it could be the one that will allow citizens to have longer and better sleep. Well, it is what it is.
Thank you for reading. Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below, I would love to know what you’re thinking. Till we meet in the next post.
N.B: All images used in this post are mine. The thumbnail was designed using Canva.
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