This morning I was listening to an NPR piece on digital media trends. It was fairly unremarkable, but my interest was mildy piqued when they discussed ARGs and their nascent impact on the media landscape. I was flabbergasted, however, when, in the context of commercial viability, the interviewee discussed a target demographic:

It’s about engaging the attention of people who might not have the attention span to sit through a half-an-hour episode [of a TV show].

On the one hand, if the target demographic is significant, why wouldn’t an advertiser want to reach it? On the other hand… if you can’t muster the concentration to watch a half-hour of the freakin’ boob tube, you shouldn’t be catered to. You should be culled.