Interactive services lure users with excessive sensationalism

PRODIGY has never been at the forefront of the on-line world, which has been dominated mostly by CompuServe and the Internet.

However, the company is now bringing on-line an increasing number of services that should prove likely to broaden its appeal. Recently, for instance, Newsweek announced its move into the on-line world with the Newsweek Interactive on-line service to be available on Prodigy.

Essentially a general-interest, multimedia magazine, it aims to combine photo, sound, graphics and text, all delivered over a single phone line.

Still, even with this application of on-line technology to deliver timely and, one would hope, useful information, there are signs that these United States-orientated on-line services that dominate the commercial scene may be relying a bit much on television for the model of what content should be offered to viewers.

Prodigy has been selected as the interactive computer link for Judge for Yourself, a new television show from Buena Vista Productions (Disney, really, under another name).

The show attempts to combine courtroom drama with a talk show and will feature a daily debate on hot issues as well as decisions by an in-studio jury. A vote for a viewer's decision will also be taken and in this way viewers can participate through Prodigy, casting votes for the decisions which will be announced on the next day's show.

Ignoring the fact that one might argue that this type of television only serves to sensationalise the law and turn it from a valuable tool for maintaining order into a circus, one also has to question the nature and role of on-line services as important sources of information and communication.