Through the round window - was there a strong subtext to children's tv to get us primed for the internet?

While I was only half joking on the 6th February about the use of children’s tv in the form of ‘Finger Bobs’ to get us used to the right hand mouse movements I just thought of one other example. The attempts to get computer use engrained in our culture to a point where we all feel comfortable for hours at a time using a mouse and a keyboard may be something that media organisations may legitimately do, however, as this may have involved shaping the behaviour of children years before the products they were being primed for were likely to come onto the market.

This may also lead to mood changes with certain products as there could be strong associations between feeling good as a child and then feeling good when doing the same behaviour pattern when operating the internet and potentially be a factor which may contribute to web addiction in later life.

The issue that struck me as being relevant to the BBC increasing web-affinity was the use of the ‘through the round window’ scenario on Play School being a means of offering options to consider going through and preparation for web links perhaps. This would have otherwise been a very irresponsible thing to do, to encourage children to go around looking through windows?

I would assume that if the BBC had an agenda of increasing affinity with internet and PC products they would inform us of this – perhaps they will one day… I wonder what technology kids are being primed for through the web?