Sweden is the country in the world where teletext has existed the longest and this year the service turns 45 years old.
Now a historian from Jönköping University is going to write a book about teletext.
– That there are such strong feelings connected to it, I think it’s really cool, says Carl-Johan Svensson.
It is mainly older men and those interested in sports who use the teletext service where you can catch up on fast news on TV. But even though interest has cooled in recent years, teletext still has an audience of millions every day.
That is one of the reasons why Carl-Johan Svensson, lecturer in history didactics at Jönköping University, has chosen to write a book about it.
– It is interesting that when teletext came along it was widely described as the medium of the future, it is new and hot. Today it has more of a sort of nostalgic shimmer to it. It has made some kind of journey during these 45 years, he says.
The groups where everyone loves teletext
Despite the fact that many younger people today barely have a clue of what teletext is, the love for the perhaps outdated medium has spread. Not least on Facebook.
– You can see that there are dedicated Facebook pages where people really rave about teletext. That there are such strong feelings connected to it, I think it’s really cool. It bears witness somewhere to teletext’s slightly unique position in the media landscape, says Carl-Johan Svensson.
Can it be another 45 years?
SVT reporter Erik Aldaeus has worked with teletext since 2001 and is himself surprised at how long he has been able to work with it.
– I absolutely think that it is something of a phenomenon that in these times of push notifications and apps from all media houses that there is still an audience for teletext.
But he finds it hard to believe that it would be another 45 years for the medium.
– No, then I think perhaps the audience that uses text has disappeared, says Erik Aldaeus.