Television goes further than simply tuning in once a week and watching the program. The rise of social media- Twitter, Facebook, the "hashtag," etc.-has certainly transformed how TV is being consumed and talked about. This article and this article discuss current TV trends and movements that are occurring because of different social media outlets.
Basically, viewers are becoming a major, active, and influential part of television programming. Instead of sitting and watching passively, websites and apps like Twitter allow audiences to share their opinions and reactions on the TV shows they are watching- both in real time (IE "Live tweeting"), or after the show has ended (in "after shows", the topic of article #1). After shows give viewers and sponsors a chance to debrief after an episode of their program hits the air- to discuss what happened, what should have happened, what's going to happen next, etc. How does this change the way we watch TV?
In my opinion, TV is becoming a much more personal and interactive form of entertainment because of how involved people have become with "their shows", even when they are not currently watching them. With the option of using hashtags, people are able to check out what other people are saying about the same TV show, and fan-to-fan interaction and debate can ensue. I believe this interaction makes TV a lot more like theatre- it becomes truly "live" and personal, and a viewer's level of involvement rises drastically.
The idea of people standing around the water cooler at work, talking about last night's episode of American Idol or Real Housewives (admit it, you've at least watched PART of one episode), has transformed and propelled itself into the future. This "water cooler" concept has reconstructed itself into technology, with social media outlets becoming the virtual water coolers. And EVERYONE wants to participate in this online discussion. 19 MILLION tweets were sent during the Oscars this year. 1.2 million Brits tweeted during just one episode of UK's The X Factor. And 12.2 million comments were posted online during this year's Super Bowl. These are examples about how anyone can cast a vote, share their opinion, or complain about anything they watch on television. People want their voices to be heard when it comes to what they are watching, and I believe this is a trend that will continue to grow in the TV world. I think that interactive TV shows will rise in popularity, and online comments will be considered by TV executives when planning programming. There are definite examples of this happening already, and I believe these ideas will continue to grow and TV will become more and more interactive and responsive to its audience. Maybe someday, there will be a television show that allows the viewer to decide what happens to the plot. You know those books where you can choose 1 of 3 options of how the story can unfold? How cool would it be if the same thing could happen on TV? I think something like this is definately plausible in the future of television.
In the coming times, I believe the audience will practically control television. It makes sense, doesn't it? People want to watch what they want to watch, and now TV executives can monitor what people like, what they don't like, what they want more of, or what they think should happen. Why not give the people (their consumers) what they want?
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| Ellen's viral star-filled selfie from the 2014 Oscars… this little photo scored 2.4 million retweets and was viewed over 3.3 billion times! |
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