In the NYT we learned that Nielsen will now be officially tracking Twitter activity as it pertains to TV shows. This brings up an important issue: are Tweets only useful and interesting when TV shows are live? Are Tweets worth tracking when someone is watching the show after the fact? Or do Tweets about live shows motivate followers to tune in as well? We learn in the article that while the number of people actually created original content (Tweets) is not that significant, their reach is the opposite. Tweets become viral through retweets and are able to reach millions of people very quickly. This isn't breathtaking news, but it does bring up an important concept: can cable TV as we know it be saved by social media? Can FOMO be the driving factor that motivates the populace to turn on the TV as opposed to planning on watching a popular show after the live broadcast? I argue that yes, if cable tv, beyond sports content, is to survive, it will be because unless someone lives in a cave, they will not be able to enjoy the surprises and community experience of watching a show as it develops live, with all of their friends tweeting away.
No comments:
Post a Comment