With Google TV, Apple TV, Samsungs Social Media Integration TV Apps, and the growing world of online sites streaming shows around the clock, the way we watch television is certainly changing fast. TV is going social and it seems pretty clear that the entire landscape of providers, content, and delivery will look different in the very near future.
All the HD, 3D, and thin panels aside, the thing I am most excited about is the progression toward deep social integration. At a base level, TV is a modern form of something humans have been doing since primal times: storytelling. We gather together, listen to stories, share them with others, and look forward to more. It is an inherently social activity.
The way TV is now allows for social interaction just like our ancestors around a campfire, but in a world where tools exist for better connectivity, why not take advantage? We have moved a good portion of our social lives online, isn’t entertainment a big part of that? People have passion for the shows they watch and the movies they see. It is natural to want to debate, dissect, and digest stories with one another as they are happening and immediately after.
Social media can allow us to do that with more people than ever. For a small example, a site that I often stream shows from is called Justin.tv. On the side of every show is a chat. As the show is playing hundreds of people are talking about it, sharing information, asking questions, and giving social updates.
With internet seeming perched to take over the traditional cable TV world, social media will no doubt be better integrated into the experience. There will be less solitary entertainment and more action like you see with online games like HALO and others that offer a world of other people on Xbox Live to share the experience with. There are interesting possibilities as social media takes better root in TV: social games, chats, check-ins, updates, contests, advertisements…
What do you think about the way TV seems to be progressing? Are the opportunities to make television less solitary exciting? Doessocial media integration and the chance at the connection to the millions of others out there enjoying the same shows excite you? What are the things you are looking forward to being able to do with your entertainment habits and how you share them? Are you against the internet takeover of TV and the social media changes that will seemingly come along with it?
Think there will ever be a massively multiplayer television show? Let us know what you think about any of these questions, so many people watch TV, this is something that will be a definite game changer very, very soon.