Commentary

Can Social Media And Mobile Apps Really Change TV Viewing Habits?

by Wayne Friedman , Staff Writer, December 15, 2011

How many different digital services and apps do I need to connect socially with the TV shows I watch? One? Five? Fifteen?

Not a day goes by without another social media or mobile platform promising real-time information about shows that I or my friends watch. Do I need more than one? Perhaps there is a shakeout coming -- or perhaps something else will replace these digital connections to traditional TV series.

Right now, I'm not buying. To be frank, I have little idea what my friends watch, something that is part and parcel of what some social media efforts offer. Your friends recommend stuff. You trust your friends. So you will give it a try.

But should they recommend stuff -- like say one or two of those "hoarding" shows -- I wouldn't exactly be interested. My friends have different interests -- and that's fine with me.

To be fair, I understand the business dynamics. One needs to cull or have shows curated by an expert or someone with plain old good taste. That may stir my interest. Even then there is another issue: making time to see that show, that sampling of entertainment, considering my busy life.

Social media services promise so much -- and people are savvy enough to know there is a price to pay here advertising-wise, with couponing and discounted deals about products that someone needs to sell.

It all reminds me of prognostications of a 500-channel universe decades ago from John Malone. The promise was of choice and, indeed, not just a 500-channel universe arrived -- with YouTube, Hulu and others, there are tens of thousands of real TV and video choices.

But weirdly we still hear that refrain of days gone by -- about thousands of TV programs on but nothing to watch.

What happens from all of this is "media fatigue." Maybe that's why research has shown time and again that, though hundreds of channels exist for the modern entertainment consumer, most people still focus on nine to 11 channels at most.

And we need to mention the multitasking factor here. Research has also shown that we are watching more TV than ever. Yet we are multitasking more than ever before. That means our attention spans are ever decreasing. It is an illusion that we can do two or three things well at the same time. We can't.

What can social media or TV-related mobile apps do about that?

2 comments about "Can Social Media And Mobile Apps Really Change TV Viewing Habits?".

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Jay Oconner from World Colours Network Inc., December 15, 2011 at 7:03 p.m.
Wayne you are right on again. Check out www.wcntv.tv and Click on the Inteveo Dive Channel Partner Link. There you will see the answer to monetizing content for TV Everywhere. There may be a few additional incentives for recommending and hitting both the Like and Share buttons. Yes I am talking about Transmedia Revenue Share Opportunities for Consumers. Hmmmmmm you might say. We are in a new day and Facebook TV, Google TV, Apple TV are just preparing for a Napster-est Takeover of Cable and Broadcast TV. Unless they bridge the strategy and get off the 30 Second Commercial Tit. The Abandonment rates are astronomical and growing with pre-rolls and ill time commercial interruptions online. So finally to answer your question. Yes Social Media and Mobile Apps are Really Changing Habits and the Cut the Cord Generation is growing not to mention tweens and teens who have never paid a cable bill.
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Paula Lynn from Who Else Unlimited, December 15, 2011 at 7:36 p.m.

Has the point of diminishing returns been reached or do we fall further ? This is a very sensible article.