Social networks and live blogs make television personal, part 2

Yesterday, I posted part one of my story about the connection between social networks and television. Here is part two of my story.

Coletta feels that the fusion of television and Internet communities will allow for better viewer feedback on the content they are watching. “People were very passive ... we have so much more power today,” he said. He cites the recent example of “Chuck” fans creating uproar over the romantic entanglements between the main characters.

As a result of the episode plots, the show’s creators had to assure the fans that they were not going to completely jeopardize the characters’ relationships. “It’s bringing creators and fans closer together. Like, I remember with Joss Whedon, girls in class would know everything he did or said.”

However, as Miller points out, it’s not just those behind the show who can be overwhelmed by social networks and live blogging. “You need to find just the right amount of population,” she said. “If you have too many people, you have repetition, like on Twitter.”

Repetition is a major problem on social networks; in a fast-moving chat or feed, users will have the same reaction to an event. For last year’s Video Music Awards, MTV set up their own Twitter monitoring device to see Tweets about the show, and there was a major spike in Tweets chiding Kanye West for famously interrupting Taylor Swift’s acceptance speech.

Additionally, too many users can spoil the fun, as was the case for the Oscars, when the massive influx of visitors to Oh No They Didn’t caused the servers to frequently crash.

Miller also believes that difficulty may arise when attempting to merge television audiences and Internet users. “I feel like my attention is diverted from the show to my computer, the discussion can be so compelling.”

Is social networking a hindrance to peoples’ social lives, or does it help? Opinions may differ. Miller wonders if the affect of Internet discussions on a person’s life is overstated. “Are you really being social when talking on the Internet, or are you just as shut off from the world than without it? You may have real discussion, but not ‘perform’ for a group of people in a social setting,” she said.

Coletta, however, would liken the experience to social situations. “Everyone’s interested in this stuff,” he said. “You’d talk about [television] with your friend on the end of the couch the same as you do online.” He feels that because the people posting on social networks and blogs about shows, especially live ones, are just average television fans, they are relatable to users.

Citing a popular “LOST” site created by Britain’s Sky channel, Coletta explains, “They build these communities, they’re just a couple of guys sitting around. They’re probably not making money, but it’s what they like to do.”

Do you agree or disagree, or do you have other thoughts about this trend? Leave a comment!