Study: TV Viewers Prefer Not to Multitask – The Hollywood Reporter:
The survey also found that viewers are largely uninterested in online discussions about the shows they watch. Most of the survey was split between TiVo users and non-TiVo users, and 55 percent of the latter agreed with the statement: “I only want to discuss TV with people I know, not with Internet strangers.”
Although this study was commissioned by TiVo, which begs us to question their biases and motivations, it is goes against what we read in our textbook this week.
Now with the proliferation of social media, and in particular Twitter, we can discuss that program with our friends—and with strangers—as we watch the show. Many TV shows now gauge their popularity with audiences by how many people are “live-tweeting” it, and by how many related trending topics they have on Twitter.[1]
Do you have any ideas why this study would contradict conventional wisdom about the way we watch?
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Campbell, Richard, Christopher R. Martin, and Bettina Fabos. Media & Culture: Mass Communication in a Digital Age, 9th ed. New York: Bedford/St. Martin’s Press, 2014. ↩