What’s the last thing you watched on TV? Was it a reality show, a primetime special, political debate, or just your favorite Tuesday night show? Either way you probably noticed in the corner of your television set a #hashtag. The first time I saw this I was amazed and impressed to see social media being suggestively used during a television show. Now its expected and almost normal to see #thewalkingdead or #nbcnightlynews. It’s official to say that # has left the cyber world and entered into our homes via TV.
The purpose of these assigned hashtags are to create discussion amongst Twitter especially and trend topics that otherwise probably won’t be trending without the guidance of the mastermind behind them. Not to mention it provides social media account managers to be able to engage quicker and easier.
Live tweeting is a new form of entertainment. In the past year, more and more Twitter users are engaging in tweeting live during televised events and regularly scheduled programming. It’s almost to the point where the entertainment on the screen is less entertaining than the what is being said online. People are so urgent in getting their thoughts or witty comments posted for everyone else to see that they are actually not paying attention most of the time to what is actually being said or happening. We are a culture driven by “living in the now” and consumed by our phones and computers.
Recently, I found a fellow blogger who discussed this same topic and how she decided to not participate in the online buzz of live tweeting and what she learned from it. Granted she had no other choice since she was at the gym while watching the State of the Union address, but she makes some good points. She goes on to say, “Maybe some of us would do well to “graduate” from live-tweeting, because the constant pressure to find punchlines in everything can be exhausting and distracting. After a while, you realize you’re not only paying less attention to the live event itself, but you start to feel like you’re winking into the ether along with everyone else, just one more person who’s also said goodbye to her work computer and hello to her home computer for the night.”
To read the full article, You Can Watch A Live Event Or Tweet About It But Not Both
About Megan Tschopp
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