Social Networking

And its Impact on Television

Broadcasting

Podcast – Social Networking

Summary of the impact of social networking on the television broadcast industry

For the Podcast part 6: Social Networking see the corresponding audio below

The Impact of Social Networking on Television Broadcasting

It seems that Facebook has most definitely taken the world by storm. Gone are the days where you have to wait long periods at a time to find out what is going on in the world and where you would wait weeks to see a preview of a television program. These days its filmed, uploaded on Facebook within hours and publicly viewed by the whole world. However it is not just what is uploaded online, but the online response from Viewers that is most intriguing. An example of this is the immediate response that came from Barack Obama’s address when he first became President of the United States in 2009. (Anderson, K. 2009) According to CNET.com :

• 600,000 status updates have been posted so far through the CNN.com Live Facebook feed

• There were an average of 4,000 status updates every minute during the broadcast• There were 8,500 status updates the minute Obama began his speech

From the above alone, it is evident that Facebook has enabled individuals and groups from all across the globe, regardless of their authority, the opportunity to express themselves like never before. Facebook users are ultimately given a sense of connectivity to those who may not be in their inner circle and benefits them by keeping them in touch with both their inner and outer surroundings.

Television was once the world’s most favorite pastime and through it’s technology brought issues of the world to the comfort of one’s own home. These days however, Facebook is viewed “as being a way of transforming the messiness of everyday life into a system that can be controlled and exploited for profit” (Wilson, J. 2010).

Nevertheless, Facebook has benefited the Television industry in one-way or another. There are many television programs that have been promoted through the site including sitcoms, soap operas and drama series. Sitcoms such as “Friends” and “How I met your mother” have their own fan pages, and as a result these programs have gained a large reception from Facebook users. Even News programs have joined the fan page bandwagon including Australian television personalities.

Furthermore, through status updates there is constant communication about what is being aired on television and ultimately acts as feedback for networks.There is no doubt that Facebook is the largest and most popular social networking site and will continue to grow in the future. However instead of being feared, the television industry should embrace Facebook as a tool to connect with the rest of the world (Wilson J, 2010) and keep audiences up to date with rapid changes to the industry.

Interview Relating to Impact of Social Networking

Has the increase in audience participation culture effected your work in anyway?

For the audio answer click the ‘Question 1’ link below

Annotated References

Anderson, K. (2009) Facebook Meets TV Literally, The GuardianJanuary Issuehttp://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/blog/2009/jan/21/barackobama-televisionAccessed 17 May 2011 The article was viewed on the 15th May 2011 and was extremely insightful in detailing the link between the social network site and the television industry, particularly through the example used of the immediate response through status updates in regards to Barack Obama’s address to the public when elected president. However from this article only one specific quote was taken directly from this article when writing the summary for the Wiki.  Joinson, Adam N (2008) Looking at, looking up or keeping up with people?: motives and use of Facebook, Published in a paper from the University of Bath, Bath United Kingdomhttp://portal.acm.org/citation.cfm?id=1357213 Accessed 17 May 2011 This paper investigates the uses of social networking site Facebook, and the gratifications users derive from those uses. The main concepts included social connection, shared identities, content, social investigation, social network surfing and status updating. 

Wilson, J. (2010) ‘The Social Network, Sydney Morning Heraldhttp://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/movies/the-social-network-20101022-16xxu.htmlAccessed 18 May 2011 This source was listed in our set readings. Out of the three listed for the topic I found this the most useful in regards to the television industry. One main quote was taken from this article to link in the ties between Facebook and the television industry in everyday life. Baca, M (2008) Television Meets Facebook: Social Networks through consumer electronics, MIT Media Laboratory (page 2)Viewed 19 May 2011 This source was not used in as much detail as the other sources, however it did outline the various methods in which television is brought to audiences via Facebook and how online uploads a becoming a more recurring activity.

Emko, J (2010) “How people use storytelling as a sense making tool on Facebook” University of Denver University College Capstone Project for Master of Professional Studies in Applied Communication.http://ectd.du.edu/source/uploads/21753180.pdf Accessed 18 May 2011 The relevance of this article was the fact that it made reference to various sitcoms and I found that itself was evidence of a link between the Television Industry and the Social Network. It also details various other tools individuals use to make the most of their Facebook experience and from this I used that concept to outline whether or not the television industry has benefited from social networking.  

Additional References  Quencua, Douglas. 2010. I need to vent. Hello, Facebook. 2010.http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/18/fashion/18facebook.html Smith, z. 2010 ‘Generation Why?’. New York Revview of Books, 25 November Lewis, J. & West A. 2009, ‘“Friending”; London-based undergraduates’ Experience of Facebook’. New Media and Society, Vol. 11, no 7, pp. 1209-29 "South park" episode pokes fun at Facebook. 2010http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/04/08/entertainment/main637 4821.shtml