Avatars, Audiences and Interactive Television: Television productions in Second Life exemplifying the possibilities

of interactive television

CarrieLynn D. ReinhardDominican University

Pooky AmsterdamPookyMedia

Interactive Television (iTV)

• History of iTVo Winky Dink and You (1953)o Technologies to increase

interactivity• Developed for TV sets• Appropriated for TV

broadcasting

• Intentionso Empower to control TV useo Impact delivery platform or

content

• Best matched with Interneto Inherent interactivity = best fit

Three Types of Interactivity

• Content control

• Content sharing

• Content editing

Access interactivity

Social interactivity

Content interactivity

Synchronous

Asynchronous

Virtual World Television• Virtual World Television (VWTV)

o Multiple users coordinating synchronouslyo Multi-part fictional, non-fictionalo Live streamed or post-production

• Importance of projecto Second Life users become television producerso Producing iTV, to various degrees

simultaneously:• Access interactivity• Social interactivity• Content interactivity

VWTV Project• Project’s participants

o 54 television series produced in-worldo Interviewed 23 producers of 39 series

• Project’s interviews focused on:o Entering Second Life and creating their serieso Ideas series' design and audience’s role o What challenged by and learned abouto How helped and hindered during productiono How see VWTV relate to traditional TVo How see VWTV’s future

Three Types of Programming

1. Live studio audience encouraged to

participate

2. Live studio audience not encouraged to

participate

3. No live studio audience

Access Interactivity• Networks serve as collective

agencies• Exhibition in-world and online

o Specialized in-world add-onso In-world exhibition areaso Online video sharing platformso Specialized website hosting

• Recording & viewing optionso Live but recorded for archivalo Recorded, post-production, for archival

Social Interactivity• Text channels for synchronous communication

o Chatbridges: Constructive cacophonyo Encourage audience discussion during production

Content Interactivity• Chatbridge

communicationo Content

progression: suggestions impact content

• De facto crew memberso Glitch checkingo Performance as

participation

Discussion• Remediates access and social interactivities

of traditional TVo Timeshiftingo Social TV

• Remediates TV formats promoting content interactivityo AudienceParticipanto “Lucky Viewer” responsiveness

• True content interactivity in ability to enter production processo UserProducero AudienceCrew

Conclusion• Virtual world: social medium, user-

generatedo Television channel: access interactivityo Virtual living room: social interactivityo Television studio: content interactivity

Access Interactivi

ty

Social Interactiv

ity

Content Interactiv

ity

Virtual World Technology

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