Television and social media: an idyll that has become stronger over the years

[jisansorkar12]

We no longer watch television like we used to. And not only because the content offered by audiovisual platforms has shaken the traditional television landscape, but because social networks have made it possible to consume television in a different way.

Nowadays we watch television and comment on what we see in real time through our bahrain whatsapp list social profiles, making it clear that this love affair between television and social networks is more than consolidated. And although you are probably saying when reading us that you also watch television and tweet at the same time, today we bring you three facts that confirm this well-matched relationship.

Television and social media: how does this relationship work?


1.- According to studies on mass media consumption in our country, 53% of people who watch television do so by interacting with that content through their social networks. A figure that rises to 87% when it comes to millennials .
These studies do not refer to people who browse social networks with the television on in the background ( multitasking ), but to people who interact with or comment on television content. And this gesture, which we have normalized as common as it seems to us, shows the importance for brands to be able to create communication strategies in which synergies are produced between offline and online channels.

2.- The formulas to allow this binomial television and social networks do not stop growing and becoming extensible to all the content offered by television, both conventional and paid platforms.
We are not telling you anything you don't already know, although you may not have stopped to think about it. But that's how it is and today there are many ways to bring "off" content to the "on" world, although some stand out, such as these:

2.1- Official hashtags of programs and series:
Today, there is no self-respecting television content that does not have an official hashtag superimposed on the screen, seeking precisely that its audience comments on it on social networks, especially on Twitter (today X) and on Instagram.

#cachitosnochevieja #lodeevole (#loderodrigocuevas, #lodeolona…) or #ghvipfinal are some examples of television programmes with official hashtags. Thanks to them, these programmes become much more viral due to the impact they get from being commented on by viewers on social networks. In addition, with a hashtag, comments are easier to monitor, apart from the fact that the simple fact of having an official hashtag encourages viewers to comment online.

2.2.- Mentions and memes to the content:
Another of the most common practices of those people who watch television and social media at the same time is to simply comment on what they are watching on television by tagging or mentioning the official profile of the program or series in question. Because that is another thing, how can there not be this link between television and social media if all television spaces, in addition to the channels, have their own profiles on social media?

And memes deserve a special mention , those photo montages obtained from a frame of television space and that go viral at the speed of light. In a matter of minutes, the appearance of memes to comment, criticize or ironically highlight something that is happening on television is now a fact. Or have you not seen what happened after the recent electoral debates of June 23?

2.3.- Downloading apps for voting :
Here is the panacea of ​​this relationship between TV and social media . Many television programmes develop a mobile application so that viewers can participate, usually by voting for the contestants of a programme. Without a doubt, it is the most obvious example of the union that has occurred between online technologies and traditional mass media.

This formula, which is often accompanied by unpublished content from the program that can only be seen through the app, is very popular among millennials . The case of Operación Triunfo or reality shows like Gran Hermano are the best examples.