SocialMedia = The Future
I absolutely love the summer. Horseshoes on the beach, bike
rides on the boardwalk and enough Kohr Bros. ice cream to satisfy
me for the whole year. But what I don't like about the summer is
the choice of TV programs. Quite frankly, they all stink. Between
re-runs, old movies and those absurd game shows ("Wipe Out,"
really?), there's nothing to enjoy on television. That is, until I
began watching "The Voice."
"The Voice" is a talent competition, similar to "American Idol,"
in which musical judges and the American public decide which
contestant has what it takes to become the next music superstar.
But it's not just another reality show. "The Voice" is a new media
platform that integrates social media with reality television. The
judges, teams, contestants and viewers at home are all encouraged
to tweet using the hashtag, #TheVoice. Throughout the program, a
scroll at the bottom of the television screen displays some of
these tweets - which may be difficult to choose given the 3,000
tweets posted per minute during airtime. From the social media
correspondent, Alison Haislip, to the V-Room filled with screens
monitoring Facebook, Twitter, and other feeds, "The Voice"
challenges the boundaries of US television by integrating social
media with the program.
Nicolle Yaron, the show's supervising producer, placed an
emphasis on active engagement from the very beginning: "We wanted
to create a true, real-time co-viewing experience." Yaron says that
70% of tweets about the show include the hashtag #TheVoice, a rate
that is an "industry high" according to a Twitter spokesperson. So
how did this all happen? And what does this mean for the future of
television?
That's just it. This could be the future of television. Reality
TV has been dominating television programming throughout the past
decade, particularly because production costs are cheaper. But with
33% of the fall's line-up consisting of non-scripted
programming, it's clear that reality television is not just a
trend. Nor is social media. NBC is ingenious for integrating the
two in a way that's really never been done before. Put simply, "The
Voice" is social entertainment. It has become a true interactive
platform connecting audiences with the program. And these days,
that's what the media industry is all about. And that's what the
branding industry is all about - connecting
offline and on. So although "The Voice" may be a pioneer
in making social media integral to a television program, I'm sure
we'll continue to see the trend of integrating social media with
just about everything.