The Interactive Generation

I read an interesting blog posting today {TalkShop from Edelman PR}. In her Sept 1 posting titled “We had a Deal!” Leah Jones comments on consumer interaction with television and their preferences by recounting a comic’s bit:
“TV, we had a deal and you broke the deal…One way entertainment. I turn on the TV, you entertain me. Now you want me to go to my computer and answer a poll? You want me to be involved? That wasn’t the deal at all. The deal was you entertain me, one way, remember?”
As a huge supporter of interactive TV and citizen journalism, and having based my master’s thesis on the effects of media and the importance of participation in absorbing media messages, I wanted to stand up and shout YES! Involve me! Let me participate, We love two-way communication!

But we must and considered that interactive encompasses two main styles:
1) Interactive/On-Demand-where you control your viewing habits by selecting on-demand programs, interactive TV programming (ex: weather, news, games) and DVRs to create your own program library.
2) Participatory-where your actions influence the show.

I remember a meeting I had last year with the VP of a top-rated cable network who wanted to develop an interactive app with a component that would force the user to view a slideshow of extra content. His reasoning was that the consumer doesn’t want to have to use his remote control. He wants to be entertained and force fed the information. This is true to a certain extent, however what this executive wasn’t taking into account is the fact that now the functionality is there to deliver extra content on an on-demand basis (through iTV, DVRs, VOD)—available to the consumer 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, whenever they want it! This has created a sense of freedom that consumers haven’t felt since the advent of the answering machine! Viewers tend to take advantage of this and are absorbing even more programming content (interactive and linear) than ever before.

The Internet Generation (those born after 1990) is the main user in participatory media. In a recent study from M:Metrics, teenagers were more than twice as likely, than the average consumer, to participate in TV or a radio poll via text messaging. All teenagers want their opinion to be heard, its part of asserting your voice when you don’t have many avenues of assertion. I certainly remember the importance of running home after school to catch Adam Curry (future co-creator of the podcast) on “Dial MTV” and trying desperately to make it through the 1-800 # to vote for my favorite music video. So, is this texting and polling popularity just a teenage phenomenon or will it stick with the Internet Generation as they grow into adulthood? I think it’s safe to say their tech savvy habits are here to stay and will continue to evolve, but as their responsibilities grow, will they really want to assert their voice in TV voting after a long day of asserting themselves at the office? Sometimes it really is nice to just veg out and let the TV entertain you.

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HI! I’m a Shana, self-proclaimed Media Mixologist, wife, and mom to two little girls. I love to mix up cocktails of crafts, recipes, wellness, family and business with just the right amount of sparkle to help you shine everyday. So, grab a glass, and let’s celebrate the cocktail of life!