Social Media Takes Television Back in Time - The New York Times

Final paragraphs from a social media + TV snapshot; part of NYT special section on TV Transformed

"“It’s surprising, but it really adds as much to the experience for us who are on the show as it does for those who are watching,” Mr. Malina said. “There’s this groupthink. People are arguing, there are great factions. It’s just a lot of fun.”

Which shouldn’t come as a surprise. Though television has long been vilified for the way it supposedly transforms us into passive, shiftless voyeurs, it has just as easily been among the most powerful media forces pushing cultural unity. At big events, from the Kennedy assassination to 9/11 to every Super Bowl and awards show, and cliffhangers like “Who shot J.R.?,” TV is the cultural baseline — the thing in the background that commands attention, that sets the conversation. Now, on our phones and our computers, the conversation continues."

Social Media Takes Television Back in Time - The New York Times