Tweeting while televisioning

The American pastime of watching television has changed as we know it. It is inevitable that major television events are watched. However, with the creation of Twitter, it is also inevitable that they are tweeted about while being watched. Furthermore, real time twitter updates during and about these television events makes it possible to get a full synopsis without even watching. One of my followers who was at work during the Grammys tweeted,

"I feel like I'm watching the grammys.."

Whether it be the Super Bowl, awards shows, or popular reality television shows, i can always count on my timeline to be a hot spot for interactive discussion, critiques, and laughs during these events.

One advantage to tweeting and televisioning is that other people catch things that i may have missed during the show(most likely because i was tweeting). For instance, one of the people i'm following tweeted,

"I know I'm behind on the #GRAMMY'S, but did any1 see Beiber's dancer do a flip off the platform, fall & grab his back?#InTears"



After she tweeted this, my timeline was in an uproar and everyone with DVRs rewound it or looked it up on YouTube the next day. Although it was pretty funny, i really hope the guy is okay.

Another advantage is that tweeting while watching television adds another element of emotion and interaction. It's like you are watching it with a group of people even if you're in a room by yourself. E.B. Boyd believes that Twitter has been the savior that has gotten us back to watching television at the same time despite the anarchy of watching when you want with DVRs. He quoted Robin Sloan who said, "[In the last 18 months], I think we actually saw the pendulum swing back toward things like shared experiences, back toward live TV. I think Twitter, of course, is one of the things that drove this". While tweeting and televisioning during the Super Bowl i felt like i was at a virtual Super Bowl party. When the Chrysler "Imported from Detroit" commercial came on, it was a sense of unity and pride that took over my timeline as everyone tweeted that they were proud to be from Detroit.

Granted, tweeting while televisioning might distract you from actually watching the show, but it is a lot of fun. Tweets bring another level of entertainment to watching television and allows one to connect with others emotionally. What once was a one-dimensional, American pastime has become a multidimensional, international trend and activity.