The Only Way is Engagement

Social media has changed TV for good. Definitelayyy.

I’m sure we all agree that last night’s series two premiere of The Only Way is Essex provided fascinating *clears throat* documentary insight into the vajazzling world of cheeky cheating chappies and the winning WAG wannabes who wilfully play up to them. I, for one, certainly don’t pretend to rise above the entertaining goings-on in what spray-tan queen Amy has dubbed ‘the new LA.’ And anyone who watched the last series will know that it’s a distinct possibility she actually believes Essex to be located on the West Coast of the USA. (This is the girl who once asked a date, ‘Where’s North London?’) But I digress.

My point is that last night’s well-received premiere was a great example of how TV has changed for good. Even the humble box hasn’t escaped the clamouring calls for consumer engagement. And ITV2, always one to please the masses, went in for audience participation big-style. The hashtags #towie (The Only Way is Essex, of course) and #essex were trending like crazy, along with #NannyPat, dedicated maker of toad-in-the-hole and the real star of the show, if you ask me.

During both the show itself, and the ad breaks, on-screen messages urged viewers to ‘Join the Conversation’ on Twitter, which they did in their droves. @ITV2 kindly treated us to a selection of audience tweets just before each ad break, giving voice on a national platform to the views of ‘Nancy from Liverpool’ (e.g.) in the same breath as those of Alan Carr, a TV celebrity who needs no introduction.

So what’s the big deyull? I hear you ask. Well to me all this is great because it gives new meaning to the hackneyed phrase, ‘Everyone’s a critic.’ We’re no longer content to simply sit on the sofa and receive information, commenting to our significant other, or waiting to get into the office the next morning and discuss it when we should be working. Instead, I and thousands like me became communications control rooms, receiving hilarious input from the television, processing the data for anything of interest, and retransmitting it via Twitter, Facebook and text message.

Not only that, but from a consumer feedback point of view, our compulsion (and technological capacity) to shout back is a godsend for the TV networks. Who needs to wait for the ratings figures to come in, when a simple search on Twitter yields such a wealth of valuable insight? From finding out what viewers think of the new characters (‘xsweetcheeks24x #towie tht new chloe bird is rough as toast far too much surgery’) to identifying gaps in their marketing strategy (‘KendraMcCartney: is #towie an english program? never heard of it haha’), ITV2 received endless research results without spending a penny.

Throw in the surprisingly large response generated by the live online chat with character Lydia, proud owner of the peeing pig, and it’s not hard to see how a social media circus was created with very little effort from the promoter, ITV2. In fact, you might say that TOWIE fans have all willingly embraced the role of voluntary promo people for the glittering ‘reality’ series.

Ten years ago, Big Brother ushered in the Reality TV era, and the nation succumbed to a decade-long addiction to sitting on the sofa and watching ordinary people do ordinary things on television. Now a new era is well and truly upon us: Augmented Reality TV. Heightened emotions, hyper-real situations ‘created for entertainment purposes,’ and – most importantly – an audience that doesn’t just sit and watch, but joins right in with gusto. A change for the better? ‘Definitelayyy.’

And in the spirit of audience engagement, what do you think?