Abstract:

Social media are hot - Facebook, Twitter or YouTube- everyone can share viewer experiences. Rather than focus on the influence that 'new' social media have on television viewers, this paper stresses the importance of 'old' social viewing: watching television together within a household as well as outside the home (work place, pub, school). Although television is often experienced in the physical company of others, surprisingly little attention has been paid to the social impact by researchers. The 2010 FIFA World Cup illustrates the importance of television as a social medium.