A newly released study from The Council of Research Excellence found only 16.1 percent of survey respondents claimed to have used social media while watching prime time television.
To evaluate social media influence on TV viewing habits, 1,665 survey participants were instructed to log any social posts about a prime time TV show, as well as any time they discussed a TV show on their social networks. The study’s findings were based on 78,310 diary entries covering nearly 1,600 shows reported via a mobile app supplied by the research group.
According to the report, social media has very little influence on TV viewing habits, with more than 80 percent of the survey respondents claiming not to use social media while watching TV.
Of the 16.1 percent of respondents who claimed to use social media while watching TV, 7.3 reported their social media activity was related to the show they were watching, but 7.8 percent said their social media use was unrelated to a particular TV show.
Social Media Usage While Watching TV:
Of the social media platforms being used during prime time television viewing, Facebook was the most popular with 11.4 percent of survey respondents actively engaging on the network.
Twitter users measured almost less than a third of Facebook users, with only 3.3 percent of the survey respondents using Twitter during their TV viewing time.
Social Media Networks Used While Watching TV:
The study included data around the type of shows most influenced by social media, with special programs at the top of the list, followed by Sci-Fi and sports shows.
While awards shows were not singled out in the study, the chairman of the research group’s social media committee Beth Rockwood told The New York Times, “The Emmys were a real standout in the period we were surveying.”
A New York Times write up on the study claimed awards shows drew more social media buzz, with Twitter having a “particular strength.”
Socially Connected TV Viewing By Show Genre:
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