Social TV and the social soundtrack: Significance of second screen interaction during television viewing

Abstract

The presence of social networks and mobile technology in form of secondary screens used in conjunction with television plays a significant role in the shift from traditional television to social television (TV). In this research, we investigate user interactions with secondary screens during live and non-live transmission of TV programs. We further explore the role of handheld devices in this second screen interaction. We perform statistical tests on more than 418,000 tweets from second screens for three popular TV shows. The results identify significant differences in the social element of second screen usage whilst the show is on air versus after the live broadcast, with the usage of handheld devices differing significantly in terms of the number of tweets during live telecast of TV shows. Desktop devices as second screens are also significant mediums for communication. This research identifies the change in users' interaction habits in terms of information sharing and interaction for TV broadcasts via the presence of a computing device as a second screen. © 2014 Springer International Publishing Switzerland.