In Search of Social Television

This chapter provides an introduction to and overview of social television, in an attempt to find the real meaning of the term. It explores the history and current state of social television, looks at a number of examples of Social TV systems and their features, compares different definitions of the term, and outlines dimensions of design that have been used to organize the topic. The author argues that historically the notion of social television is intimately bound up with television itself, and that the two remain difficult to separate even today. The convergence of content and communication to create social media is turning Social TV into a reality and in the process turning television into what it was originally intended to be. IntroductIon The term “social television,” or “Social TV,” is not new, but over the last few years it has acquired a specific technical meaning. It is used to refer to a variety of experimental systems that claim to support social experiences for television viewers, and to the research into such experiences. This book testifies to the brisk activity going on in this area of study. To understand what all the research is about, we should first understand more precisely what Social TV is. That is the question explored in this chapter. It is investigated from a number of perspectives. First, we look at the history of social experiences for the TV, a history that stretches back much further than usually acknowledged. We will see that it has its roots in the very earliest DOI: 10.4018/978-1-60566-656-3.ch001