The advent of mobile devices and the proliferation of social networking sites have changed how audiences watch television. As they watch, they use social media to talk about television content. But why do audiences engage in this media multitasking?
An online survey with 618 respondents in the United States was taken to understand the impact of using Twitter on sports viewing enjoyment. It was conducted by Lauren Reichart Smith, assistant professor of sports media in the Media School at Indiana University; Ann Pegoraro, professor in the School of Human Kinetics at Laurentian University in Canada; and Sally Ann Cruikshank, assistant professor in the School of Journalism and Strategic Media at Middle Tennessee State University.
Results showed that viewers primarily used Twitter to augment their consumption of sports, and heavy Twitter users had higher enjoyment levels when using the social networking site while watching sports.
The authors also found that individuals who posted only their own thoughts or replied to other individuals had higher levels of enjoyment. The same was true of people who did both of those actions, as well as retweet/favorite other tweets. BVut the level of enjoyment dropped when individuals only retweeted/favorited other’s content or did not post at all.
To read the full text of the study:
Smith, L. R., Pegoraro, A., & Cruikshank, S. A. (2019). Tweet, Retweet, Favorite: The Impact of Twitter Use on Enjoyment and Sports Viewing. Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 63(1), 94-110.
