Imagine this familiar scenario: You’re scrolling through your Twitter feed on a lazy Sunday night, and suddenly there’s a bombardment of tweets about what’s happening on television.
This summer, it was the Red Wedding on “Game of Thrones.” Fans of the beloved HBO fantasy-drama were practically crying out in pain from the tragic episode. A few weeks ago, it was MTV’s Video Music Awards that had everyone talking about Miley’s twerking and Lady Gaga’s lack of clothes (but the latter really shouldn’t surprise anyone by now).
Even last week, I was shocked by the number of people who were panicking from the big secret revealed on “Pretty Little Liars.”
It’s no wonder that type-frenzy teens love the hit drama on ABC Family. The actors are cute, and the clothes look expensive and trendy. That’s pretty much all a show needs to win over impressionable 15-year-old girls.
I’ll admit it, though: I watch the show. It’s the best bad show on television. Nothing makes sense and the acting is below average, but for some reason I’m easily amused by the crazy twists and erie mystery of the small town of Rosewood.
Recently, I’ve noticed that the show displays hashtags at the bottom or top of the screen during certain gasp-worthy moments. These hashtags are used to promote conversations about the show on Twitter. Usually, the hashtags are unintentionally hilarious. (See: [#PoorToby](https://twitter.com/search?q=%23poortoby&src=typd), [#FitzFindsOut](https://twitter.com/search?q=%23fitzfindsout&mode=relevance&src=typd), [#SpencerSnaps](https://twitter.com/search?q=%23SpencerSnaps&mode=relevance&src=typd), [#WorldWarA](https://twitter.com/search?q=%23WorldWarA&mode=relevance&src=typd)). Coming up with those hashtags must be such a fun job.
But the point of this is to get viewers hyped up on what’s happening, and create traffic on Twitter. But not every episode or event on television needs a hashtag on the screen to get people talking.
When the VMAs aired Aug. 25, I was blown away by the amount of people on my newsfeed tweeting about it. It seemed every 10 seconds I would get a new tweet praising Justin Timberlake’s epic performance, criticizing the abundance of Taylor Swift’s screen time or mocking Rihanna’s less-than-impressed facial expressions.
Suddenly, it didn’t feel as if I was watching the show by myself, but instead with a couple dozen friends over Twitter. During commercial breaks, I’d hastily refresh my newsfeed, eager to see what my peers had to say about the latest performance or acceptance speech.
With serialized programs like “Pretty Little Liars,” the Twittersphere is an advertiser’s gold mine. It’s so easy to reach millions of viewers who want to engage with others over the Internet as they watch the latest episode.
Social media has an increasingly visible presence in the advertising of television shows. Facebook pages come heavily equipped with reminders of the next episode airings, promotions and even merchandise offers. (I can’t tell you how many times “The Office” Facebook page has tried to persuade me to buy a replica Dwight bobblehead.)
But, hey, it gets us excited to keep watching. We love how Twitter opens up a giant viewing room and space for conversation. That’s why we go to the movie theaters, right? We enjoy the company of others when we view a film (most of the time, anyway), so why not essentially do the same for TV shows?
I may be getting ahead of myself, though. The Twittersphere hasn’t impacted the prime-time schedule in any groundbreaking way. Although, that could be where we’re headed.
For now, I suggest we enjoy these Twitter conversations and hilarious GIFs via the show’s Tumblr pages to remind us of why we love “Parks and Recreation” or “Breaking Bad” in the first place. Enjoy knowing that there are millions of other people out there gasping or screaming like a crazy person just like you are.
Don’t be afraid to tweet how you feel, but remember, don’t be that person who tweets a spoiler. Please.