• by Wayne Friedman , October 24, 2013

Social media and TV programming continue to develop strong bonds among young media consumers -- but many of those same young consumers aren’t all that happy when networks become too involved with social media interaction.

Some 44% of online 15- to-17-year-olds find it distracting when networks display social media comments onscreen, while 37% say they don’t even like the showing of hashtags on-screen, per Horowitz Associates.

The numbers are higher for Internet/TV users overall. More than half (53%) of Internet users 18+ find it distracting when networks display social media comments onscreen, and almost half (48%) give a thumbs down for displaying hashtags.

Overall, social media TV-related activity continues to grow. Nearly one-third (30%) of online 15- to-17-year-olds and one-quarter (25%) of 18-34 adults post comments to social media sites occasionally about the shows they watch.
This is much higher than those 35+, where only 10% post occasional comments to social media sites concerning TV shows they watch.

For those TV networks and marketers concerned with social media activities in real-time: 26% of viewers 15 to 17 post TV comments at the same time they are watch TV shows. This compares to 17% for 18-34 viewers and 6% of those 35+.

Discovery of new shows, which is crucial for TV marketers’ efforts, also benefits from social media messaging for young viewers. More than one-third of Net users 18-34 and 15-17 say they discover new shows through social media at least occasionally, compared to 19% for those 35 and older.

Plus, 42% of viewers 15-17, 29% of 18-34s and 15% of those 35+ say social media helps them remember to tune into shows.

Adriana Waterston, senior vice president of marketing and business development for Horowitz Associates, stated: “The trick now is for networks and shows to facilitate an organic and genuine social media experience that engages their viewers, develops brand loyalty and enhances the viewing experience, rather than distracting from the content. "