New TV and social media trend among the youth: study | Reuters

“Eight out of 10 respondents to the poll said they used Twitter, Facebook or other mobile applications to actively comment on shows and chat with their friends as they watch.

“The audience have already taken their seats and are ready to join the conversation,” James said. “It’s now up to the TV companies to tap into this huge and lucrative market.”

One of the key findings of the study was that Social TV is popular because it allows young people to instantly comment on their favorite shows to friends in different locations via the web or mobile phones.

The British survey discovered that the most common way to communicate is to use Twitter (72 percent), followed by Facebook (56 percent) and mobile applications (34 percent), while 62 percent of Social TV users like a combination of all three.

The study found that 34 percent of respondents described the trend as “fun,” 32 percent said it made television “more interesting” with 42 percent mentioned the “community” aspect of Social TV.