The evolution of television from the black and white picture tube of the early 1900s, to the colored small screen of the seventies, and now to the svelte high-definition flat screens effectively mirrors our ever changing tastes and our growing standards. Gone were the days when we only had single-digit channels and kids being turned into makeshift remote controls. These days, having access to more than a hundred channels showing programs from across the pond is not only possible, but the norm.

Surveys done in the past have shown an interesting trend, that is, TV viewers are becoming more distracted as they become more engrossed with their mobile phones and laptops. Necessarily, advertising and broadcasting companies need to find ways to integrate the use of these other devices into the TV watching experience to re-engage the public and to remain in business. Hence, Social TV was introduced to the viewing public.

The fact that social TV draws heavily from our inherent need for affiliation and our desire to influence the things around us makes it a very promising and potentially lucrative concept. Social TV is an interactive television platform which provides the audience a way to somehow control their individual viewing experience and share it to people within their respective social networks. One example of a social TV interaction is soliciting online or text votes to determine twists in the plot or at times even endings to a long-running TV series.

Some programs which follow the social TV framework sometimes also offer dual screen tv which involve viewers watching a television show and interacting with it through the use of another device, typically a computer or a mobile phone. Quiz shows, for example, requires viewers to download an application or a widget to their portable devices so that they can participate in the game and compete with other players who have also logged on to the service.

The split screen which results from these dual screen TV interaction provides an uncluttered and engaging interface. There is no doubt that through interactive and social TV, the world becoming a one global village is not only a far-fetched dream but a reality.

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