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Discussion

ago

What can film & TV learn from online creators?

You might not be surprised to hear that young people prefer social and steaming content over traditional forms of media.

There are huge bodies of research backing this, but the reason why it's preferred seems as varied as the content being consumed. Is it the immediacy, authenticity, interactivity, the interpersonal connections? It could be any number of things!

The article suggests a few things, but I wonder what you feel the film and TV executives can learn from online creator communities?

‘You can be normal. You can have acne!’ TikTok star GK Barry on the appeal of social media personalities

Grace Keeling says TV needs more authenticity and better representation if it wants to attract younger viewers

www.theguardian.com

Created at 1:40pm, 17th April, 2024. Page last updated at 2:42pm, 16th May, 2024.

Sturmer 4/17/2024, 2:24:43 PM

I guess that the core appeal lies in the ability to interact with and potentially influence one's idols, or at least the illusion of such influence. I use the term 'illusion' deliberately because, while a streamer with 120 viewers or a TikToker with 50 comments might easily engage directly with their audience, it becomes virtually impossible for major celebrities to do so, even with a team of moderators.

Unlike an actor during a theater show or a movie on a DVD, platforms like streaming allow for immediate interaction. Fans often end up interacting more with each other, yet they still find satisfaction in this form of engagement. But again, that’s just my perspective.

What can film and TV executives learn from online creator communities? It may sound ~~silly or stupid~~ simplistic, but they could benefit from a feature that allows viewers to express emotions - like the basic five to seven emotional reactions - during specific scenes or moments. For instance, while watching a romantic movie on TV, viewers could press a '<3' button during a kiss scene to indicate 'aww, how cute,' similar to how users interact on SoundCloud. This direct feedback could provide valuable data on what aspects of a show or movie resonate well or poorly with audiences.

Makster 4/17/2024, 3:27:24 PM

Sturmer

Bringing that interactivity back to the audience is a key difference. I think online you get a more personal connection to the creator which is (near) instantly recognised via a reply or the streamer acknowledging the comment. It creates a parasocial relationship which can be a good and a bad thing. I know old school TV shows used to have meet and greets, events etc. to bring that sorta interactivity and connection to the audience but they are often still guarded by security, producers, production assistants etc. whilst online creators keep their team small and sometimes part of the cast/ show. An increasing amount of creators interact with their cameramen or producers and those that are off-camera when they are on-camera to bring them into the fold.

BoomerMod4/19/2024, 1:00:57 PM

Sturmer

I like the idea of reacting to non-interactive media. Some shows like The Witcher have companion apps sharing extra information. It'd be cool if they became portals into data-oriented communities with light-touch interactions, such as the in-stream reactions and maybe even pseudonymised instant messaging.

Unlike an actor during a theater show or a movie on a DVD, platforms like streaming allow for immediate interaction. Fans often end up interacting more with each other, yet they still find satisfaction in this form of engagement. But again, that’s just my perspective.

That's actually one of the foundational perspectives in my current research. It's called inter-passive engagement, where a community interacts with one another rather than directly with the subject of their interest - e.g. football fans discussing the world cup or livestreaming communities watching games being played.

Makster 4/17/2024, 3:32:22 PM

Relatability goes a long in the online space. Being vulnerable and insecure bring idols down to our level and also is aspirational that we can also be an online star/ creator as well. It's something that's hard to replicate on TV as programmes are so highly scrutinised and critiqued for the largest market by producers and execs that you can't replicate those genuine moments.

Take Love Island or Big Brother- the contestants are supposed to be avatars or the everyday man or woman but are often very minor social media influencers with their own small following making it hard to really relate to them and rather we are watching to see the drama and to demonise their faults rather than empathise with their losses.

BoomerMod4/19/2024, 1:05:11 PM

Makster

This is going to sound a little weird, but I hope it makes sense! 😆

I feel the same way about Big Brother as I do about the Saw films. The first season / film were innovative and I genuinely found them really interesting, but after that they both became gratuitous and self-indulgent.

Lanah Tyra 4/18/2024, 7:24:50 AM

All the above are very good points. I think focusing on the community rather than on financial profit is another one. Of course every creator will do adds, take on sponsorships and strive for higher income but they still work for the enjoyment or for money to pay the bills and not looking at what to stream to have more money. And putting the viewers or their personal happiness in focus makes it more genuine. While TV shows often get cancelled because they don't bring in enough money, a streamers will still finish that game even with only 5 viewers.

BoomerMod4/19/2024, 1:10:52 PM

Lanah Tyra

Funnily enough we had a similar conversation yesterday at our company meeting.

I found it interesting to see what people felt the motivation was for content creators. I'm not a creator myself, but it's a question I keep coming back to.