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The End of Social Television Viewing?

From headphoned Ipod listening to browsing the Internet on our personal laptops and ordering movies "on demand" rather than based on the times available at the local cinema, the consumption of media appears to be headed in a decisively individualistic course. But what about the one medium that has for decades brought families together around a single screen?

New data shows social television watching is becoming less and less common. Jakob Bjur, a graduate student at Sweden's University of Gothenburg, explored this phenomenon in his dissertation for the Department of Journalism, Media, and Communication. He found that in 1999 social viewing accounted for 45 percent of television consumption. By 2008 that percentage had fallen to 37 percent.

The dissolution of television as a unifying force has several causes. Families these days generally have more than one television set allowing them to view different programs. They also have a wide array of television channels and other media, such as the Internet, available to them, increasing entertainment choices and often reducing viewership to niche audiences.

Never fear though--some programs will continue to bring family and friends together. Bjur found that sporting events and singing contests similar to American Idol are keeping social viewing alive, if only for the time being.

FULL TEXT: Transforming Audiences. Patterns of Individualization in Television Viewing