Is Social Media Ruining TV, or Reinventing It? Gen Z Has Some Thoughts
Is Social Media Ruining TV, or Reinventing It? Gen Z Has Some Thoughts
Ever feel like you’ve watched a show without actually sitting down to watch the show? That you’ve learned everything there is to learn about characters and plotlines simply through edits and spoilers you’ve come across on your FYP?
If you have, then congratulations, you’re living in the era of TV and social media integration. You may not even realize how deep this shift has gone…until you’re deep into a conversation about a show you’ve never even watched. But one generation has already picked up on this shift, Gen Z. And they have a lot to say about it.
Spoiled by the Scroll
When we polled our Youthtellers (ages 15-27) a staggering 96% of respondents told us that a show or movie has been spoiled by social media. While TikTok is the main source of these spoilers (72%), every app is reportedly at fault. And while 77% of our Youthtellers told us that they consciously try to scroll past spoilers or mute key words, it’s hard to avoid. So hard to avoid, in fact, that 57% decided not to watch a show because a fan edit revealed too much.
Secondhand Screens: Is Watching Clips the New Watching TV?
Watercooler talk has been dying for awhile now, but TV and social media integration is definitely helping the demise. Forget asking a co-worker “did you see last night’s episode?’ The new question is along the lines of, “did you see the sound that went viral from that one scene?”
That is, if anything is said at all.
Nearly half of Gen Z (47%) say they consume more second hand content such as edits, clips and reaction videos, than they do the full length shows or movies. Another 38% watch both equally…leaving only 15% behind that watch TV and movies the way most marketers expect. But here’s the most interesting fact we’ve discovered: 38% admit they’ve pretended to watch something based solely on what they’ve seen online. This is where TV and social media integration becomes a cultural phenomenon, because now shows are no longer watched (or just watched), they’re memed and reposted until they go viral.
Spoilers as Discovery Tools
If you think that TV and social media integration is ruining TV and movies, that isn’t completely true. It’s also how a lot of shows are discovered in the first place.
Hence the double-edged sword.
When we asked where Gen Z finds new shows to watch, edits and reactions were where 38% of users find new shows…beating out streaming service suggestions at 26%.
See, viral edits without spoilers might be the main reason someone starts watching a show, not stops.
Still, there is a line. And that line is when an edit or reaction reveals major plot twists. For 72%, the most frustrating spoilers are character deaths, the show's ending or key reveals about characters.
The New Rules of Watching TV
Whether you like it or not, it’s clear that TV and social media integration is here to stay. While Gen Z is adapting to this process by either muting items from the algorithm or staying off social media entirely, it’s beginning to feel a little bit like a survival game.
But Gen Z knows this is how it is now, and it’s time for streaming platforms to recognize the same shift. TV and social media integration is going to shape what Gen Z watches and how they watch. It’s not just about entertainment anymore. It’s about content and the viewing experience.