The growth of trending topics during sporting or entertainment events or popular TV shows like Q&A (hashtag #qanda) show how realtime media can shape experience and conversation in realtime social networks. Twitter is certainly aware of this:

We’ve long discussed what the interplay between Twitter and television would look like. As a first step, today we’re announcing Twitter for Google TV. It brings Twitter to a platform that merges the Internet and TV into one experience.

Twitter is not the only third party building for Google TV. When it launches in the USA, Google TV promises the following:

Google TV will be shipping with at least the following applications: Netflix, Twitter, CNBC, Pandora, Napster, NBA Game Time, Amazon Video On Demand and Gallery.

Most of these apps provide content with only limited scope to add more to the feed or space. The user interface of Google’s YouTube Leanback is a good indication of where Google TV is heading for now in regards to user generated content. For example, the highly active comment threads from YouTube are not visible. In this case, it might not be much of a loss. However, content sharing is still a part of the experience.

Google TV will be more focused on content consumption over creation, but given how it is expected to be used, this should not be a surprise. Where Google TV will be interesting is in how existing and new social interactions through commentary, content creation and content sharing will be implemented, encouraged and involved with user participation.

A lot of people watch TV and discuss it with others watching the same things. Online Back channel conversations around TV shows, live events, launches and sport are more visible than before, thanks to platforms like Twitter and Facebook, adding an interactive social dimension to an otherwise passive experience. This behaviour is not new, but it used to be confined to narrow interest groups in their own online communities, with little visibility to those who are not already directly engaged.

TV’s place as a standalone source of entertainment and information has diminished over the last decade. The proliferation of mobile Internet-capable devices such as laptops, netbooks and smartphones have made it easy to consume content and interact with others while watching TV. This behaviour will probably become even more prominent in future, especially with products like Google TV.

There is a very interesting section in the Google TV Developers area:

• Remember that TV is social.
  • Consider how groups might use your website or application.
  • Offer ways for individuals to use your site or apps in social settings.

Integrating the Back channel conversations around the content, and making it more visible than even Twitter’s hashtags will enhance the experience for the average user. With most social networks supporting cross-posting, posting out to the user’s Twitter and Facebook feeds from the TV based app, even a message as simple as “/me is watching Show” would be an effective form of social proof for the show exposed to the user’s friends. Similar tools are already being used by games.

Once a best practice has been established for TV as a platform, in terms of interface and hardware useability, this may be the killer app that keeps TV in the living room, and not just for consoles, media boxes, or Blu-Ray players.