We have always gathered around the storytellers of our day: our elders, a radio, the television. When JFK was shot, families and neighbors came together across the country to watch the coverage, consider the implications of JFK’s death, and support each other. Each winter, epic parties take place in homes across America to watch the Super Bowl. My own college roommates even had weekly parties to watch The OC and American Idol. With the knowledge that we seem to be built with the desire to share these storytelling experiences, social media takes on a whole new meaning for both its creators and its participants.

Hulu introduced live-streaming to its offerings during the 2008 Presidential election debates, joining a handful of other sites with similar viewing options. Though live-blogging has been regular feature of many sites in recent years, the widespread introduction of television online and live-streaming have been a game-changer for these online conversations, and that is only the beginning.

Twitter trending topics and hash tags have increasingly been focused around television shows; from reality shows like X-Factor and American Idol to live broadcasts of sports events and award shows, Twitter has become an entire new platform of engagement for viewers. Interestingly, for shows that rely on audience voting, online conversations like those on Twitter have actually helped to spur votes and impact the show. Some shows, such as Doctor Who and Dexter have found conversations bubbling up when huge events occur in the plotlines or cast, but what’s really amazing is the kind of excitement and conversation that surrounds serial shows like GLEE in anticipation of their airtime. Of course, one of the best examples of the marriage of social media and television is the Mad Men characters on Twitter, a force created by anonymous fans, strangers to each other and their followers.

So what does all of this mean for us? It means that we are no longer in control of the conversation. It means that the airing of a television show lives on much longer and deeper than syndication does. Most importantly, it means opportunity. So far, the conversations surround GLEE have been completely audience-created, starting during the day on Wednesdays even when the show isn’t airing that week. The opportunity to leverage these conversations by FOX, GLEE, or its advertisers is huge.

Virgin America hosted an in-flight party where passengers could chat with each other while they prepared to watch the season five premiere of Entourage and respond to it after it aired. While a very cool event, the real power here will be in creating these environments for the folks back home, something VH1 and IMVITE have begun to recognize and leverage. For marketers, the opportunities in these new technologies and platforms are limitless; how will you leverage them?

Claire Grinton is a brand strategist and writer based in San Francisco. Find more from Claire or contact her at claire[dot]grinton[at]gmail.

Tags: Blogging, conversation, discussion, online marketing, Social Media, Television, Twitter