Social TV - The next NEXT NEW Thing?

Advertising Age writes today about how the U.S. broadcasting community is embracing social media and finding ways to incorporate its elements into promos and programming. The future is coming and it's interactive, not your old passive TV experience. I clipped a part here:
"Already, some shows are trying to demonstrate how well they can work with new social-media dynamics. Time Warner's TBS ran a scroll of selected tweets from fans of its new late-night "Lopez Tonight" show on high-definition screens in Times Square and in about 300 bars around the country. Walt Disney's ABC recently unveiled a new feature for its ABC.com video player that allows users to read comments from show producers and writers, while adding their own commentary, also sharable on Facebook. ABC launched the feature with the first online availability of the premiere episode of sci-fi thriller "V" and said it intends to roll it out "across other series on ABC.com over the coming weeks."

On the same day, the team at Agoramedia (a UK creative consultancy) writes about a newcomer Orca TV which is touting its 'social TV' product. They saw Orca at the International Broadcast Convention (IBC) in Amsterdam, which bills itself as ’The content creation management delivery experience’. IBC2008 attracted 49,000+ visitors and 1,300+ exhibitors from more than 130 countries.

Agoramedia also cites recent social media stats - "...a recent report by The Nielsen Company found that there are 87 percent more online social media users now than in 2003, with 883 percent more time devoted to social media sites. Also, the number of American users frequenting online video destinations has also increased by 339 percent since 2003." Big gains, no surprises there, amigo.

But as one commenter at the Ad Age post mentioned, this may not be ideal for our culture: "The horror...More screens, not enough talent - combined with not a lot of money for producing programming (not-enough-money has given us the reality-TV jungle)...TV all the time, everywhere...Newton Minow's "Vast Wasteland" is becoming ubiquitous. Video-splatter everywhere."

HA! Love that 'video splatter everywhere.' I get more than enough media, social or otherwise, than I know what to do with, through a combination of glass screens everywhere and my online connection everywhere. What do you think? Do you prefer your online social media experience and your TV experiences to stay separate? Or would you rather see the entire real-time media explode in the next few years as one massive eyeball experience? Drop a note in the comments!