Unless you have been hiding away for several months, you can’t fail to have missed the new and ‘unique’ singing talent show called The Voice UK. One of the issues that has made the headlines was that one of the coaches, Will.I.Am (yes, you read correctly) was caught using his phone during the live show. He was in fact tweeting. This caused pandemonium with the BBC folk and viewers alike (http://bit.ly/MoktJJ) but I personally think, what’s the big deal?
If you think about all the PR and communications events you have attended this year, how many have actively encouraged attendees to tweet about the event, as well as the topics being discussed? And not just before or after, but during? Yes, it can be awkward at times, when you are tapping away at your phone in a silent room whilst a speaker is making his well-planned presentation, a sense of guilt waves over you, even though you have good intentions – you are essentially joining the debate. It seems like the perfect gateway to getting your opinion across, quickly and efficiently, without any commotion.
To drum up publicity, Twitter and various social media sites are the best and easiest methods of achieving this. TV shows like The Voice UK have embraced social media with the ‘hashtag service’ they constantly remind viewers about, but I feel they have not fully understood the big picture. In my opinion, Will.I.Am, despite all his confusing jargon; is engaging and shows that he is still in touch with the ‘real world and its people’. If anything, he is encouraging interest and engagement with the programme among his large group of followers – 3,051,106. No biggie.