A Reality “Show” Airing Entirely On Social Media
What’s the Latest Development?
Going live this week is what may be the world’s first reality show that won’t air on TV: @SummerBreak follows a group of Los Angeles-area teens as they enjoy their last summer before attending college in the fall. The eight-week series will consist entirely of a steady stream of Twitter posts, Instagram pictures, YouTube videos, and other data available 24 hours a day. Unlike traditional shows that are filmed months in advance, @SummerBreak gives “viewers” moments from the teens’ lives as they are happening, imitating the ways targeted audience members — 12-to-17-year-olds — “tell stories and share information.”
What’s the Big Idea?
The show is the result of a yearlong collaboration between AT&T, advertising agency BBDO, and production company The Chernin Group, all of which were searching for ways to deliver content in a new way. According to producer Billy Parks, the teens have been instructed to basically live their lives but at the same time their data is reviewed by a group of moderators — who monitor them 20 hours a day — so that the resulting posted content isn’t too over-the-top. Parks says this allows his team “to amplify what they’re doing so it reaches a wider audience.
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