Watching TV Watching

The last time I watched TV with a group of at least three present, Gossip Girl was on, and its viewers were very loyal. Being a stranger to most TV shows, I had gone to the student center with friends who are big fans of Gossip Girl. There were others watching as well, and most people were intensely involved in the characters’ interests and showed their excitement in the form of gasps and exclamations. There seemed to be a universal understanding of jokes and surprise for plot twists, based on the substantial fan base in the room watching the show.
I noticed that a few people right behind me had come sit down, assumingly to watch, but were annoying everyone by laughing and constantly being loud about something online on a laptop. Several people gave them unappreciated looks, including me. As the show turns out to be really catchy and dramatic, I too wanted to keep up with what was going on, even though I had only seen a few episodes in the past. The intense interest of most of the audience for the show resulted in aggravation at those interrupting. Other than the annoyers, there was only very little talk between the audience, and most of it was about the show. The purpose of such talk was to gossip frivolously about the characters and be as intensely interested as if they were real people. The show’s title is quite fitting, as it does inspire gossip.
Talk about the show inspires bonding in the audience, which is how watching in a group changes the experience of television. By watching TV together, people get the feeling of identity and “team” membership. There may be comfort in knowing that indulgence in an all-time favourite or guilty pleasure show can be shared among other fans. When the television is turned on, the unspoken rule is that minimal to no talking should be going on if a group is together, because the purpose is to have attention directed at the TV. This is fine, but one reason I’m not a fan of watching show after show is because too much attention paid to the TV can cause people to become antisocial, especially if they find their source of entertainment more appealing than their friends.