Morpheus Media's director of creative and emerging strategy examines whether online can bring back the social aspect of entertainment viewing or if we are doomed to spend our lives in media solitude.

As our need for culture on-demand increases at an exponential rate and the proliferation of personal media continues, is it possible there is a major element of the mediated experience that is being lost; a human element? 

While I may not have been around for the glory days of radio and television, I always look with awe at photos and accounts of families huddled with excitement around the household media center (be it radio or television). I often think to myself "will there ever be a time when we will crowd around a personal computer?" The answer is most likely not for while, at least not until IPTV and the PC media center truly reach critical mass. So the question becomes, are we doomed to spend our lives in media solitude?

At the recent iMedia Entertainment Summit in Beverly Hills, iMedia Editor in Chief Brad Berens predicted that we would begin to see a rejuvenated element of "eventness" in our media experiences. I could not have agreed with him more. As next-generation web technologies become more immersive and capable of delivering not only sight, sound and motion but community too, we will indeed see more emphasis returning to media as an event. While the format for these new events may not resemble anything we have ever known, the one thing we will recognize is its social nature.

Celebrity events
Who doesn't love celebrities? Of course, some people love celebrities more than others and are willing to go out of their way to meet them. For those of us not willing to wait on long lines or travel long distances to meet our heroes, the question is, what if it were easier to meet our favorite stars? What if all you had to do to meet your favorite personality was to fire up a browser and go to a web page? Well, I have news for you. It can be that simple!

Habbo Hotel has created a series of events where the residents can meet celebs ranging from Rachael Leigh Cook to The Fabulous Rudies. While meeting a celebrity may be enough reward for some, an additional layer of value for consumers is inherent of entering a space with like-minded individuals: a social layer. And such social experiences provide tremendous opportunities for marketers.

From advertising to sponsorship to enlisting a celebrity spokesperson, the engaging nature of such an environment is bound to provide more than just impressions; it has the potential to provide a forum for a greater level of brand engagement. This type of forum will also open up the path of communication between marketers and consumers, thus creating an opportunity for the forward-thinking marketer to gain consumer insight.

Movie events
Why do we go to the movie theater to see movies? Is it the big screen? Perhaps, but as far as I am concerned Borat is just as funny on my 42-inch plasma screen. Maybe it is the overpriced, disgustingly unhealthy (yet delicious) popcorn. That may be a contributing factor, but somehow I don't think that is the main motivation. Rather, the main motivation for most of us is the ability to be in a space with other people, feeding off their senses of humor, excitement or anxiety. While going to the movies is an activity that I will never cease to enjoy, I believe there is a new way to enjoy a movie in a more social environment.

I am writing this article on the day of the television premiere of MTV's "Super Sweet Sixteen: The Movie," which is based on my personal favorite TV show, "My Super Sweet 16." The movie airs at 12 noon EST and is directly followed by an event in Virtual MTV where fans can not only meet the stars of the movie; they can enter contests and even purchase the movie on DVD as well. Once again, MTV has proven its understanding of the power of what Henry Jenkins refers to as transmedia storytelling (see his essay here for more information). By providing an interactive extension of the movie premier in Virtual MTV, the network has created a social experience around an unlikely property. More importantly, the marketing opportunities here are endless. Between DVD sales and MTV's brilliant partnership with SeenOn, this will certainly be a lucrative endeavor.

The media event: beyond the entertainment industry
While this article focuses largely on the entertainment sector, there is no reason that other industry marketers cannot get involved with digital event-based media. In fact, there are platforms that provide technologies for such events that require little to no cost or commitment. Ustream.tv and Kyte.tv (as well as a number of others) provide platforms that enable anyone to broadcast video live while the community participates in the event through a chat application. While these technologies are relatively new and have not, in my opinion, been fully realized, they enable anyone to create their own "Must-see PC event."

Adam Broitman is director of creative and emerging strategy at Morpheus Media. Read full bio.