The image choices of social television audiences: The narrative of The Voice UK and La Voz (Spain) viewers on Twitter

Abstract

Content shared on social media platforms is increasingly centred on images and conversations discussing television on digital platforms are also influenced by this trend. This article examines the visual data posted by viewers while watching the 2019 edition of the Spanish and British adaptations of the international Reality Show ‘The Voice’. With the sample including images posted by viewers on Twitter during the broadcast of the episodes, the production formats, the type of content, the purpose of the images and the connection between the visual data and the text in the tweet have been analysed. The results highlight three different trends: the parallel visual narrative created by viewers on Twitter through the use of digital culture, the showcasing of their private sphere and the appropriation of images from the television episodes altering the discourse presented by the broadcasters.