The concept of "must see TV" (or, as one idiotic network lackey once decided to call it, "event bigness") is nothing new; since time immemorial the networks have loved to trumpet their surefire ratings winners for weeks, even months in advance, to ensure that everyone watches at the same time.

I'm pretty sure everyone I knew was watching when this happened:


(Ignore the dubbing and head straight for the money shot at 4:05-onwards.)

And this:



What has changed, however, is the way we all watch at the same time.

Back in the olden times, you would be happy to discuss the previous night's viewing at recess, or on lunch; a few years after that, perhaps a group email debrief or blog post.

But increasingly, it feels as though it's not enough to simply watch, digest, and then discuss. If the viewing process isn't interrupted by a flurry of SMS tones, or constant Twitter updating and hash-tag generating, the experience is incomplete.

I thought of all this while watching this morning's Liberalmania madness on the ABC.

Not content to simply sit and watch, I dashed between television and desk (admittedly only inches from each other, but THAT'S NOT THE POINT) to F5 the page constantly to see who was saying what about who/what.

The Twitter feed collapsed in on itself as every man and his dog offered their thoughts on the unfolding events. Five or ten years ago you might have expected an "Are you watching this?!" phone-call; now you don't even need to be asked.

It's patently obvious that everyone is watching this, right now.

Watching television was once a reasonably solitary activity; even if - by virtue of watching a ratings monster or the Saturday night movie premiere - you were aware that loads of other people were watching, you still carried out your own viewing in relative silence and solitude.

But "live-Tweeting" and firing text messages back and forth create an atmosphere of togetherness; even if you're all competing for the most RTs, there's something in the frantic criss-crossing of wires that dissolves all walls and State lines, creating one giant, virtual living room.

And you don't even have to be tuned in to the must-see/event-bigness portion of the day's programming; there is literally always someone else who will respond to your comment about a mystifyingly bad commercial, or a musical cue in the background of a Today Tonight story, or a promo for next week's premiere of blah blah blah.

I'm sure there are plenty of people who find the habit utterly irritating - can't we just sit still and leave the iPhone alone for a few minutes? - but for a committed hermit like me, being able to connect to the general consciousness without having to actually, you know, see other people is one of the greatest inventions of the 21st century.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go see what's on TV so I can commune with my fellow humans.