Interactive television (narrative technique)

This article is about the narrative technique. For television programs which actually afford audience interaction, see interactive television.

Interactive television or interactive TV, sometimes also called pseudo-interactive television to distinguish it from technologically enabled interactive television,[1] is a narrative technique used in television programs to give the viewing audience the impression that they can interact with the on-screen characters, while in actuality they cannot. This narrative technique is often used in children's television. It is a simulated form of audience participation. When employed, characters will often break the fourth wall and ask the viewers to give them advice or the solution to a problem. Characters typically provide a short period of time for the viewers to react, and then proceed as though the viewers have given them the correct answer.

  1. ^ Carter, Elizabeth J.; Hyde, Jennifer; Hodgins, Jessica K. (27 June 2017). "Investigating the Effects of Interactive Features for Preschool Television Programming". Proceedings of the 2017 Conference on Interaction Design and Children. pp. 97–106. doi:10.1145/3078072.3079717. ISBN 9781450349215. S2CID 21080931. Retrieved 22 January 2022.