Ryan talks tech
CNET has a transcript of a discussion with Ryan about how technology enables him to connect with his audience: Ryan Seacrest: Tech is changing the audience
The topics covered were how technology is changing entertainment; using technology to close the gap between people and the world we live in; dealing with negative aspects of technology; who’s the biggest techie on Idol and what technology Ryan uses.
Ryan talked about how technology enables people to feel connected, which is something he thinks is good for the type of show he produces and hosts:
We want them to feel connected to us doing it. Usually it’s in real time. American Idol is in real time, so it’s much like a sporting event. You want to know that people are out there and that people are rooting for a specific contestant and that they identify with them.
Ryan was asked about Idol Gives Back bringing people closer, but used a more recent example from the CNN Gulf Disaster appeal: every time a particular tweet got retweeted, Bing donated $10. This raised $100,000 for the appeal.
Improvements in technology has its downsides too. Ryan didn’t seem too concerned about issues such as privacy; trusting his team to handle any issues that arise and looking at the opportunities it brings.
But, as long as we are managing that and putting an all-hands-on-deck team on that, the ability to tap into people’s brains and minds and creativity and thought process and enlightenment in an instant, around the world, is fascinating. It allows you also to understand different cultures, people’s different backgrounds, so I think that’s good.
Ryan wasn’t sure who is the biggest techie on Idol, saying that he likes the way it’s enables him to engage on a large scale even if he doesn’t master it all. It’s no surprise that Ryan said he’s on his Blackberry all the time.
Read the article: Ryan Seacrest: Tech is changing the audience
