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Dictionary definition of “viewser”

viewser

n. a viewer and user of digital or online media that combine interactivity with traditional broadcast entertainment. Subjects: , , , , ,
Citations: 1995 Greg Roach New Scientist (Sept. 23) “Into the vortex” p. 3030: The idea that the “viewer” is truly participating is somewhat misleading at this stage of devlopment and some interactive film makers believe a term like “viewser” (from “viewer” and “computer user") would be more appropriate because the state of the art is more to do with combining features of both films and computer games. 1997 Samela Harris The Advertiser (Adelaide, Australia) (Aug. 20): This organisation seems inordinately preoccupied with its visitors, or “viewsers” as it quaintly calls them. 1999 Rafael Osso Handbook of Emerging Communications Technologies (Aug. 26) p. 305: The display device for the data broadcast service would typically be the television receiver connected to a set-top box of some sort and destined for a target group of viewer/users (or as Gary Arlen, of Arlen Communications prefers, viewsers). That would put the traditional television service and the enhanced broadcast service in the same user environment, on the same platform. 2000 Jane Freeman Sydney Morning Herald (Australia) (Jan. 3) “Beyond The Box” p. 2: The aim is no longer simply to entertain but to engage the viewer/ user (viewser?) in a multitude of life-enhancing services, such as video phone, hundreds of channels, online browsing, video on demand, PC capabilities, etc. 2006 Ron Wolfe Arkansas Democrat-Gazette (Little Rock) (June 25) “Leslie Anne Doubleday Heizman”: Now, the technology is so advanced and changing, even the industry word for a person who watches TV has changed, Heizman says. It used to be “viewer.” The new word is “viewser.” Today’s viewser doesn’t necessarily watch TV. He might click to the station’s Web site, instead.
Reader comments:
by Lyss 28 Jun 06, 0736 GMT

Thanks, Lyss. The jargon page linked from that URL, however, is dated 2000 at the earliest, which is not an antedating to the 1995 citation I have above.
by Grant Barrett 28 Jun 06, 0820 GMT

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