As the nights draw in and the clocks go back the sofa holds a stronger appeal then heading out in the cold on a Saturday night! Luckily for me I am an X-Factor fan which provides endless entertainment over the weekend and often results in a late appearance at events I can’t get out of…
I know I’m not alone, I am one of many sofa-squatting X-Factor experts nationwide, so this year I was surprised to hear that the viewing figures are down almost 2 million vs. 2010. In fairness lots has changed since 2010 – mainly the judges -
* It seemed like a crazy suggestion to think ex boy band member Gary Barlow could fill Simon Cowells authoritative shoes. 
* The loss of Danni Minogue, replaced with Destiny’s Child member Kelly Rowland who the UK audience knew little of.
* And finally the controversy over the nation’s sweetheart Cheryl Cole leaving to host the US version only to be axed and replaced in the UK with the grittier version, Tulisa Constostavlos of N- Dubz.  Love or hate the new judges it definitely sparked a debate on Facebook and Twitter and after all isn’t it about the music not the judges?
There has been a lot of debate over whether the contestants are as talented as previous years and if the producer’s decision to make each judge kick off one of their own acts in the first live show was fair. If the public are so concerned about the welfare of the contestants, are they willing to vote for their favourite act which ultimately results in another getting the boot?
After failing to hit viewing figure targets in the USA, Simon Cowell is encouraging viewers to vote for their favourite act via Twitter or the official Facebook page. Perhaps this could be a way to engage once again with the falling numbers in the UK. Despite being a huge X-Factor fan I have never picked up the phone to vote, but am happy to update my Facebook status about my favourite act or who I want to be voted out. By having this option surely it will make the voting system more open? No more phone line scandals and a cost free option. It seems like a great option for most people but it will come with drawbacks, by utilising social media as a voting tool how will that affect the contestants? It could be argued that the show is already more of a popularity contest than a talent show but by adding this element will it be more about the contestant’s tweets and how entertaining they are to the audience via their updates rather than how well they perform on a Saturday night? Not to mention possible sabotage by the rage against the machine twitterati!
 
Personally I think this is a step in the right direction, Twitter and Facebook are already key platforms for discussion about the show, why not open it up and see the increase in votes? Perhaps it will mean that the contestants need to spend more time updating statuses/tweeting but surely this is just good practice for what lies ahead?