Understanding User Engagement with Entertainment Media: A Case Study of the Twitter Behaviour of Game of Thrones (GoT) Fans

User Engagement in digital experiences is a fundamental concern for technology developers, educators, businesses, TV networks and marketing agencies. However, engagement remains a confusing concept with cognitive, emotional and behavioural dimensions, that depends on a large number of technical and human interrelated factors. This study contributes to our understanding of User Engagement at a behavioural level, through an analysis of a HBO Game of Thrones (GoT) fans' Twitter dataset, collected over a six-month period. This analysis across the GoT universe: literary, screen, and media extensions, found users are most engaged in discussions around the TV show, and predictably most particularly the season premiere and finale, on the day after it is aired using mobile devices to post their status updates. Additionally, an initial hash tag analysis reveals users are engaged in both user generated conversations and in corporate TV network campaigns, while initial semantic analysis of tweets reveals TV locations and GOT characters to be the most tweeted about topics. This characterisation of user behaviours presents opportunities to content developers to maximise and capitalise on this active social interaction in a timely manner, keeping the brand alive and also to mine this user feedback in real time to inform the development of forthcomina content.