Watching TV is rapidly changing from a passive way to unwind into a necessarily social phenomenon. And this infographic explores just how we are tweeting our way to social TV.

Coming to us from Direct.tv, “How You’re Changing Your Favorite Sitcom Into A Social Phenomenon” shows that “social TV” is no longer a thing of the future – it’s happening today.

A full 42 percent of Americans watch TV while they’re on their laptops, smartphones or tablets. And both men and women are tweeting while watching TV, with a 45-55 percent split in favor of women.

And when talking TV on their social network, people are often discussing reality-TV type actions that have now permeated sitcoms and even some dramas: winning, voting and judging TV content.

Folks on Twitter are particularly TV obsessed. Of those who do use Twitter to engage with TV shows, half say they tweet while they’re watching the show in real-time. But that doesn’t stop them from tweeting before and after their favorite shows have aired, too: 62 percent tweet before a show airs, 47 percent tweet after a show, and 69 percent tweet during.

So why are people tweeting while they watch? 77 percent say it’s to tell friends what they’re watching, and 68 percent say they do it to keep shows they like on the air.

Take a look at the infographic below for more facts and figures about how we’re turning TV social: