Samsung’s ‘SOS Island’ Imagines ‘Survivor’ With Social Media

If you were ever trapped on an island with a working Internet connection, finding a way off would be as simple as searching for a signal. For Samsung, however, this seemingly incongruous combination is the basis for a branded series. It’s called SOS Island, and it follows eight young contestants as they live for two weeks on a remote island.

Currently, the basic units of the show are hour-long live streams featuring all eight contestants gathered together. On October 22nd, SOS Island will begin showcasing challenges, with the returning contestants encouraged to continue drumming up support before voting ends on November 30th.

Unlike Survivor, contestants aren’t spending their off-camera time attempting to make do and preparing for immunity challenges. Instead, they are trying to profile their island adventures on YouTube

, Twitter, and Instagram. The goal is to score votes from fans, with the winner receiving his or her own island. Yes, really.

“What makes SOS Island unique is that the contestants are telling their own stories utilizing social media tools such as YouTube, Vine and Instagram,” said SOS Island producer Craig Borders. “We are using the latest technology to create content fans not only want to watch but can also interact and engage with.”

So, in short, SOS Island is as much about garnering retweets as it is about building fires. Hopefully the contestants don’t spend too much time checking their respective Twitter feeds when they should be honing their survival skills.