The noughties can be remembered as spawning some of humanity’s best innovations- smartphones, electric cars and even blockchain to name a few. However, its fateful expansion of a ninety’s fad is possibly its most widespread impact (sort of). Reality tv is no doubt incredibly addictive, yet its hold on adolescent society is somewhat troubling.
To start, the lack of actual quality in the shows is baffling. The drone of pointless dialogue is never-ending, the sheer drifting from one scene to another is soul-destroying. In comparison to other tv shows, reality tv has little visual stimulus, contains repetitive dialogue, and doesn’t significantly vary from episode to episode, and series to series. And I’m not just comparing to fancy, high budget dramas- reality tv lacks in comparison to documentaries and even soaps.
However, I’m not writing this to purely twist the knife- reality tv shows do have a few qualities. First and foremost, they are incredibly addictive. Despite being mind-numbingly boring most of the time, there’s no denying that the cliff-hanger technique and often hypersonic action points grab your attention, even though they're sandwiched by mush. This leads into the theory of incredibly easy viewing, which most people attribute as the format’s forte. This is not a theory I agree with- mainly because I believe that a good tv show will grab your attention enough to wake you from the post-work slumber.
Now, to move on to my harshest criticism, one which is substantiated whether you're watching Love Island or Great British Bake Off- the lack of impact. This comes in two parts- impact on the person and impact on the people. Firstly, the fact that when you come away from a reality tv show, it hardly impacts you over the years. I hold the belief that good tv or art can change you as a person- you can leave the screen as a more motivated or suave person. Reality tv goes completely against this- when was the last time you talked about a Love Island series for more than 5 minutes weeks after its broadcast? I still talk about Game of Thrones and True Detective probably about once a week. On the other side- there is a distinct lack of cultural impact. When we think about the classics of humanity- Mona Lisa, Starry Night- and the more modern classics- The Godfather, Taxi Driver- their influence is unmeasurable. All-new forms of media are following the basic goal of reaching those heights- yet reality tv doesn’t. It is a genre designed to create small doses of dopamine, and not to change personalities- which is something that I think is quite sad.
Nevertheless, I completely acknowledge the benefits that some people find in reality tv- the little doses of entertainment, the escapism and even the memes. Yet I can’t stop thinking about how little it all amounts to. You watch reality tv and maybe have a small chat about it with your mates- but coming away that is a substantial waste of time. Years down the line you will wish you did so much more with this time- so why waste it watching reality tv?
Commentaires