Modern Television: What’s the Real Message?
crossposted from Lee Edward McIlmoyle's blog
What do you suppose the gestalt narrative of modern television is? I’ve been thinking about this for a bit. What I’m talking about is the general narrative that underlies most television in a given period, often denoting a subconscious or perhaps even overt slant to the kind of message the programs are all delivering. Sounds a bit tinfoil hat, I know, but I mostly suspect this has been happening for years, and that the message changes over time, supposedly to accommodate and reflect the ‘new reality’ we live in, when in fact, it’s pretty much the tail wagging the dog. We are told, in so many clips and phrases, what the world is like today, and how we should react to it, based on what’s most popular on television.
And to be frank, most of what I see on television are zero sum dystopias and naked power fantasies that promote the idea of needing a hero to come save us. This is heightened by the ludicrousness of reality television shows that no longer demonstrate the innate ability of the contestants as much as they do their complete incompetence or general uselessness. I’ve been watching it on almost every program out there in North American television for the last handful of years. The lack of agency is alarming. Everyone is a victim unless they have a super power, and even then, they’re not safe.
I read science fiction like this twenty, thirty years ago, and now it’s reality. Think about that.
Lee.
What do you suppose the gestalt narrative of modern television is? I’ve been thinking about this for a bit. What I’m talking about is the general narrative that underlies most television in a given period, often denoting a subconscious or perhaps even overt slant to the kind of message the programs are all delivering. Sounds a bit tinfoil hat, I know, but I mostly suspect this has been happening for years, and that the message changes over time, supposedly to accommodate and reflect the ‘new reality’ we live in, when in fact, it’s pretty much the tail wagging the dog. We are told, in so many clips and phrases, what the world is like today, and how we should react to it, based on what’s most popular on television.
And to be frank, most of what I see on television are zero sum dystopias and naked power fantasies that promote the idea of needing a hero to come save us. This is heightened by the ludicrousness of reality television shows that no longer demonstrate the innate ability of the contestants as much as they do their complete incompetence or general uselessness. I’ve been watching it on almost every program out there in North American television for the last handful of years. The lack of agency is alarming. Everyone is a victim unless they have a super power, and even then, they’re not safe.
I read science fiction like this twenty, thirty years ago, and now it’s reality. Think about that.
Lee.