In the lecture this week, we opened with a brief discussion about TV, with the main point being that it is teaching us (the individual viewer, as well as society) what to think and even how to think.
And that immediately made me think of a lyric from a song by my favourite singer, Marina and the Diamonds:
And that immediately made me think of a lyric from a song by my favourite singer, Marina and the Diamonds:
"Tv taught me how to feel, now real life has no appeal"
From the song 'Oh No!' which is her own commentary on society, which she she expresses in a sardonic way. In class we spoke about how the everyday viewer of tv doesn't watch it with the intention to be challenged in their thinking, or to actually think too much into a particular concept that a program is introducing. I'm not in any means saying that this is the case for everyone, but as a whole, we are passively watching with our sole purpose being to find entertainment and possibly a form of escapism. And this brings me back to the line of Marina's.
In the 21st century, we are living in a multimedia world. Everywhere we go, we have access to some form of technology, which allows us to connect with others. And with this, there are many positive things as well as negative things that come from it. The positive being the ability to communicate with friends, share information and ultimately express our views on things happening around the world and in our own lives. The negative being, it is constant. To the point where people are obsessively living through a device and no longer connecting to the physical world around them, instead, we are flourishing in a virtual world. So, while we are able to connect with others in this virtual reality, we are disconnecting from the reality. Well, that is one perspective.
Returning to the thought of escapism, tv provides a seemingly never ending opportunity to enter different worlds, different lives. How many of us have become emotionally invested in tv shows? I know I certainly have. And how many of us have wanted to aspire to become something that you have seen on tv? I know I certainly have. And think we all have. Tv has integrated into our lives, not only has it influenced our views and value according to what we watch, tv actually dictates a large part of our lives too. Scheduled tv programs for example: watching tv has become a daily ritual.
"If you are not very careful, your possessions will possess you" (Marina and the Diamonds)
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