I believe all questions about what we are exposed to by media, in this case television, can be answered by one simple statement: “it depends on what you’re watching.” So…does television expose us to a diversity of people from all sorts of places with different lifestyles from our own? Diversity…sure, if you’re watching Survivor; lifestyles different from our own…more often than not, because most characters on primetime television are either super rich or super poor, and most viewers are somewhere in the middle. But do we, the viewers, the normal everyday people that spend countless hours in front of the television attempt to make our lives like those of the actors we see on TV? Do we believe that what is important in life is dictated by primetime television?
Over Easter break, I sat down in front of the television (because I actually had time to) and watched a few of my family’s favorite shows during primetime hours. As I was watching these episodes of Ugly Betty, Extreme Home Makeover, and Law and Order: Criminal Intent, I attempted to keep track of situations that I would not have experienced had it not been for the box sitting in front of me in my living room. All three of these shows provided me with a unique view at society and what is deemed “most important.” Ugly Betty displayed the idea of “inner beauty,” and reminded me how people are often more appreciated than they realize by some while being looked down upon by others. Extreme Home Makeover showed me how caring and generous people can be for those who truly deserve and will be grateful for it and Law and Order: Criminal Intent revealed an intense and gruesome case I would never want to be a part of or see in real life.
Jean Baudrillard claims that television determines what should be important in our lives and that after exposure to it we apply those rules to our own reality. He describes hyper-reality as the consciousness losing its ability to distinguish reality from fantasy. Baudrillard believes that society soon demonstrates actions through this hyper-reality rather than through their reality. Joshua Meyrowitz argues that television “breaks down the physical barriers that separate people” (Hanson, 2005, p. 256).
Television would be a hyper-reality if we believed everything we saw. However, our society filters the information and understands that television, and other forms of media, are mostly for entertainment purposes, which keeps this hyper-reality from existing. Sure it is nice to see generous people do wonderfully nice and amazing things for others, and it is awesome to watch a show about a young, not-so-attractive girl who is well-liked by her boss. But as it is with everything, there are two sides to every story and reality tells us a different one. Extreme Home Makeover takes heat because “there are more deserving people that should be helped.” Betty has to deal with the teasing from her co-workers who don’t think she’s pretty enough. And of course, Law and Order shows us how cruel people really can be, but it’s not as easy to catch those criminals as they make it out to be. Our conscious does not lose its ability to distinguish reality from fantasy because the happenings in our world once we step away from our televisions often has a cruel way of bringing us back to earth. Television also does not bring people together; in fact, it has probably separated us more from others. Not only does it provide us a way to refrain from conversations with others but also it puts pictures in our head that prior to being exposed to this media may not have been there. I feel our class is somewhat portrays that idea because before I was taught to delve into stereotypes in media I never paid much attention to them and now I can not help but to realize them all the time.
The question: Is primetime television entertainment fantasy or reality?
The final verdict: Entertainment fantasy.
And yes, our species is intelligent enough to know the difference.
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