TELEVISION CULTURES:
BLOG POST 2
AUDIENCES + MATTERS OF TASTE
The ‘Uses and Gratification Theory’, which was explored and discussed by media theorists Jay Blumler and Elihu Katz in 1974, identifies the way people use the media. This theory suggests that audiences are active consumers in this communication process between the producer and the consumer. They choose media texts such as films, television shows, books, etc to gratify their own needs and interests. This is where the idea of audiences and matters of taste discussed in the week 6 lecture comes into play. Audiences and their matters of taste go hand-in-hand as being extremely powerful in having a say as to what is shared on mass media. The primary example being if very few people are watching a show, or are sending in complaints about a specific advertisement, then the show or the advertisement may be taken off air.
Every show thrives on their fans and active participants. Fans are people who become highly involved in the development of both the storyline, the characters, and most of the time, the actors themselves. Strong emotions are felt towards the show and this brings them to begin reading into theories and backstories, alternative plots and the actors and actresses’ lives.
Fans of one show can help other shows gain more followers, simply because the viewers want to follow the work of their favourite celebrities.
‘Roommate’ is a South Korean reality TV show, which features eleven celebrities, coming from different work backgrounds, living together in a share house. Unlike the television show, ‘Big Brother’, where people are also sharing one house, these South Korean celebrities are not forced to be confined in this one house. They go to work, go out to eat and do their own thing as per usual, but use the large house as their new home, where sixty cameras watch them share the kitchen, living room, washrooms, and household tasks. Friendships quickly build and they become a family. And unlike ‘Big Brother’, it does not involve a group of noisy, egotistical people who are fighting to remain in the spotlight inorder to get votes from viewers to win the title of being “best housemate”.
The way in which ‘Roommates’ has been affected by audiences and their matters of taste were of both positive and negative nature. Although the show received an influx of interest by international viewers, therefore being hosted on streaming websites such as ‘DramaFever’ and ‘Hulu’, the show failed to keep their own South Korean audiences, and therefore was forced to be cancelled after the second season. It was said that people lost attraction to the show due to its “lack of direction” or highly scripted nature.
Reality TV shows have sparked an increasing number of audience members over the past years. Reality TV encourage people to believe they are watching a script-less film in which they can interact with and heighten the viewing experience. Audiences and fans of a show can call in to vote for who they want to see more of, or can follow contestants or celebrities on social media such as Twitter or Instagram. The ideas of the people on screen exceeding the boundaries of the screen and that there is a sense of liveness are what appeals greatly to viewers. Reality TV is “much more seductive (than other types of programming) because it seems much more real, much less orchestrated” says S. Shyam Sundar, a professors of communications.
Even though so many researches have found that the number of audiences for reality television are large and people have become accustomed to following the lives of contestants on social media as though it is their own, people still feel the need to overly justify the reasons for them watching such shows, or even deny their interest inorder to maintain a reputation of “good taste”.
So how does one define “good taste”?
It definitely depends on you who you are, what you like and how you see the world and what you see is “good”. Good taste can almost be contagious, and there is always a pressure that most people feel towards what they watch and what they don’t watch. When asked what a person’s favourite show is, if the answer was to be a reality show, they would immediately feel the need to follow it up with “I know, I know… but it’s fun to watch” or “I only watch it when my family does”. It’s hard to find somebody who will freely embrace their love for reality TV show because it seems to be some sort of morale offence and cultural discrimination!
There is no need to pretend you only watch certain shows because “there was nothing else on” or you just wanted something “trashy” to watch, each person has their own matter of taste and that should’t be shamed. Honestly, reality TV shows are are good sources when analysing editing, camera techniques and sound, and how that can affect the way audiences view certain characters and how it can so easily change the entire storyline. Ways in which people change or grow, depending on their circumstance is another aspect that can be watched and analysed in reality televisions, such as ‘Roommate’. It isn’t all poor quality junk.