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Reality television is extremely interesting to me when understanding citizen media and how invested the fans become. Since the popular TV show ‘The Hills’ was introduced in the early 2000’s, many female 90s babies became quite addicted to the life style of the rich teens living in California. Myself included would watch the show every week without missing one because I was so into the life that the lead ‘it girl’ Lauren Conrad had. She had various boyfriends (all attractive of course) and there was always some sort of girl drama on the show. I remember when the show ended and the last scene was Lauren Conrad and of course ‘it boy’ Brody Jenner talking. It looked as if the two were standing on a hill looking out to a beautiful sunset in the hills of California. As the show ended at this scene, the backdrop fell behind them which exposed that they were really just filming in an alley way somewhere in the city. Fans were extremely upset by this ending because it kind of made it known that the show was not all “real” like we had thought. Fans had a deep connection with the show and scholar Sonia Livingstone explains how a TV shows audience can also be explained as a public when it comes their connection to TV. The audience watches the show and then they turn the content into something further. What fascinates me is if people knew that the hills was a lie all along, why did they continue to be so obsessed with it? You would think they’d be turned off by it…
On October 2nd, 2016 Kim Kardashian-West was robbed at gun point in her Paris, France home during Paris Fashion Week. After showing off her 4.5 million dollar ring on two of her very popular social media platforms Snapchat and Instagram that week, the men who robbed her were able to find her location and know that she had very expensive jewelry with her. People like the Kardashian’s don’t have a special talent and have only been able to keep their fame due to social media’s ability to show off the lavish lifestyle they live. They post anything and everything about there lives to showcase to the millions of people who want to see how they live, what cars they drive, their wardrobes, and more.
Kim’s robbery just goes to show how dangerous the media and the internet can really be. Growing up, my parents would always tell me, “don’t post on Facebook that we are going on vacation, we don’t want people to know we aren’t home”, and I don’t blame them. This was a common issue 8+ years ago and has only became worse. In present day, social media has grown to be something more than connecting with friends, it is a way for people to show off what they have. The obsession of following celebrities has gone full circle because consumerism has hit an all time high.
To get back on track, it has now been almost 2 months since Kim has posted anything on any of her social media accounts and fans say they’re “getting worried”. It is a known fact that Kim is not ok and has been dealing with constant nightmares, and reliving what happened to her that night in Paris. The media has been referring to the past 2 months as her “social media silence” and this has become something of importance to people. Her followers grow day by day, yet she is not posting any content. People are waiting at the edge of their seats for her to post because this isn’t about her health, it is people being so obsessed with her life, they NEED to hear from her to get their Kim K fix. What happened to Kim just shows how powerful the media really is and how it will continue to prosper based on how citizens use the internet and the various social media platforms available to them.
This past summer, the very popular digital game known as Pokemon GO became what I would call an addiction to millions of people all over the world. The game that had everyone on their feet (literally) was introduced in July 2016 and took the world by storm. The premise of the game is to walk around with your phone pointed at the ground to try and catch “poke balls”. Since Pokemon was such a huge part of many people’s childhood, it soon went viral and people were able to relive their past of being a care free kid playing their favourite game. Not only were they playing a Pokemon game, they could catch the poke balls themselves which was a huge hit amongst users.
The idea of Pokemon GO being a hyperreality stems from the users ability to pretend they are in the actual game which acts as a virtual reality. People can act and feel like they are inside the game without spending hundreds of dollars on a device that allows them to do so. The only thing users needed was a smartphone (which most people have these days) and the ability to download the FREE application and begin their journey as a Pokemon “trainer”. As they entered a realm of possibilities with the new game, it was clear that it augmented their reality. A hyperreal or simulation according to Jean Baudrillard is depicted as an imaginary state. Baudrillard gives the example of Disneyworld as imaginary because it is, “set up in order to rejuvenate in reverse the fiction of the real.” (Baudrillard, 1988) She also goes on to say how adults go to Disney to be a child again and this relates to Pokemon GO and what I mentioned previously about people wanting to go back and relive their childhood memories through the game.
I’m curious, would you agree that Pokemon GO can be represented as a hyperreality? Why or why not?
If you think about it… would TV shows, movies, YouTube channels, book series and so on exist if there was nobody interested in them? Fans are the biggest part of media culture because with out the fans, none of these outlets would be successful. With fans, comes fan fiction, which usually involves a fantasy between characters that the fans create for their enjoyment. Fan fiction has become popular in recent years due to an online presence. Fans can connect with each other more easily and share their love for their favourite TV show, movie, and so on. An article on WIRED by Clive Thompson explains how fan fiction is actually a good thing as it allows people to be more creative. It also helps the creators of the show in terms of knowing what the audience wants to see. When fans become so involved and dedicated to something, the more it thrives.
Based on the article by Sonia Livingstone I would consider fan fiction a public because the fans are able to take the information from the show, movie, etc. and do as they wish with it. They can use their creative mindset to put their personal spin on it, which makes it public. I believe it can also be represented by the show creators as an audience because they can take the public comments into consideration when creating more content.
The movement known as #BringBackOurGirls follows the 250+ young girls who were kidnapped by Boko Haram in Nigeria on April 14, 2014. The hashtag was first created to bring awareness to the kidnappings so that the girls could be found and saved. This form of digital activism is known as hashtag activism. This style of protest allows for anyone and everyone to have a choice to be apart of a movement. Since it is a more simplistic way to get the word across, people were willing to take part in it. The hashtag allowed the topic to be talked about as well as to educate and inform people worldwide about the issues at hand. The more in depth issue people have with hashtag activism is that it does not actually do anything physical to help. Of course, it sheds light on what is happening and makes it global but have the girls been saved since the hashtag went viral more than two years ago? No. Personally, I believe hashtag activism is the easiest form of slacktivism and it allows people to think they are helping when they are not.
What other examples of hashtag activism can you think of and were they effective?
When I think about what a public and an audience is, I see similarities that join them together when it comes to vlogging. If you don’t know who Lonelygirl15 is, it is the account that broke the internet in 2006 being one of the first vlogs on YouTube. Lonelygirl15 aka “Bree” was a 16 year old girl who seemed to live a very normal life. Her audience came to watch her videos more than 5 times a week as she spilled her life to everyone and anyone who would listen. Her story caught peoples attention; although people loved watching her videos, it didn’t take much time for her audience to question who “Bree” really was. All that anyone knew about her was her name and what the inside of her bedroom looked like. Her friendship with a boy named Daniel sparked further interest in her videos due to possible chemistry the two had together. What intrigues me about Lonelygirl15 is the way her audience took to her vlogs. They related on a personal level and allowed for them to get caught up in a girls life that they didn’t even know.
In September 2006, only 4 short months after Lonelygirl15 went viral, it was revealed that it was a hoax and that Bree and Daniel were actors. The audience turned frantic, upset, even hurt that a girl they could relate to so heavily was able to make them feel a certain way since they were convinced she was an average 16 year old girl. The video camera in this sense has further lead to various technological affordances, one being the video blog or “vlog” which gave the creators of Lonelygirl15 the idea. After the channel was outed for being fake, fans still continued to watch videos as new characters were introduced. Although people were hurt by the news, people could not stop watching. This shows how powerful an audience really is based on the connection that they feel when interacting or watching someone who they think they know. Ask yourself, if you found out this kind of information about someone you thought lead a similar life as you, would you continue watching them knowing everything they say is a lie?
The present day act of culture jamming has allowed for consumerism to evolve. Scholars have noticed that the sole interest in consumerism for entertainment purposes has taken over in recent time. Consumerism has allowed for culture jamming to be directly linked to media activism. This has made it easier for citizens to get their opinions out there whether it may be changing a billboard to display an underlying message, or signing an online petition. To better understand culture jamming as a new age form of activism, it is important to understand how it can be directly explained as the original form of slacktivism.
Culture jamming has the ability to force views on consumers through the media. Slacktivism is the act of taking part in a movement, usually in an easy way which stems from the culture jamming process. Many times, what users partake in does not help the cause or movement in the long run, but it makes them feel satisfied. Another example of culture jamming with direct correlation to slacktivism is sniping and subvertising. If you think about it, “simply drawing attention to issues at hand does nothing more than make people angry about them”. (2014)
In 2009 a psychologist named Anders Colding-Jorgensen created a fictitious event on Facebook stating that the Stork Fountain in Copenhagan was going to be demolished. After thousands of people simply clicked a button to to be apart of the Stork Fountain Facebook page movement, Colding-Jorgensen decided the fake campaign had to be put to and end. (Morozov, 2011) Joining the group did not consist of donating to the cause or following a number of steps; therefore, the author suggests that this campaign would not have gone as viral as it did if further action was needed by supporters.
Culture jamming is used to grab attention and a very popular form of this is expressed in the magazine Adbusters. Adbusters is known for subvertisements and one of their most popular campaigns is known as “Blackspot” sneaker. Its goal was to challenge Nike’s CEO due to the companies use of sweatshops. Adbusters encouraged supporters to graffiti a black spot on Niketown windows and display ad’s. (Harold, 2004) Although culture jamming can seem petty, Sean Phipps suggests that along with subvertising it can be a great way to get a message across no matter how vague that message may be. (Phipps, 2016)
Lastly, culture jamming has had a large impact on the Occupy Wall Street movement. The importance of the movement is to make sure the “99%” are being accounted for in every facet. (Costanza-Chock, 2012) OWS uses platforms such as Facebook to get their name out there, but most people are not interested in putting in extra effort. Although the idea has good intentions, people are not willing to exert extra energy, making it a form of slacktivism. Based on the arguments and examples presented above, it is evident that culture jamming has lead to slacktivism as a new age form of protest.
Last week in class we discussed citizen media in terms of the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement. We thought heavily about the ways in which citizen media has helped BLM express the brutality that black people face from law enforcement. BLM has helped bring these issues to the surface but what if technologies such as cellphones, video recording devices, twitter, etc. didn’t exist? BLM depends solely on social media and people’s own, unfiltered citizen journalism. An article titled “How Social Media Helps Black Lives Matter Fight the Power” by Bijan Stephen helps understand both sides of the movement including positives and its negative aspects. I have linked the article below for your review!
It was also discussed amongst us that without these forms of technology and social media, BLM probably wouldn’t be something we are even talking about. Personally, I strongly believe that BLM is not helping black lives at all. Sure, they brought the issues to the media forefront but now it’s time to take action WITH law enforcement to help better protect the communities they serve. BLM has to enter the inner cities and educate the youth as well to help prevent future violence. If everybody doesn’t cooperate together and use teamwork to find solutions what is the point of the Black Lives Matter movement?
A M K 