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Further Watching:
Alice Cappelle's video on vloggers and the panopticon:
Tara Mooknee's video on Love Island and hollow diversity:
Sources and Further Reading:
Deery, June. Reality TV, Polity Press, (2015)
Goldfine, Jael. "The Strange Magic of Iain Stirling’s Narration on Love Island UK," GQ (2021).
Jeong, Sarah. “‘Love Island’ Is a Riveting Human Rights Violation” The New York Times (2019).
Kavka, Misha. Reality TV, Edinburgh University Press (2012).
Klein, Amanda Ann. "Millennials Killed the Video Star", Duke University Press, (2021).
L'Hoiry, Xavier. “Love Island, Social Media, and Sousveillance: New Pathways of Challenging Realism in Reality TV” Frontiers, (2019).
Mathiesen, Thomas. (1997). “The Viewer Society: Michel Foucault’s ‘Panopticon’ Revisited.In: Theoretical Criminology, 1(2): 215‐234.
Poster, Mike. “Databases as Discourse, or Electronic Interpellations” U of Minnesota Press (1996).
Stoppard, Lou. "The Glorious Depravity of the British “Love Island”," The New Yorker.
Wong, James . “Here's looking at you: Reality TV, Big Brother, and Foucault” . Canadian Journal of Communication ; Toronto Vol. 26, Iss. 4, (2001): 489-501.
Niall's interview:
Zara's interview:
"Logistical Difficulties" quote:
Static Jokes
Another brilliant video. Hearing suicides directly related to love island is heartbearking, no one should have to go through toxic levels of fake beauty.
Broey Deschanel
This truly is “we live in a society: the video”. Anyhoo, just a few things I wanted to note/correct:
1. I realized after I had already exported that the nuerodivergent community prefers the term “is autistic” over “has autism” – just wanted to apologize for that!
2. Faye and Teddy came in third place, not fourth.
3. Any derogatory comments about Sophie, Mike, or Caroline will be removed without exception.
LoudWaffle
@Elvira I don’t see what’s so “unachievable” about using accurate and respectful wording, especially when talking about such topics which are deeply important for many people. Nobody’s supporting harassment to force coercion out of people in regards to this (nor was it suggested that this happened), so I really can’t understand your seemingly near-militant opposition to this mere acknowledgement about sensitive language.
Elvira
@LoudWaffle bro I’m just saying that grammar policing content creators is fucking stupid and the way that someone phrases something shouldn’t offend people. And yes being perfect is unachievable.
LoudWaffle
@Elvira I don’t see anyone policing content creators.
Elvira
@LoudWaffle yeah because she apologized when she didn’t need to lmao
LoudWaffle
@Elvira You are a living example of horseshoe theory.
M_R_ Stories
Love Island and all of reality tv have proved that people don’t have a problem with surveillance as long as they’re not the ones being surveilled.
Albinojackrussel
TBF I think most people would be a lot more uncomfortable with it if the “stars” didn’t sign up for it of their own free will.
Albinojackrussel
Thinking on it a little more there are shows like sex, sun and suspicious parents where the stars knew they were being filmed but did not know that the footage was being sent straight to their parents. And it was unfortunately popular but in my own life I only heard people bring up how shitty it was.
Bliss Clair
I think the mere fact that those people are on a screen makes them less real and it becomes easier to ignore that the shows are surveilling real people.
Girl Fieri
I mean they choose to go on theses shows so it’s quite different
Yhara zayd
how’s it feel to be so smart, so right and so hot?
Sara Blooms
my favorite YouTube crossover
inchara k
I read this in mind with your amazing raspy voice
Exceedingly Lizzie
I ship it <3
Nickie P
My queen 👑 is here
Rokhaya SADJI
this is cute
Cadaveril Lavigne
I did keep mishearing “Kavka” as “Kafka” and I was like WHAT did Franz have to say about Jersey Shore?
R G S
As Michael Sorrentino awoke one morning from uneasy dreams he found himself transformed in his bed into a gigantic Situation…
Πηνελόπη
@R G S This comment wins
Rokhaya SADJI
😂😂😂 OmGod Stop
isawhat
Kelly kissed Jake behind Michael’s back and then she metamorphosed into a giant insect.
Brooke Smith
It’s so funny that some of the contestants are ostracized for “not being there for the right reason” as if anyone on these shows really thinks that they are going to leave the show with a long-term partner. At this point, I’m assuming that most people participate to increase their social media following or capitalize off their 5 mins. of fame in some other way. But in the same breath, contestants like Amy who try to form a real connection are villified for being too clingy and not subscribing to the unserious nature of the show. The audience makes fun of those who try to form seemingly genuine connections while simultaneously disparaging those who just lean into the fact that none of it is real ( the scheming villains) . Like make it “reality”, but not actual reality 😅
Knowdaqueen17
And a lot from this season are being criticized for not getting deals fast enough but they’re supposed to be there for the right reasons
Akshaya Murali
Reality shows like this, other dating shows and others like Bigg Brother were designed around exploitation and humiliation. As long as the viewers are hating/loving the participants, the ratings remain high. So studios script & edit the shows to have a clear cut “good” person and a villian dynamic.
Erwin Lii
Getting reminded of the tv show UnREAL that did show the viewers a dark messed up behind-the-scenes story of a fictional reality dating show.
Courtney S.
i think total drama island was the best “reality” tv show. all the drama and wacky hijinks, no real person gets hurt.
because i do actually like reality tv. it is so carefully crafted to be so watchable but i don’t typically because it makes me deeply uncomfortable to watch real people going through powerful emotions and very personal intimacies on camera. it feels like accidentally walking in on someone getting dressed.
total drama island took the fun and entertaining elements of reality tv and discarded the weird ethical issues and even the problem of “being boring” by having everything planned out as a made up narrative with made up people. i think they could totally do a version of total drama island with the gimmick of love island, put it on netflix as an adult show, and people would love it.
Erwin Lii
Total Drama will return for more two seasons on Cartoon Network and HBO Max.
But to be honest, I am done with this series since I am getting tired of seeing psychopathic narcissist host Chris getting away of torturing and messing up the contastants. That’s why I liked the ending/final scene of Revenge Of The Island where winner Cameron shares the prize money with everyone while Chris was getting arrested by the goverment.
I started to dislike TD when certain characters didn’t get punished for their actions and unfairly becoming suddenly a villain in the last minute in season 5.1 & 5.2. Examples:
Mike/Mal and Sky didn’t suffer any consequences at all, Courtney and Gwen’s rebuilding friendship was destroyed again, Gwen and Scott should have been the unexpected two finalists and Dave was victimized + had to become a snapped villain…
In All-Stars and Pahkitew Island specific character/relationship developments were just thrown out to shock us and the final episodes were just disappointing & sadistic. They didn’t bother to gather and reunite all contastants in the finale of 5.1 & 5.2!
Have you also noticed no female character has ever officially won the show???!
I loved the Spin-off “The Ridonculous Race” because we can see the host actually suffer, more sustainable character growth and more clear conclusions on characters. It was more rewarding and cathartic.
Mia Marr
@Erwin Lii Good points! I haven’t watched the show since it was on TV when I was a kid and I guess those things went right over my head.
K C
That’s so true, there’s always at least one episode in the Bachelor franchise where the people end up in a situation that’s deeply personal and emotional and it feels like I shouldn’t be watching. Like you said, it feels like I walked into someone’s conversation and heard stuff I shouldn’t, but since it’s a TV show there’s not way to say “sorry” and awkwardly exit- it just keeps going. A couple examples that immediately came to mind were when the producers brought in Matt James’ estranged father to the show, Katie and Greg’s awful breakup, and Hannah B finding out Jed had a secret girlfriend and her confrontation of him. These are always marketed as the ~exciting~ bits of the show that are sometimes teased in advance for hype, but once it’s on the screen it’s like watching a train wreck in slow motion, or like overhearing a private conversation in the bathroom and you feel like you can’t leave until they leave so as not to make it awkward. Ugh
Erwin Lii
@Mia Marr I prefer when a ridiculous show is being somehow grounded, consistent and nuanced. I mean, if you invest in the storyline and characters, you very likely will resent it when the writing/narrative gives you unexpectedly a slap in your face.
Koketso K
yes and yes to the adult netflix version,As someone who grew up watching I would like to see an adult version reboot of it.
Megakenzie
The Japanese reality show “Terrace House” has had similar situations in the past few years. After a sad loss of life, (because of the shows lack of mental health care and protection against outside bullies), I swore off any kind of shows like this… It was a guilty pleasure for awhile. But it’s gone too far now and makes me sick to my stomach.
charity
wait what happened with terrace house 😭😭 used to love it because it felt like a (slightly) more chill reality show but i haven’t been watching in a bit?
ohlove
@charity last year one of the contestants took her life because of hate comments
ohlove
@charity last year season was disappointing I do not recommend to watch, there are some wholesome moments but still It was painful to watch
petalchild
@charity Hana Kimura 😔
Erica Sumrall
Hana 💔
Imani Manuellah
It’s interesting that as we progress further the idea of being watched becomes more of the norm, performing for the public whether on reality tv or on social media has become the expectation.
Every move you make is to be watched and scrutinized so you must act accordingly.
Big brother vibes 👀
Living off love songs,
It’s a slippery slope, privacy is a thing of the past now.
transparentsoul Spul
Woman wtf are you so smart? But also is true it seems like the younger generations including myself (gen z) aspired to be famous, wich is not something new at all, but what is new is the fact you are a click away of fame or (infame) but the difference doesn’t matter to most people chasing clout in social media!
Dennis Brock
In regards to morality, I think the best look into the way how the panopticon and reality television intersect is with What Would You Do? For those who don’t know, the show would have actors play out a scene e.g. a family rejecting their gay son, kids asking for alcohol, an abusive boyfriend, etc. and watch as people either interact or ignore them. Because the show took place in the real world and not a closed set, it really sought out to regulate human behavior on a real scale. They wanted for us to take a moral stance and help, and whenever someone didn’t they would get shamed slightly for their actions. While the show was fun, I still wonder if the surveillance idea was a net good for society. That being said, can power and surveillance be used to make us better people? Can a TV show make us take moral action instead of being a bystander?
Mikayla McFadden
yeah i remember i used to watch that when i was sick from school since it was always on. Disturbing to think about now especially how people were “vilified” for not getting involved. In reality we don’t know what they had going on or their own experiences. It also encouraged people to take time out of their day for a stunt that would be emotionally taxes. Just doesn’t sit well with me
Shan Mairead
From watching season 3 of Love Island USA, I found this awareness of media tropes and stereotypes kept contestants from authentically feeling their feelings. Like women were not able to express their feelings of betrayal to one another because of their fear of perpetuating the stereotype of women fighting over men. They had to sanitize their reactions and play nice even in moments where it would be perfectly normal to argue.
It was so interesting to see how either a) the pressure to represent your entire gender or race or both can affect your experience and b) the awareness of potential cancellation completely changed the tone of the show.
Tara Mooknee
you know how when you play sims you get your sim to have loads of affairs in front of their spouse and you cackle gleefully at the mess? That’s what the Amy situation felt like…except it was real. There was even a moment where Ian Stirling (the narrator) joked about Amy’s impending heartbreak and it makes you realise how okay the producers are with causing trauma for entertainment. Yikes. Amazing video btw!
K C
@Erwin Lii Yes!! More people should watch Unreal, it’s obviously dramatized but rooted in truths and based on the experiences of a real ex-producer from the Bachelor franchise. Ever since I watched Unreal I can spot producer manipulation and scripted conflicts a lot easier. The contestants don’t have to be fed lines if they’re manipulated, exhausted, lied to, etc, which the producers use to get the scenes they want in order to craft narratives they know will get the best views. It’s sick
Trevin Taylor
Learn to swim, Tara. Cows can swim.
Erwin Lii
@K C This show taught me that only or mostly very broken & miserable people would want to participate and work in a reality show that promise fake shiny happiness/bliss in exchange for being tremendously humiliated, torturted and dehumanized.
Dope Ragu
@Broey Deschanel I remember specifically making several “families” of 2 bisexual couples – 2 men, 2 women – and I would specifically put in their bios that they would each also be in love with the other person’s partner… If that makes sense. So it was a 4 way love triangle with constant drama after intentionally making them make out in front of one another.
You’d think I’ve had known I was bisexual a LOT earlier than I did… 😂
SydneyCBR6
@Erwin Lii absolutely amazing show, watched it in its entirety twice. So happy when Rachel found her little slice of peace at the end.
Upset Studios
TW// S.A
In the show Paradise Hotel, a norwegian reality tv show with the same premise as Love Island, two female contestants attempted to r-word a male contestant, and the scene of this act was filmed, edited, approved and aired on tv as if it was nothing.
A male contestant was intoxicated, and two women pulled him into a room. Through their advances the man was saying no, trying to pull away from them, but they kept trying. The girls left the man alone after some time, because he was unresponsive to their pushing. The man later tried to tell a friend about this but the friend laughed and said “he was lucky to be surrounded by b-words in heat”.
This was displayed in the episode as if nothing happened. Reality tv brings up some really horrifying points about surveillance, but to me it also holds up a mirror to the attitudes of our general society. This whole alpha-male narrative about how consent for men doesn’t matter because they’re always in the mood. How nobody stopped to think, “hey, that’s crossing the line”. I think we need to seriously reconsider if these shows should exist at all, if they harbour environments where shock and drama are valued over wellbeing.
Casey Aonso
omg so excited for this topic
francesca
casey!!
micah lwcina
i wonder if feeling the pressure to be The Funny One™️ is a common neurodivergent experience and if so where that pressure comes from
jeremyud
Every reality show I’ve followed tends to be their best at around season 2/season 3. After that the authenticity goes out the window.
Megan Sparks
FACTS! I binged 5 seasons of Vanderpump Rules but stopped midway s5. S1 was PEAK reality tv trash up there with S1 and S2 of Jersey Shore. Around S4, they all had become rich and moved out their shitty apartments and only worked at the restaurant for the show. Plus the drama made no sense. There was SO MUCH betrayal but they would just get over it and become friends again in ways that didnt make sense because they wanted to keep the show going etc. In the earlier seasons, the fights and drama felt “real” bc they werent “famous” yet so they gave no fucks about calling each other out and having feuds and real reactions to the drama etc. All reality shows should stop after s3 tbh. It is no longer fun to watch. You become highly aware of how fake everyone is being just so they can keep the show going for a check especially if it is a consistent cast every season. The same happened with Jersey Shore. I love TRASH reality tv and I have to turn my brain off around the exploitation but then it becomes too obvious the more seasons like this video points out.
Jay Rampant
It really is astounding that this show has been allowed to continue after three suicides. Caroline Flack’s tragic story was more to do with the vicious, hateful tabloids than the show itself, but still.. two former contestants (is that’s the correct term for them?!) having taken their own lives would be enough to end any other show!
Jay Rampant
Participants is probably more apt term than contestants
marsouinrirou
I often find that youtubers, even those I like, talk about the same topics through the same lens (a billion videos that say the same thing about Emily in Paris or whatever the hot new topic is) – this is never an issue with your essays. You are intelligent, engaging, and always discuss topics when you have a specific angle that makes it worth it. Plus the research is immaculate. This is why you are one of the best “new” creators on this platform, along with people like CJ the X. Great video !