Television has always been something that intertwines with culture. However, television shows have shifted from ideal to cynical throughout the years. Most television shows nowadays depict fictional and/or extreme situations that most teenagers don't differentiate from. They watch television shows like 90210 and Gossip Girl and wonder why they don't look like the characters on the show or why they aren't allowed to behave in a similar manner. When if they would just think about it, they would figure out that these characters are being played by 20 something actors and that television always embellishes lives of teenagers to make shows more entertaining to watch. For example, in Gossip Girl all the upper-east students are somehow able to drink frequently in bars and go wherever they please at any time. Where in reality, establishments like those bars would be cited for giving alcohol to minors and I would think that most stable family homes have some kind of curfew for their children/teenagers.
So many people let themselves fall into this trap of allowing television shows tell them how to act, dress, or even cope. We are all victims of it; we all have been effected by television shows in some way.
So my question is: Why do people consistently compare their lives to television shows that aren't realistic?
39 comments:
I love to watch Gossip Girl mainly for the clothes. And I love Blake Lively. And why not compare to tv? If it's not tv then it'll be the next door neighbor, but they're too similiar to you. So obviously the next choice is tv. Shows like this do show what is likely to happen without a stable family life. Does anyone on that show actually live with 2 happy, loving parents??
I agree with Charlotte. I love watching Gossip Girl for the fashion. uhh-mazing. Yeah, it's not 'realistic' in the sense that not everybody is born a trust-fund baby. But it does also show realistic aspects of life, such as the effects of unstable families, and how individuals deal with real life issues.
I believe that teens especially will compare their lives to events that are not realistic. Especially when it comes to sexual promiscuity among teenagers, they believe that those that are their age are a lot more sexually active than what the actual population really is. Gossip Girl is one of the best examples. Have you seen their ads? In their ads they bask that it has been regarded as "Mind-blowingly inappropriate," "Every parent's nightmare" and "A nasty piece of work." Sounds classy to me.
Man I hate those shows. So much. Those who like shows like Gossip girl, I imagine, like it because it appeals to their sense of fantasy. A world where you have unlimited money and designer clothes at all times. A world where teens can be adults with no curfews. Same reason women used to read romance novels, and some guys go to warcraft groups and dungeons and dragons festivals. Fantasy worlds are appealing to many people. TO confuse fantasy with real life, or become unbalanced between the two, is very dangerous.
I agree with what Jake said. It’s the fantasy aspect that is so appealing. We watch our favorite shows and we want to be like our favorite characters and have everything our favorite characters have. This is not realistic because the shows we watch are not real! I think it’s dangerous to compare our lives with imaginary characters lives because this will only lead to dissatisfaction.
I think people let shows tell them how to act because everyone feels a need to fit in society. However, these shows give us a false sense of security because true happiness doesn't come from being the most popular. It's funny how TV portray this life as glamorous and attractive when really I don't think it is all it's cracked up to be.
I agree with Jake, I think shows like Gossip Girl allow an escape. As a disclaimer, I've only watched the show once, looking for a product placement for one of the companies I was working for. Our product is on the set and we heard maybe it was used in a particular episode (yes, it happened to be the prom episode mentioned!) But let's be honest, most of us didn't have the high school experience this show boasts as normal and commonplace. However, in this unrealistic world, we, at least the girls, look for take-aways--something we can pick up on and apply in our own lives. Often times that ends up being fashion, hair styles, etc. We receive an image, not necessarily a lifestyle, we try to emulate in our own lives.
When I'm checking out at the supermarket, and I catch a glimpse of some model and his six pack on the cover of a magazine....my first thought is....man i'm kinda fat...why don't I look more like that? Weve been trained to always believe that we could look better, be in better shape, have better muscles, etc.
I think it is in our nature to compare ourselves to things. When we see something that we think it better than ourselves, we want to be like it. I think television is just fueling the fire on this one.
I believe it can be very damaging to always be comparing yourself to others. There will always be people with more money, characters with a better life..etc. Too bad we can't all just be content. I believe that is one of the greatest qualities man can poses, The ability to be content and happy. but of course that is not an excuse to strive for excellence or be lazy.
I think if you were to ask the majority of people who watch shows such as Gossip girl, if it affects or changes their attitudes or beliefs, I'm sure that the majority of them would say they understand it's just a television show and that it doesn't affect them in any way; they just like watching other people able to live glamorous lives. They claim that they realize life isn't really as it is portrayed on screen. However, I think that the more we as a society watch these shows, the more we ARE influenced by them and try to emulate our lives after the stars. Sadly, when we try so hard to meet the standards set on TV (perhaps high standards to meet in terms of fashion and luxury, but low standards morally), then the show producers must create shows that are even more extreme to differentiate them from real life (which draws people in to watch them), which causes people to try to act more like the shows...and the cycle continues.
I think it is a natural thing to want to compare your life with those around you. We do it everyday. We dream about what we want our lives to be like and hope to one day achieve our goals. We do this as well with the lives of people on television. This may not be as healthy, considering the lives being lived aren't real, but I do think people understand the difference between comparing reality with your own and comparing TV reality with their own. Because of this, this practice may not be as real or damaging than we may think it to be.
TV and Movies have always been and always will be an ESCAPE from reality--that is why we watch them. I remember learning how during the depression the popularity of movies increased greatly because it was an escape from the harsh realities of life. No matter how much we agree or disagree with the lifestyles of TV characters, immersing ourselves in their lives, even for just an hour, is liberating. I have thus far resisted the temptation of Gossip Girl. I asked one of my friends what it was about and she said. "Sex. Oh, and clothes." AWESOME.
I think we try and compare ourselves with not only our ideal image but the ideal image of those around us. Realizing that the characters and Gossip girl are just characters is an important step. It is a fantasy plot which can in very unrealistic and can be a strong influence for people who cannot tell the difference.
I think people should be more satisfied with themselves for who they are rather than constantly comparing themselves to others. Our lives will never be like the sensational lives lived by those we watch on television. We need to realize this fact and become comfortable in our own skin.
We always compare ourselves to others. Sometimes we don't even realize it when we do. I constantly compare my motion graphic and compositing skills to those in the market to set rates and to see where I need to be. It's something that I choose to compare myself to. For someone else it might be a TV show with the fashion, or the beauty of the actors. The difference is the reasoning behind the comparisons. We don't have to compare, we generally choose to.
As a consuming society, we want to be and have all the best. So when we see these characters on TV, whether we think they're real or not, we realize that they have more than us, and we just can't have that. Keeping up with the Jones' in my opinion, has turned into, keeping up with Gossip Girl (or whoever you watch.)
If we don't compare to TV, we will move on to something else to compare/idealize. It's human nature to compare, but it's when you become so obsessed that it takes over thoughts and actions when this comparison is too much. Like the previous blog, it's a way to escape the reality, go someplace exotic, be someone very wealthy, live in the city, etc. These shows are, however, how teens and some others tend to mold their lives, but it's usually in a way to try and dress like a favorite character or something like that.
As a missionary serving in Canada, I can vividly remember picking up a new elder from the mission home. After a few brief introductions, he asked me where I was from. I responded, Laguna Beach. Upon my response, Elder ... reached into suitcase and produced a paperback book about the MTV show Laguna Beach. I was thinking to myself about his pre-mission check list: suit; check, scriptures; check, book about Laguna Beach, check and check?
After thinking about this idea for some time, only one idea seems to make sense. Television shows that portray an almost perfect existence are so engaging because, for the time we are viewing them, we become vicarious characters. These moments act as a means by which we can put our current reality on hold. It entertains, to a point, that we feel that we too can experience this type of reality within any current condition with which we are in. I have spoken to other missionaries who remember hearing about the show Laguna Beach being broadcast in Honduras. For Hondurans, it may have provided a few moments of respite and relief, with a sub conscience effect that for this 25 minute vicarious experience, someone else's reality became their reality.
Personally, I look forward to my two hour Monday night date with the CW from 7-9, where I sit back and FORGET about what's going on in my life and enjoy one tasteful hour of Gossip Girl followed by another one of One Tree Hill. LOVE IT...it gets me through Mondays! Those are the only two main shows I like to stay caught up on, so I feel that moderation is key. But for me, watching television is an escape from the homework or the reading I should be doing! It keeps me sane. I don't find myself comparing my life to Serena and Blair's because I realize how unrealisic they are, however, I do like living through them for an hour during the week!
People on television are extremely appealing, we see it so often around us that it has, at least for me, raised my expectations in others. It's important then to become more media literate, realizing that tv does not simply mirror reality but has the power to distort our perception and redefine the way we think and feel about ourselves and others.
It is because we are a spoiled generation. Never has a generation before us lived with such a high standard of living. Never before in history have children had so much financial support from their parents. We live in an almost synthetic and magical world where we expect not to have to worry financially even as young adults. Where we always have the financial support of our parents in some cases until we tell them we dont need it anymore. We enjoy our lives but are constantly seeking to up grade. These shows allow us to live in this fantasy world of, "what if I had that" or "what if i had that much money or that kind of house at that young". They are fantasies that appeal to our generation and thats why we enjoy them. There not reality but they are closer than we think.
I think people compare themselves with television shows because it is an escape from reality. It's a way to live through these shows without really doing the things on the shows. I think it kind of goes with the saying..everyone wants what they don't have. TV is kind of the same.
I think that people compare themselves with these shows to satisfy their nature of want. For the most part, T.V sitcoms can be an over dramatized version of what some people see as "the life". Taking Gossip Girl as an example, living on the upper east side of Manhattan and basking in that rich and privileged lifestyle is much more entertaining than attainable, but you tend to watch it because a part of you wishes you had it.
I think it is a natural human trait to compare yourself to others. Although, oftentimes it leads to pride or low self-esteem.
I believe people have a need to feel accepted. Many people compare themselves to what they see on TV to try to gauge whether or not they are "acceptable" to society, and what they should do to make themselves more desirable.
Television shows are a key factor is what shapes our culture. They take reality, and amp it up to an extreme level. Most shows have a basis in truth, but they twist it to make it more exciting. Since this is the pop reference we have to the way things should be, we begin thinking that what we see on tv is what we should see in our lives.
we compare ourselves to people we encounter throughout the day, our friends, family, celebrities, models, of course we are going to also compare ourselves to tv. being so immersed in popular culture makes the fabricated lives we see seem like the norm
I remember when I was elementary I tried to be exactly like Lizzie Mcguire from the Disney channel. I was younger and didn't realize that this was an impossible task since I didn't know anybody named Gordo, or have my own personal cartoon character that narrated my life. Its easy to compare yourself to TV stars since you see them living such glamorous lives. I try now to realize that I am who I am, and I just have to accept that.
If you see something enough, you're bound to believe some of it. Ever notice how those who read a lot when they're little kids tend to be the most out of touch with reality? (I and my wife were both like that) I think the same holds true for teens and adults. You see the abnormal "normified" often enough, and it becomes a fake social and cultural construct.
for a number of reasons. its just another distraction from reality, that is, our reality not TV's scripted 'reality' programs. one girl said she watched it for the clothes, fair enough and if people enjoy it fair enough too, but these people who live on every word that TV people say, that get the tattoo because David Beckham got his on his neck, these are the people who are the problem, the sheep that follows the shepherd. Unfortunately people let TV dictate their moves, and this is a problem but as the end of the day, TV is TV, its not realistic so stop treating it as such.
TV production has a great way of making everything look as real as possible. When we watch a show even though we know that what is going on is not really real, the more we watch the more we tend to think that that can actually happen. WIth this in mind, I personally believe that our brains are always analyzing everything and consequently trying to apply that to our lives and this is when we start comparing ourselves to whatever we see on TV. I sometimes believe this is like an "autopilot" feature - if we don't stop comparing ourselves consciously, our brain we'll just keep doing it.
People will compare their lives to unrealistic TV shows because the lives of these teenagers are glamorous and fun. I don't think people really have a problem differentiating between the lives of the kids of Gossip Girl and their own normal lives but a good fantasy is what HOllywood is all about.
I don't mean to step on anyone's toes but I think that Television comparisons and other contributions to the lowering of self esteem is as much the viewers fault as it is the producers part for involving such frivolous filth.I would hope that in our search for happiness and meaning in our everyday lives, we can identify with the light that Christ has given all of us to judge what things will uplift us compared to what will entertain us will simultaneously draining us of self worth. As forementioned, there are aspects of fashion that are appealing, but since when does fashion tell you that you are beautiful the way you are. We must be vigilant in our consumption of media because before we know it our attitudes and how we simply approach everyday could be dependent on whether we enjoyed our favorite TV show that day.
People want to fit in and be accepted. If what they see on TV is portrayed as normal, then they're going to believe it's normal. I agree with the fantasty comment and the sexual promiscuity comment. Shows like this appeal to base desires. We want wealth, sex, and freedom, and there it is being played out on TV.
So why do we compare ourselves to it although it isn't real? I think most of us want to get ahead in life and be successful. People on the show have everything that we secretly or not so secretly desire so we take their example as the way to succeed.
The media does a good job of showing what fashion can do to someone. If I wear nice clothes than I can be more liked among my peers. I think is why people compare themselves to the media.
We obviously watch these shows because they are entertaining, whether they are sitcoms, "reality," or fantasies. After watching these shows, we pick out our favorite and least favorite characters and think/talk about their defining characteristics. Afterward, we sometimes compare ourselves to these characters with these defining characteristics in mind. We can then decide if there is something we want to change about ourselves accordingly. The important thing to remember is that the TV world is not the same as the real world. We cannot completely base who we want to be off of this TV world.
I have no idea - these shows bug me, and it bugs me even more when people compare their lives to what they see on TV and then are disappointed. I don't understand how unrealistic portrayals of life are built up to such a point that they become a reference for society instead of a reflection of it.
People compare their own lives with those on TV because they believe their lives are boring. They aren't allowed to go do whatever they want. So television is and has been a pseudo-fantasy world. People don't want to watch the everyday life on television, they want something extra, something that wouldn't really happen in this world.
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