Alexis’ quote is a prime example of how powerful the media really can be. As spoken by Uncle Ben in the movie Spiderman, “with great power, comes great responsibility.” In the case of Survivor Fans vs. Favorites, I feel the media has been greatly misconceived. The show Survivor, which has definitely been a great success over the years, is the type of show that can easily chose what to show and what not to show as part of the reality television aspect. Mr. Corso told us about a book he read that talked about how the production crew shot hours of footage but only used the entertaining parts.
For instance, the book claimed that cast member slept for extended periods of time and only participated in competitions and socialized with one another every so often. The average “media literate” viewer would think that what they saw on television was typically what took place each and everyday on the island. However, it is not. What is shown on television is what the producer, editors, and networks consider entertaining. This common misconception can be caused by a glitch in our information processing and the lack of ability to decipher “real reality” from “entertaining reality.”
This thought is exemplified through Alexis’ quote and how she feels that the fans have an advantage because they are avid viewers of the show and know the characters well. Do they really know the characters themselves or the characters that the show has portrayed? On the other end, perhaps the loyal viewers have developed their media competencies and skills well enough to know the character better than they know themselves. After all, the characters are stuck on an island and don’t know exactly how the show is portraying their personality and behavior.
To reinforce my take on this quote: the new Survivor Fans vs. Favorites is a great example of how much power the media has. It can be, at times, misrepresenting but always makes for good entertainment.
2 comments:
Chris,
I definitely agree with your comment about the audience’s misconception and “the lack of their ability to decipher “real reality” from ‘entertaining reality.’” In my blog post I also touched upon the idea that the producers can edit the show the way they want to make it more entertaining, therefore giving (us) the audience a false perception of information or the truth. The quote that you put at the beginning of your blog, “with great power, comes great responsibility,” really caught my attention. I agree that the media does have a lot of power. Because the media influences the audiences and creates perceptions for viewers, I believe they have a great deal of responsibility as well. However, the quote does raise two questions to my mind. Do you believe that the media follows through with their responsibility of informing and entertaining the public? Does the media have a responsibility to inform us about media literacy so that we do not integrate T.V world with our real world?
Chris - I think it's important you identified that non literate media consumers perceive the edited versions of reality shows as reality and that part of becoming media literate is recognizing this misconception.
Leah - Good questions. In particular, your question, "Do you believe that the media follows through with their responsibility of informing and entertaining the public?" Raises an the concern to me, as I strive to become more media literate, that while it is the media's job to inform and entertain - does the media ethically inform and entertain?
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