Television provides its viewers with a form of escapism from the real, sometimes by way of introducing them to a new real. That’s right, I’m talking about reality TV. As part of our research for our final project, my group agreed to watch an episode or two of The Circle on Netflix. I, however, watched the first season within a week. I’ve always been a reality TV naysayer, but something about The Circle had me hooked and I’m trying to figure out just what exactly this thing is.
On The Circle, contestants cannot see or hear each other, but communicate via a faux social media platform, ranking each other each night. Ultimately, one player gets blocked, aka sent home, until there are only a handful left. Maybe it is because of the pandemic, or maybe it is just because this is just what communication looks like these days, but I found this to be a surprisingly relatable show…to some extent.
After watching a few episodes one night, I (finally) turned off my laptop and picked up my phone to respond to my friends’ texts. While I was typing, I noticed that I was doing so with the mindset of being on The Circle. At first I was concerned and slightly horrified by this, but now I’m not so sure if my caution was a bad thing. Gray makes the point that we are living in a textual world (3). Our phones give us direct access to these texts, a level of accessibility that enables us to go through our days without actually considering the hidden messages media sends to us via Instagram, Twitter, and the news, let alone our interaction with these texts via our own actions.
When I was replying to my friend, I was very aware of the text that I was sending and how the message/intended tone was going to impact the receiver’s perception of me. The Circle 100% stimulated this response from me which supports Gray’s first form of intertextuality: influence. Influence, he argues, is a one-way interaction where texts affect us to the point that our future actions will be influenced by the original text (4). For me, watching The Circle altered my perception of social media and how I use it in my personal life, but I cannot use that lens to analyze The Circle itself. Despite The Circle’s access to my home and life via Netflix, it will always remain a distant, intangible thing.
2 replies on “The aftereffects of reality TV”
Your description of watching “The Circle” and leaving the show still in the mindset of the characters who are competing on a technology-based reality show reminds me of my experience watching an episode of “Black Mirror.” The episode, titled “Nosedive”, follows a woman in a not-so-distant future who has to maintain a social rating that is accumulated by her interactions with strangers, who rate their experience with her. This is similar to how we would rate Uber drivers or restaurants on Yelp, but instead, it applies to every single person you come into contact with. After a series of bad interactions, the main character is essentially not allowed to do anything or go anywhere because her rating is not high enough. Although I am aware this is a fictional plot, and it is not the same as a reality television show, it still frightened me after finishing the episode. I agree with your analysis that the show is not real and has to be viewed through a different lens, but I also agree that these shows are trying to tap into the all-consuming nature of technology and its impact on our psyches.
I felt the same way after watching the Circle. The contestants put so much thought into their messages and profiles. At first, I thought the texts they sent were cringey (they used a lot of hashtags), but then it made me think about how my tone comes across in a text and if I am being just as cringey as them. I also reevaluated my Instagram because of the show. The pictures they use and the bio they make are essential to winning the rankings. I started looking at my Instagram and seeing if I could win The Circle with my pictures (I don’t think I would). Your blog made me realize how much the show affected my social media life. Great post!