Active role of the audience in watching Big Brother Australia - Essay Example

Active role of the audience in watching Big Brother Australia Introduction: The media have always been considered as the “fourth estate” as well as guarantor of democracy (Manaev, 1995). But for most people, media is considered a basic part of their social life and personal style. Although there is a growing consciousness on the dangers of too much dependence or exposure in media, from books, newspapers, tabloids, magazines, to broadcast radio, but most specially to television and the internet, it is fairly accepted that media has taken a very significant role in society. In this essay, I will try to discuss the active role of audience in watching Big Brother Australia. This show is based on a Big Brother international television series produced by Endenol aired over Network Ten. It is a reality television program in which a number of contestants from various places in Australia live together in an isolated compound where all their moves are recorded for broadcast on national television. The participants avoid being evicted and aim to win a large cash prize of Australian Dollar 1,000,000. The show of the title has been taken from George Orwell’s 1949 novel “Nineteen Eight-Four.” It is hosted by author Gretel Killeen with the voice of Mike Goldman as Big Brother. In this discussion, I will talk about the 2006 series from Launching to the third night. The show reaches out to a maximum of 1.3 million viewers during “eviction shows” and peaks at 2.2 million during the “finale” (The Sydney morning Herald, 2006). In the week ten episode, July 1 saw the eviction or removal of two contestants John and Ashley. This caused massive confusion or discussion among audience or fans of the show that the official website was flooded with questions, discussions, and abuse of use or posting. It also caused politicians or leaders to give their opinion about the show. I will follow the Hegelian stages of Thesis, Antithesis and Synthesis (Steinhart, 1998). Herman (2006) describes the “active audience” as interactive and able to discern or understand media in accordance “with their own ideologies and interests, thereby not only deriving pleasure and “empowering” themselves, but also nullifying any ideological management...” In addition, this kind of audience is influenced by music and other art forms and messages found in commercial media and that the audience have learned that “the world is one of constant struggle, not domination and manipulation; our task is to watch, record, and celebrate the numerous small micro-victories; and -- “not to worry,” (Herman, 1996). Discussion: Thesis: Big Brother Australia sex scandal is alarming. Big Brother seems to be a global phenomenon as each locality outdoes the other, including its origin country Netherlands. Popular as it already is, networks are alleged to hype up matters to feed escalating rates and viewer statistics. In the Week ten episode of Big Brother, in July 1, a sexual misconduct, considered as a “taboo” or a violation of “house rules” was alleged to have happened. Male participants John and Ashley grabbed Camilla at around 4 in the morning, took her to a bed, with Ashley reportedly slapped her face while John held her down. The two were removed from the house with escort. As active audience, mostly teenagers wondering what happened, the official website of Big Brother Australia was flooded with inquiries that it had to be pulled out. Another website, Behind Big Brother Australia, later claimed it was due to sexual harassment. The incident infuriated not only fans which basically form the active audience but also bystanders such as politicians (ABC, 2006). For me, as I do not favour sexual liberalism, I agree with the politicians that called out for the banning of the show. It is not that I am totally against it, but I am against the way the show is carried out with sexual innuendoes from start to finish. It was like a pornographic movie introduction of a sort and unfit for general audience. There is so much trouble already about sexually transmitted diseases such as AIDS, not to mention emotional battery one person undergoes when jilted, or abandoned by a lover, or partner, and to indulge in such circumstances is like playing with fire as can be equated to Big Brother show. Antithesis: Big brother presents an alternative for viewers. Definitely, it can be argued that there are redeeming values about the show: first of all, of course, is for the producers of the show, or the network. Ratings hit all-time high, or viewers clamour for more, talk about the show, and audience number multiplies. It’s good for business. And nobody argues with success, as they say. Another is that reality presents people without much of a choice if Big Brother will be banned, or removed altogether. It provides entertainment to millions of viewers who want to escape their own daily trials and tribulations, remove them temporarily from whatever trouble they are presently engaged to during the airing of the show, and gives them ample topics to talk about, or trivialities to think about. In short, there is definitely something positive about shows such as Big Brother. As State Premier Peter Beattie said, the show helped secure lighting and camera jobs on Gold Coast. “"We do not have enough television production in this country," he said. "And frankly I'm sick of the sort of American crap we get on our television every night and I don't mind seeing a little bit of Australian rubbish - it can't be any worse than the sort of American rubbish we see. So as to what happened here, I don't know, if there's a criminal offence that's been committed or something they should go to police," he was quoted as saying (ABC, 2006.) Synthesis: The audience is a victim of the commercialisation of media. Herman (1996) has placed that “the focus on individual responses and micro-issues of language, text interpretation, and ethnic and gender identity is politically safe and holds forth the possibility of endless deconstructions of small points in a growing framework of technical jargon,” which gives me another thought. Is it worth being an active audience at all? Or do I become another part of a bigger propaganda called the media? Empowerment has also been often used by scholars (Herman, 1996) when information is obtained from media. People get options or alternatives. They are presented with good, better, best, and deceptive choices. While the audience of Big Brother may be wasting much of their golden times about people who do not care a hair about themselves, they (the network people, contestants, advertisers) are giving them an alternative besides brooding over their problems, troubles at work, studies, relationship, among others. Big Brother presents a “give and take” relationship and in fact make their audience active by allowing them to vote for or against the contestants they view. In this way, a “relationship” is generated which may add up to audience appeal and ratings. It may be argued that Big brother definitely is still a one-sided affair as it benefits most the network and advertisers. The audience, after being entertained, returns to their present problematic life without much to gain. In fact, they lose time by watching the show. But then, this is not an absolute matter as the audience may have learned a bit about life, relationship, among other things in a “house” supposedly controlled by a “big brother.” Conclusion: With the foregoing discussion, I may conclude that the media plays a major role in each audience as entrainment and information imparted may either be taken as an escape to troublesome reality, truth or absolute in the absence of active audience participation, of which truth shown, published or presented by the media may be revoked or challengedas what happened to the Big brother hullabaloo. But since popular media has taken a questionable bias for large corporations, or that they are owned by large corporations, how they manipulate their audience becomes a primary issue. In this instance, the audience is a puppet that can be swayed to absorbed anything or everything presented by the media. The active audience may be helpless, no matter how close to the truth this segment may present against the information from the media. Thus, it is left to us, the audience to discern and understand matters, or seek and experience what may be false and truth. The media, by empowering the audience with information, becomes as it is: just an instrument that we, the audience must cautiously use. Decision and action is then left to the audience as how to process entertainment or information presented by the media. It is no longer enough that we, the audience viewed a certain episode or story. We have to get to the facts that affect us directly for our own good. And sometimes, entertainment, no matter how light or sexually insinuating, is also good for us. Reference: ABC News Online. “Big brother evicts pair amid sex claims.” July 2, 2006. From http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200607/s1676572.htm Herman, Edward. “Postmodernism Triumphs.” Z Magazine. January 1996 Kimble, Harriet. “Shadow of the Other: Intersubjectivity and Gender in Psychoanalysis. By Jessica Benjamin.” Dallas Psychoanalytic Society, Institute and Foundation. 2005. From http://www.dalpsa.org/papers/wrye.htm Lofting, C.J. “Charles Peirce, Trichotomies, What & Where, and the I Ching. 2002. From http://pages.prodigy.net/lofting/peirce.html Morton, Ella. “Big brother’s user generated troubles.” ZDNet Australia. 3 July 2006. Manaev, Oleg. “Rethinking the Social Role of the Media in a Society in Transition.” Belorussian State University and Independent Institute of Socio-Economic and Political Studies.” Canadian Journal of Communication Vol 20, 1. 1995. Sanders, Bernie. “The Mouthpiece of Corporate America.” Letter to the Editor, Washington Post. Dec. 12, 2002. Steinhart, Eric. “Dialectic.” 1998. From http://www.wpunj.edu/cohss/philosophy/courses/hegel/DIALECTX.HTM Ten Network. “Big Brother.” 2006 Series. The Sydney morning herald. “Turkey slappers lovable to me.” August 1, 2006. Wikipedia. “Dialectic.” 206. From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dialectic Read More