Reality TV and Cultural Shift

Cultural shift with reality TV 

Television or TV is one of the breakthrough inventions of the 20th century. It revolutionised the broadcasting of information on the one hand and the processing and impact of this information on the other. 

Up until the invention of TV and its commercial availability to the common man, radio and newsprint were the major disseminators of news and information.

Both these media left a lot to the imagination of the listeners and readers respectively and their minds were the canvas for this. 

TV and the onset of limited Imagination- 

The coming of TV marked a substantial shift in the manner in which mankind accessed and processed information. By capturing both the hearing and sight of the viewer, TV became an instrument of uniformity in society as far as the internalisation of information was concerned. All viewers that watched the same news reel were hit with the same data packaging thereby leading to the stimulation of very similar thought processes across wide swathes of society. This factor at times often bridged differences of caste, creed and religion. The wave of nationalism that swept the nation when Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma replied to the then PM of India, Mrs Indira Gandhi's question about how the country appears from outer space,with the answer- " Sare Jahaan Se Accha" is one example of the impact of visual media on the general psyche of the nation as a whole. 

As with most things, TV and/or visual media has both its pros and cons. 

A steady streaming of reality shows on TV has led to a visible change in our social and moral fabric and in the long run is leading to a silent CULTURAL SHIFT. 

Yes, you read it right, TV and visual media and reality TV have slowly but surely caused a social as well as cultural shift. This cultural shift as with all else, has both positive and negative sides to it. 

The Pros of RealityTV, TV/ Visual media 

It is a scientifically approved premise that learning and retention of any information, be it academic, religious, social or related to pure entertainment is always enhanced if it is presented as an audio-visual vis-a-vis as a pure audio or video experience 

Television was the first such electronic device that actually did this for millions in one go and that too in the comforts of their homes. Here was something that made available news, docudramas, documentaries, important notifications as well as pure unadulterated entertainment of different genres at the twist or push of a button ( now the choice is at your fingertips, courtesy remotes and even at the twist of your tongue, courtesy Alexa, Bose and many others ). 

TV became a social binder in the early 70's and 80's in our country when it was not as affordable and easily available as it is today. Entire mohallas, buildings and gallis would congregate in the houses of the lucky few who had a TV set to watch programmes like Chhayageet, Chitrahar, Phool khile hain gulshan gulshan on weekdays and The Ramayana and The Mahabharata on Sunday mornings. At such times streets and lanes of most towns and cities would appear deserted as if a curfew had been clamped by the government. 

Aside from becoming a social aggregator, TV also became the friendly and ever ready companion to the old, infirm and those living alone. It became a friend that was always there beside them, to carry them on its waves of entertainment, motivational and religious shows across a lonely ocean of solitude and at times anxiety. 

One more positive contribution of TV has been the renewal of interest among the current generation of our nation. Web serials like The Ramayana, Mahabharata, Bal Ganesha, Bal Hanuman, Ashoka the Great, Akbar & Birbal have engendered a love and sense of pride in our rich cultural heritage in today's youth that does not have the time to read Amar Chitra Kathas , The Panchatantras or The Jataka tales. 

The cons of Reality TV, TV/ Visual media- 

There is a saying that talks about giving the wrong tool in the wrong hands- ' Give a monkey a sword to shoo away the flies and it ends up cutting off the royal nose upon which a fly had deigned to rest' is one among many such. 

The use of TV and visual media is very a similar situation. Give it to a person wishing to become a yoga expert and you will have one in a year's time, give it to a teenager and you are likely to have an angry young person very soon, give it to a psychopath or morally delinquent and society is very likely to have a psychopath with the most evil ideas up their sleeve, ready to perpetrate the same ideas on the innocent. The easy availability of lurid porn serials and the presence ofequally lurid and suggestive scenes in web series marked UG or 13+ ignites uncalled for thoughts and passions in the pubescent young. 

A recent addition to TV viewing is the onslaught of reality television. There is a wide array of choices in this segment today. 

The Cultural shift due to RealityTV- 

Every coin has two sides to it, let us try to evaluate this aspect in relation to reality TV 

A.The Negative Shift 

As with most things in life, TV has brought about a visible negative shift in many cultural values. 

The rise of women's education and education in general coupled with rapid industrial growth has been showcased on TV, often deriding living in joint families on one side and painting a rosy picture of life in a nuclear family in the mega cities of our country. This steady trend of rise in nuclear families has led to the disintegration of many family values like respecting old parents and elders, taking care of aging parents, contributing financially and otherwise in joint responsibilities. 

The glorification of pursuing a jet set glitzy lifestyle at the cost of compromising on almost any moral values can be clearly seen in the increasing no.of live-ins, one night stands and spiralling divorce rates. 

Older generations are often left uncared for and left to fend for themselves. Many are even abandoned by their own offspring on the streets of big cities where they are easy victims of begging,abuse and organ piracy. The western cultural trend of kids moving out of home after high school to become self- sufficient, leaving behind empty nests is fast catching on here as well, thanks to Hollywood movies being aired on TV everyday. 

Changes in culture and social expectations are also coming about at a fast pace. Wearing western apparel like jeans, jumpsuits is now a normal feature in most tier-1 and tier-2 cities regardless of social or economic status. In fact it is perfectly normal to wear short skirts, shorts, halter necks and hot pants in the metros today. The young generation does not want to be seen as behenjis and aunties which they commonly consider any girl or woman wearing a saree, salwar suit or pavada( in the south) to be. 

Sadly,wearing revealing clothes is seen to be belonging to the IT ( it) generation, a person who is highly educated, an intellectual and modern in the true sense of the word can often be mistaken to be backward and at best the jhola-types by today's generation if dressed in ethnic wear. So, you may find some one in short skirts or hot pants ( the so called modern fashionista) who is quite illiterate and subscribes to age old superstitions like buri nazar, black cats and witches ! 

Anybody speaking Hindi or their mother tongue is immediately perceived as a desi backward type and someone spewing choice abuses in English or even breaking the back of English grammar but dressed in westerns is sadly enough seen to be upmarket and modern. So, it is the type of dress worn that typifies and labels a person to be a desi auntie/ uncle types rather than the mental makeup, viewpoints and actual behaviour. 

Reality TV series like Lock Upp, Naked and alone, that are more or less another name for sleaze and soft porn have led to a morally permissive society which may always not turn out to be beneficial to all strata of our society 

The constant streaming and availability of such shows have led to changes in cultural and social perceptions. Where at one time, even co-ed education was frowned upon even by the so-called educated strata of society, today it is almost ok to have friends from the opposite sex, go on dates and have one night stands even in the mid-tier towns of our country. This has bred a culture of casual sex without having to shoulder the responsibilility that a marriage entails. 

B. The Positive Shift- 

Reality TV shows such as Kaun Banega Crorepati have brought about a silent and positive shift in the gender scenario in our country. Viewers in rural areas and small towns have started to internalise that an educated girl is an asset to her family and that when women and girls from similar backgrounds win big money and fame, it enhances the familial pride and name 

Exposure to TV shows and reality TV where literate and career women are shown as equals or better than their male counterparts has given new found respect to women seeking financial independence and wanting to carve their own identity away from the borrowed identities of their fathers and husbands. 

Reality TV also does not distinguish between people coming from diverse backgrounds, be it from different religions, regions, languages and differing economic and social strata. All participants are treated equally and anyone can emerge the winner. This aspect of reality TV has engendered a spirit of secularism and allowed persons from all walks of society to dream big and have wings. 

Reality TV shows that encourage DIY projects like M.A.C on live TV have fostered a strong spirit of scientific enquiry among the younger generations and made them capable of performing scientific experiments and studies socially and at home too.

Reality TV has also provided a mark of respect to women that do not subscribe to regressive social practises of purdah, ghoonghat, burkhas, social ostracisation during monthly cycles etc. Each participant has an equal identity away from gender stereotyping which is slowly but surely bringing about a positive shift in gender perceptions and capabilities in our society. 

Reality TV has also positively impacted the spirit of nationalism in our country. The live relay of Chandrayaan- 1 & 2 and Mangalyaan spread a wave of immense national pride across all swathes of our nation as a whole. Similarly, watching foriegn dignitories saluting the National Flag on live Republic Day relay and our countrymen and women winning medals in International sports events that are often relayed live also serve to strengthen an identity of national pride.

One may cite many more such instances of shifts in the cultural and social mileau of the nation which can very well be attributed to the easy availability of videos and reality TV and the globalisation of content that is being streamed on TV and other visual media. 

After all, it is not for nothing that today our vast world has become small and condensed into a popularly called 'Global Village' ! 

#"Reality TV"

- ©️Juhi Prakash Singh

@www.paperwiff.com/ contests/"cultural shift with reality television”