1. Critical Reflection
BenjaminJohnson
Trivia Shore, The Only Way Is Sedation, Made in Consumerville
Thiscritical reflectionwillcritiquethe contemporaryconsumerculture byillustratingthe waysthe
massesare sedatedthroughbytrivial issuespresentedinrealitytelevision inordertocreate “false
needs”(Marcuse,2002) solvedbyfurtherconsumption.
Displayingitsdistractingandcontrollingnature Marx famously referred toreligion asthe “opium
of the people”(Hayes,2002).Withthe decline inreligionsbelief andthe growthof media
technologies in1957 EdwardMurrow declaredthattelevision wasanalternative toreligion asan
“opiate of the people”,thatcan provide individuals withtheirmoral compassand conceptionof
reality(Murrow,1957). Due to the amountsof people itreaches, itscontrollingfactors canbe
influential inthe constructionof societyasa whole.
Whicheverdruganindividualshouldchoosetosedate themselveswith,religion,televisionor
internet,theywill be pickingtheirpoison fromthe “metaphorical…virtual space where people can
interact”(McKee,2005. p.4) of the “publicsphere”(Habermas,1996).Withinthis“virtual space”
(McKee,2005) the “human interactionsare all partsof the publicsphere…but…the mass media
obviouslyplayacentral role inthe publicsphere (McKee, 2005. p.5).Withintoday’smediasaturated
society(Baudrillard,1983) the internetmaybe the ultimate opiate of the people throughhandheld
device’sbutthishasnotreplacedthe addictiontotelevisionheldbyitsusers.If anythingithasonly
aidedtheiraccessto sedationbyallowingforthe viewingof programcontentat the convenienceof
the individual.
Despite the variationof drugs available inthe UK 94.7% of the populationspend anaverage of 26
hoursand 56 minutesaweek tranquilised by television(BroadcastAudience ResearchBoard,2014).
Intoxicatingsociety wasnotthe goal of television.Asthe firstdirectorof the BBC SirJohnReith
outlinedinits firstRoyal Charter“The PublicPurposesof the BBCare as follows—(a) sustaining
citizenshipandcivil society;(b) promotingeducationandlearning”(BBC,2014). Television can,as

2. Critical Reflection
BenjaminJohnson
the BBC say intheirmodernday missionstatement,be used“Toenrichpeople'sliveswith
programmesandservicesthatinform,educate andentertain” (BBC,2014) as a contributiontoa
Knowledgesociety. A knowledge society“isasocietywithaneconomyinwhichknowledge is
acquired,created,disseminatedandappliedtoenhance economicandsocial development.”(Gesci,
2014).
The vast range of televisionchannelsavailable todayallowsforviewers tobe sedated,or
educatedif theydesire,by programsonnearlyevery subjectwithmanychannels specializingin one
genre,forexample the Historychannel orthe DiscoveryScience channel offerspecificeducational
programming. Asthese channels andthe intentof the BBC demonstrate televisioncanhelpinthe
educationof individualsand,due tothe amountsof people itreaches,can influence the education
of societyasa whole.
Howevermanychannelsandprogramshave farmore sedative qualities and“deal exclusivelyin
triviality”(McKee, 2005.p.32). Triviaas definedbythe OxfordDictionaryas“details,considerations,
or piecesof informationof little importance orvalue”(OxfordDictionary,2014),withprogramsof
thisnature focusingtheircontentonsubjectssuchas;celebritygossip,domesticpractises,beauty
regimes,sexualpractisesandotherareasof culturesnotholding little intellectual value(McKee,
2005).
It isthisdifference invalue,andeducational potential,thatHabermas(1996) categorised as
“commercial”and“commercialized”culture (Habermas,1996).“Commercial”culture islookedupon
as qualityculture andisconsideredtobe more valuable,educational andcanengage society
intellectuallytoitsoverall benefitandimprovement.Thiscategory of culture isaimedatthe more
formallyeducated niche of society (Habermas,1996).“Commercialized”culture is aimedatthe less
educated,massesof society.Itscontent islargelytrivial,“low minded…cynical andmade purelyfor
profit(McKee,2005. p.83). “Commercialized”culture isconsumedmuchmore with television
viewersandcanbe seenthroughoutmanygenres,one of whichisrealitytelevision.

3. Critical Reflection
BenjaminJohnson
InBritainrealityTV is one of the most populargenresof televisionandis mostpopularamongst
the 18-30 demographic(BroadcastAudience ResearchBoard,2014) of televisionaddicts.Definedby
the Oxford Dictionaryas“televisionprogramsinwhichreal peopleare continuouslyfilmed,designed
to be entertainingratherthaninformative”(OxfordDictionary, 2014) Many realityTV showsfocus
on social interactions,relationshipsandconsumptionof anindividual orgroup.
Some of the most consumedprogramsinthisgenre are shows suchas; Geordie Shore,The Only
Way Is Essex,The Valleys andMade inChelsea.Regularly overamillionpairsof glazedeyesview
these programs at the time of airingand hundredsof thousandsmore after that(Broadcast
Audience ResearchBoard,2014). Consumption of these showsinvolvesfollowingdifferentgroups
of ‘friends’,indifferentplacesintermsof theirlocationcountryand social class, andviewing
documentationof theirpersonalrelationshipsandcultural practicesin a waythat ispresentedtothe
viewersasreal.There is a huge focuson the relationshipsof the charactersandtheirbehaviour
patterns.
Baudrillard (1983) demonstratesconsumptionispresentwithineverypartof an individual and
everypartof a societystating“Neitherthe quantityof goods,northe satisfactionof needsis
sufficienttodefine the conceptof consumption:theyare merelyitspreconditions”(Poster,2002.
P.21), “isnot definedbythe foodwe eat,the clotheswe wear,the carwe drive,norbythe visual
and oral substance of imagesand messages,butinthe organizationof all thisas signifying
substance”(Poster,2002. P.21).
Baudrillardexplains “Consumptionisacollectiveandactive behaviour,aconstraint,amorality,
and an institution.Itisa complete systemof values,with all thatthe termimpliesconcerninggroup
integrationandsocial control…consumersocietyisalsothe societyforthe apprenticeshipof
consumption,forthe social indoctrinationof consumption.Inotherwords,thisisanew and specific
mode of socialization”(Poster,2002. p.43).

4. Critical Reflection
BenjaminJohnson
A reductionor increase inthe level anindividual doesbelongordoesnot“to the system”,and
therefore the levelsof systematicorganisation andamountof sedativespresent inanyindividual,is
oftendependentonthe educationandsocial backgroundof the individual inquestion.Typicallythe
highereducatedupperclassesbelonglesstothe system, orcouldbe seenas inthe bourgeoisie
withinthe systemthatproduce the available formsof sedation,whilethe;lesseducated,proletariat,
workingclassof societyare fullydependentonthe system, anditcanhave more of an impact onthe
constructionof aspectsof theiridentity,suchasbehavioural patternsandmorals(McKee,2005) as
theyconsume more of the available toxicsubstances.
There isoftendebate aboutthe levelsortype of realitythatisportrayedon these shows,and
withinthisgenre,andthe effectthiscanhave onthe consumer’sdefinitionof the real or reality.
Consumersbelievingthatthese are real peopleactinginreal wayscreateswhatBaudrillard(1983)
calleda “hyper-reality”definingitas“the generationbymodelsof areal withoutoriginorreality”
(Baudrillard,1983).By engagingwiththishyper-realityregularlythe linesof distinctionbetween
actual realityandthe created“hyper-real”worldbecome blurredtoanextentthatthe hyper-real
consumed,becomesthe real withinsociety(Baudrillard,1983).Due to the consumer’sconfused
definitionsthe contentof the programs,mainly charactersbehaviouralpatterns,becomereplicated
withinsociety.
Inthe casesof TOWIE andMade in Chelseathe contentis focused onthe observationof the
wealthyupperclasses,payingspecialattentiontothe waytheirrelationshipsandconsumerhabits.
Scenesofteninvolve characters;diningatexclusive restaurants,shoppinginhighendretail outlets
or attendingparties,all while discussingtheirrelationshipsorpursuingthem. The presented
characters,predominantly,are:self-centred,egotistical,talentlessandidioticindividuals thatdo
nothingtocontribute tothe improvementof society andare completelyoblivioustothe “private
sphere”(McKee,2005). Despite the idioticexamplesof behaviourpresentedhere are tame in
comparisonstothe onesin Geordie Shore andThe Valleys.

5. Critical Reflection
BenjaminJohnson
Inthese programsthe focusof the contentison the binge drinkinghabitsandsexual activitiesof
the presentedcharacters. Initssimplestformitis6 to 8 characters thatare placedina house,or
locationsuchas a nightclubor hotel,thatisfilledwithcamerasto;drink,have sex andargue with
each otherandthencommentate onthe eventsthatoccur. More oftenthannot an episode consist
of the groupsdrinking,athome andthenin a publicarea, to a pointwhere theyare incapacitatedor
preformaudacious sexuallyrelatedactsinpublicbefore returningtoahouse or hotel toeither; act
like overgrownchildren,usuallyresultinginafoodfightsordestructive behaviour, orpreform
furthersexual acts witheachother. All of whichis;glamorised,showntohave noconsequencesfor
the characters and presentedasasociallyacceptable behavioural patternthatisthrough,showslike
these,aviable careeroption. There isnopart of these showsthatdemonstrate the importance or
value of beinganintelligentindividual witharegardforthe feelingsof others,insteadtheyfocuson
“false needs”(Marcuse,2002) that furtherconsumeractivities.
“False needs”(Marcuse,2002) are needscreatedbysocietythatsurround“true needs” (Marcuse,
2002) of humanbeings,suchas: waterand food (Marcuse,2002). Marcuse (2002) states““False”are
those whichare superimposeduponthe individual byparticularsocial interestsinterestinhis
repression:the needswhichperpetuate toil,aggressiveness,miseryandinjustice…needstorelax,to
have funto behave andconsume inaccordance withthe advertisement,tolove andhate what
otherslove andhate,belongtothiscategoryof false needs.”(Marcuse, 2002. p.7).
Inconclusion, realitytelevision canbe usedasa way to intoxicate the masses byfocusingtheir
attentionontrivial relationshippractisesandreinforce behavioural patterns. Reality television and
televisioningeneral,are anexample of this onamicro level. Yetsedationoccurs ona macro through
manymediums withMarcuse (2002) stating“the resulttheniseuphoria”(Marcuse,2002. p.7) of the
massesinorderto “ideologicallyintegrate individualsintoandstabilizethe capitalistsystem”
(Marcuse,2002. p.xxx) andensure theirongoing participationinconsumersociety.

6. Critical Reflection
BenjaminJohnson
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7. Critical Reflection
BenjaminJohnson
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8. Critical Reflection
BenjaminJohnson