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I have a theory that Netflix is running social experiments on people to determine the right set of circumstances to send someone into a mental breakdown.
Now I know that may sound ridiculous, but hear me out. There have been a whole slew of Netflix reality dating shows recently that aim to push people to their limits.
We all know reality television itself relies on filming people when they are experiencing their emotions at the most extreme, but this is taking it too far.
I don’t know about anybody else, but I grew up during the rise of reality television and I honestly think this has affected the way my brain works as it’s often difficult for me to see the point of certain experiences if they cannot be filmed.
I definitely see myself participating in the filming of my own reality show one day. I already love taking footage of myself with my phone and with my camera, and I recently started a YouTube channel as another creative outlet. I think the transition to having multiple cameras around me, documenting moments in my life, will be seamless.
I like the idea of creating stories around semi-fictional scenarios. I like the idea of playing caricatures of myself and exaggerating every emotion and reaction for quality television.
It’s certainly no shock that reality TV isn’t entirely real, with many moments being manufactured or characters placed in certain situations on purpose, with a general idea of how the scene should play out.
That does not mean that these are not real people with real feelings and emotions, though. Everything is an exaggeration, but it’s an exaggeration of something real. The people in these scenarios might play it up for views, but a lot of the time, the way they respond to what happens to them is pretty real.
This is why I’m suspicious of Netflix. Even though we all know they manufacture almost every aspect of what we see on the screen, at the end of the day they are putting real people in these situations.
When you look at the type of dating shows Netflix has created and aired recently you will understand what I mean. There is one where 10 strangers live together in a house and must form romantic partnerships. The catch is that they may not engage in any physical contact, or they lose a portion of the massive prize money.
I think the show was created to put participants under pressure for our entertainment, and the success of the show has reinforced the fact that we love watching people cry, scream and fall in love.
Another show has participants going on several dates with members of the opposite sex, but they cannot see each other and must communicate through a wall. By the end of the 10-day blind dating experiment, people who choose each other will leave engaged to be married in just six weeks.
If the strain of being filmed constantly while planning a wedding with someone you just met is not enough to give producers the drama they want, they take it a step further and have the couples mingle with each other. This means you will be with your chosen partner as well as other participants that you both may or may not have also dated during the initial part of the experiment, all in one room.
The thing that really convinced me though was the smash hit show ‘The Ultimatum’, in which young couples issue ultimatums to either get married or split up. Not only that but participants also have the opportunity to date outside of their actual relationship, to see if there is potential in one of the other participants who share a desire to be married.
When I tell you that this show gave anxiety, I am not even joking.
I think Netflix spent years trying to figure out what the most distressing scenario would be for human beings, and provided it all just for our entertainment.
Forget ‘Fear Factor’ – try participating in a show where you get to watch your longtime partner flirt with and develop feelings for other people.
It has made me come to the realisation that Netflix only gives us this content because it satisfies a desire to watch others suffer. It worries me because the idea of debasing yourself for other people’s entertainment is slowly seeping into all aspects of our lives.
People have less and less shame and are willing to stoop to lower lows just to trend on the internet. They are willing to lie, embarrass themselves, overshare, expose too much and make fools of themselves, all for our pleasure at home.
Honestly, at this point I know way too much about strangers on the internet.
– Anne Hambuda is a poet, writer and social commentator from Windhoek. Follow her online or email her at [email protected] for more.
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