There is no denying the relationship between reality TV and social media.
It's symbiotic, crucial, and palpable, because where would Bake Off be without its torrent of memes, Love Island without its current affairs?
The role of the audience on television has never been more significant and never more critical. For decades, viewers have tuned in to heavily edited series, formed their opinions, and thrown them into the ether, usually informing friends and family which characters they like, who they don't like, and whom they hope they will never see on their television screens again. .
The media have always been fundamental in this exchange. The hype surrounding early reality TV shows like Big Brother UK couldn't have existed in the supreme way it did without the raunchy headlines, shocking exclusives, and completely questionable cover photos.
Back then, the tabloids were telling the public what to think. The unflattering photos of Jade Goody around 2003 turned her into garbage. Suggestive subtitles about Rebecca Loose turned her into a villain. Now, the same lawsuits continue to be forced, but sometimes the public now has the power to determine them.
Get enough retweets about a complaint about a show and it becomes news. Create enough memes and viewers will come to you for information. Shout loud enough and people will start listening.
In the early 1990s, the only way to know how audiences felt about a reality TV contestant was to hear who they booed on eviction nights. Now you can find out instantly.
Twitter, Instagram, and most recently TikTok have become hubs for tรชte-ร -tรชte reality TV, and with good reason. These shows are entertaining, often watched by millions. They are produced in excess with the intention of provoking conversation, controversy and ridicule, which they do, en masse.
Love Island relies on its Twitter-driven ad breaks. The poorly Photoshopped photos, the in-depth insights, the uproar when another real-life human being has his heart ripped out on national television. A series like Love Island relies on its fan base, and its enthusiastic use of social media, to stay relevant. But there is only one problem with social media; you can't control it.
This summer's installment of the reality TV dating show was preceded by a request from producers and presenter Laura Whitmore that viewers "be nice" to contestants online. Just two days into the series, the islander Chloe Burrows had already received death threats against her. personal Instagram account it was being managed by his friends and family.
"Once again, we urge all of our viewers to think before posting, and remember that our islanders are people with feelings," a spokesperson for the show said at the time.
But Love Island isn't the only series tied to a passionate fan base, social media hype, and completely unacceptable murder threats.
Love Is Blind's Jessica Batten recently spoke about the online abuse she received following the broadcast of the show's first season, in which she was globally dubbed "Messica" after her misdirected dealings with other cast members, controlled for his age (32 at the time). , and berated her for her constant drinking, which she has since said was "disturbing" to watch on screen.
Cast members Carlton Morton and Diamond Jack also spoke of receiving death threats last year after a heated conversation they had about Carlton's sexuality. Carlton was criticized for being bisexual. Diamond was reprimanded for her reaction to Carlton being bisexual.
Even a twee show like Great British Bake Off has not been spared from adverse reactions from viewers. In 2019, contestant Candace Brown said she was "threatened with rape" because she wore lipstick. Bake Off judge Paul Hollywood has also suffered death threats for letting specific contestants leave the show. Ahead of this year's series, which begins next week, Hollywood told viewers that "be careful" what you post online.
"I am a judge in a baking program, I am not a politician, I am nothing else, I am just a baker and I get bombarded with things that I shouldn't be bombarded with," he said.
"I have learned to live with it, as difficult as it is, but it is not fair to bakers because they are raw, they are new, they are not used to this and you have to be very careful. This can hurt people, this really, it really hurts people. "
But where there are pleas from presenters, statements from producers and modified care dutiesThe simple fact remains that while most people wouldn't dare tell a reality show contestant to commit suicide, many people unfortunately would.
TV shows can control who they include in their shows, how their content is presented, and what is and is not broadcast, but they cannot control how people react. What they like, what they don't like, what they complain about, what they revere. Social media creates these shows, but it also has the potential to destroy them.
For Love Island, it is clear that a change is needed. Viewership numbers are dropping, criticism abounds, and Ofcom complaints have reached a new record. It would be easy to blame the vitriol purely on those who are watching, but they are seeing what has been put in front of them, specially curated to entertain, horrify and divide.
Reality TV is not going to last long in its current format. The days of creating villains may be over, but the days of building reality are not. As long as anonymous Instagram accounts exist, unfortunately, trolls will also exist.
