Sometimes we’re too smart for our own good.
In case everybody hasn’t realized we are being some one of the biggest problems going on in this country is the loss of community and the disconnected way that people tend to go about their lives. It has manifested in a lot of forms (mass shootings, opioid & drug addiction, all the 7 deadly sin taboos, etc…
You can assign blame and point the finger at a lot of different things but I’m going to tie it all into MTV stuff so thing should be pretty entertaining <and hopefully educational>.
One of the problems with making the most money possible is the efficiency and a degree of accountability that is required may not factor in certain long term consequences of the “greater good”. People get held to continuous growth models and replacement if profit falls or plateaus.
That’s when we start to overthink things.
Not saying other systems are better or worse I’m just saying their needs to be balance <not a socialist or commie>
A quick education on how Television viewership was measured in the 2000s (bit different now)
– One company – Nielsen – controls all the measurement methodology, counting, and reporting
– It’s one of the few approved monopolies in the US allowed
– TV viewing is recorded by households that work directly with Nielsen
– Nielsen recruits these household by random selection and willing opt-in across the country
– Every major population center (city and suburb radius) is a Designated Marker Area
– There is roughly 25,000 households selected nationwide, sample size per population size is not standard
For example: I worked in the New York DMA, on any given day about 700 to 1200 Nielsen HH reported for the 7MM+ HH <26MM people> in market
*HOW ABOUT THAT MATH*
– Viewing impressions are broken down by 15 minute intervals, in order to from a positive impression to be counted a person must watch 8 out of 15 minutes without changing the channel. Back in the day they did count recorded stuff (TIVO/ROKU)
So think of it like this. Random idiots getting paid less than the cost of their cable bill (at that time) were in control of what shows made it. What was popular and a billion $ + of ad dollars. Who gets what…
So – Yeah! Sometimes one person can make all the difference.
###This is where MTV Comes In!!!!###
Why is this applicable to MTV?
Remember when they played music?
The average song is maybe 3 to 5 minutes and not everyone likes the same type of music.
A lot of times you might have a couple songs going but if they were at the wrong ends of the hourly quartiles no impression. Everyone knew that MTV has a huge audience of people tuning in at some time during the day. They just weren’t able to qualify it.
Even TRL <Total Request Live> had 💩audience ratings.
– But everyone 13-21 was watching it! –
oh wait – those people really don’t count because under 18 measure requires special compliances
So it was the ‘tree falling in the woods’, but the people that were hearing and seeing it didn’t matter.
That’s when the network started testing cheap, strung together reality TV shows. They knew in testing panel audiences less people overall would be watching them but they figured the savings from making low cost, unscripted entertainment would likely balance the projected numbers.
They were right about the 20% to 40% drop in total viewers from their own research but they were amazed by the higher than previous ratings +10 to 100+%\
It was a magical loophole they uncovered and never expected from the power of their brand. So eventually that formula took over hour by hour of their broadcast air-time.
And the rest of the cable network industry took notice because cost associated with Writers, Royalties, and Unionized started going way up late 90’s, early 2000s.
Actors/Actresses, leveraged this the most as they knew the ad revenue the networks were pulling in for major hit shows.
But for every ‘Friends‘ sitcom there were 20 other failures across networks each year.
The formula started to be tested and rolled out across a number of channel broadcast & cable. Most network heads were convinced the MTV model wouldn’t be realistic for older audience and against their fierce competition for adults 18+ and various age + gender targets.
Then the writers strike of 2007 happened.
Unscripted <by a professional writer>, non-union skeleton crew shows started to roll out with a few of the bigger networks and they were performing slightly better than re-runs of the scripted premium content shows. It basically proved that people will watch anything you put in front of them if it’s new or different.
There’s a reason it was called the “Idiot Box”
So why bitch about this? There are still decent shows being made?
The fundamental shift of scripted fantasy, not meant to be taken serious. To something that was branded as “REALITY” <most knew it was staged BS> introduced new low-brow standards of what would become acceptable. It also gave rise to “at face value” talentless every dat influencers who went against the acceptable standards of decency to shock the audience resulting in next day “water-cooler gossip” previous isolated in – over the top – Soap Opera drama.
The rise of social media and growth of the internet, at this time, also helped spread provocative characters pumping out sex tapes for reality TV shows.
After 20+ years of Survivor, Big Brother, The Kardashians we have allowed “false” indoctrination to take shape. Some of the most popular watched programs have taught a generation that LYING, CHEATING, and MANIPULATING people can be rewarded an win you fame & prizes. Or promiscuous behavior won’t give you a Scarlet Letter if you’re edgy and cool about it – because you give ZERO F’s…. and that’s okay now.
These societal shifts have equated into a new normal way of thinking that diminishes the sense of community and the concept of “it takes a village to raise a child.”
WP Article that echo’s this: https://www.washingtonpost.com/arts-entertainment/2020/08/05/reality-tv-dating-shows-history/
That’s all I’m going to say about this silly stuff. I’ll get into the parallel actions of getting rid of peer pressure and accepting sub-par standard and broken window theory at another time. Let’s just put some ‘Vaseline on the lens’ for not and push forward with narrative that make us happy. It’s not a false light if you believe it in you head right?
The key takeaway here is this disconnected reality has breed a new isolated way of thinking diminishing checks and balances.
Why do you think ‘original sin’ is a predominant religious concept. Most people if left to their own devices aren’t picking the greater good options that require a degree of effort without gratification.
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