Front Page Metro Newspaper 18 November 2008
Reality TV is dominating the tabloids, broadsheets and the radio chat shows. For X Factor and Strictly Come Dancing, the issue is the public vote and the tussle between self made experts who are assessing quality (even though their view is subjective and personal) against a public that seems to be assessing everything but quality. In truth, none of it matters, it is just great light entertainment and 'fodder' for us all to debate to get us through the grim grey days of Autumn.
However, the arrival of our latest annual reality event: I'm a Celebrity get me out of here is posing much more serious questions about our values. The fact that we are entertained watching so-called celebrities eat grubs whilst elsewhere in the world children are having to do the same to survive is hard to stomach in every sense.
The disaster that is unfolding in parts of Africa is not unusual, but it does challenge our society and its values. In fact 2008 is fast becoming a real year of reckoning where we are really seeing very transparent challenges about our values.
On Sunday I went to see the latest James Bond movie and was presented with a film with little plot, a poor script but littered with a world of opulence, greed and violence. But what really struck me was the adverts shown for an inordinately long time before the main picture. Clearly the account managers with brands aligned to Bond are living in a very different world from me. The way cars, watches, perfumes and video games were presented was deeply disturbing given the current state of our world. Sure, cinema is escapism and I enjoyed being out on Sunday but we communicators and in particular advertisers and those producing media such as film, TV and radio need to be very careful to challenge poor values and lead in ensuring we challenge the injustice pointed out by Metro newspaper (see quote above).
Reality TV is playing a dangerous game. The dubious X Factor editing portraying hopefuls on the basis of feeding their children, commemorating their recently departed or just being little, vulnerable with a sore throat from Blackburn is beginning to wear thin. The nasty put downs by the drama queens on Strictly Come Dancing is also wearing thin and provoking a public reaction. But even with Ant and Dec steering the ship, the way the isolated pampered ones react to their jungle trials may just provide the one that provokes serious debate over values in the coming weeks.
Advertisers and media companies brace yourselves as the reality is times are changing.