Week 1 - The Social Networks

Greetings classmates,

The "simulacrum of community" as referenced by Neal Gabler on page 317 (my book may be a different edition) is essentially just a fancier way of stating that for many people television often serves as an alternative to real human interaction and relationships. Not necessarily as something completely different in and of itself, but rather because it imitates those two things which we desire most and thus provides a somewhat similar experience. Indeed, Gabler states on the same page, "It is Facebook with hundreds of 'friends' but without any actual contact with any of them, only the virtual contact of watching." Indeed, it is precisely because of its similarity that it operates in such a way. To give an example, it is not uncommon for someone lonely who desires a relationship to develop a crush upon their favorite television star and even imagine themselves as being in a relationship with that particular celebrity whenever watching their films or shows. My grandmother for example loves Tom Cruise because he symbolizes her ideal of the perfect man. Similarly, it is also not uncommon for people to place themselves into the fictional universe of their favorite television program.

Whether it was women during the 1990s with Sex and the City, men with The Walking Dead, or the millions of viewers who like to imagine that they are celebrities whenever they watch Keeping Up with the Kardashians, it is safe to say that almost everyone has done this at one point or another. People were doing it even before television with their favorite plays, dramas, and books. Perhaps the most extensive occurrence of this is when people watch soap operas. Such programs are defined by their ability to present over the top yet relatable characters and scenarios that arouse the imagination like nothing else on television. In short, when people place themselves within the fictional universe of their favorite television programs they are taking upon themselves the sense of real human interaction, community, and meaningful relationships that exist within the program.

Thus it operates as a substitute for whatever may be lacking in our own lives. This is what is meant by the "simulacrum of community." As Gabler states, "It is not that we prefer television to human contact." Rather, the precise reason why we love television so much is because it stimulates human contact, that which we as human beings desire most.

Finally, one point not explored in Gabler's otherwise fantastic reading that I would like to add is that many communities are defined precisely by a particular television program. It is not uncommon for large and extensive fan communities to arise surrounding their favorite television program, developing their own unique sense of identity and even culture from the sort of clothing they wear to the terms and phrases they use to describe themselves. One such example are the male fans of My Little Pony, "bronies," as they like to call themselves. Another might be the whole Twilight craze that was popular with teenage girls back when I was growing up, with many of them identifying as either "Team Jacob" or "Team Edward." What this means is that by watching a particular television program, many people may actually be connecting with a real community of other people. It actually becomes a social experience in its own unconventional way.

James.