LOW CULTURE ENTERS THE VILLA

Do we have “mug” written on our forehead?

Words by Lily Brooks

Art by Freddy Toglia

A new bombshell has entered the villa, and here it is: reality TV may be low culture, but that doesn’t make it any less valuable. Reality shows in general have a reputation for being dumb, pointless, and superficial. That’s not a hot take, but we don’t care. Love Island releases about 66 episodes per season, averaging around 50 minutes per episode. So we’ll do the math for you: that’s a little over two full days of nonstop tea.

When media is categorized into high culture versus low culture, judgment is frequently passed on how people choose to spend their free time. Television shows, music, and movies that are made with the aim to appeal to a wider audience come with the connotation that you should feel guilty for enjoying them. Pop music is cringe, but alternative music is cool. War documentaries are worth your time, but reality shows waste it. Life is hard enough. When you want to sit down and relax at the end of the day, it seems perfectly reasonable to want to take your mind off your problems and laugh. So reality shows like Love Island are popular for a reason.

Reality shows became successful from their ability to show the public how ‘out of touch’ and privileged people live their lives. It proved that the rich are not better than the rest of us, and, in fact, these extremely beautiful or wealthy people make mistakes and act just as irrationally as the rest of us. Their wealth and looks don’t absolve them from acting human. However, reality shows can often be accused of being scripted, and the plot often gets manipulated in the editing room. While most viewers are aware that what they are seeing is heavily edited, parasocial relationships with the cast bring people back. Whether it be the villain, the new bombshell, or the adorable couple you hope will make it past Casa Amor, it’s hard not to feel connected with the people you watch go through the seven stages of grief seven days a week.

Love Island specifically is successful in making the audience feel like they are active participants because of the constant surveillance, which gives a better insight into the contestants’ personalities. And to some extent they are; the public is able to vote and even eliminate people every so often. Beyond the psychological intrigue, there is something to be said about being able to sit with your friends and gossip about situations that have no impact on your lives.

Low culture media, specifically television, is arguably made to be talked over so you can enjoy the episodes with friends, crack jokes, and laugh as a collective. The commentator with the heavy Irish accent is doing it with the rest of us, and we’ll be the first to say he makes us giggle!