#onlinedebate

A public dispute unfolded after Elon Musk criticized Governor Gavin Newsom’s office over a comment involving his family. Musk stated that his son is facing mental health challenges and warned against politicizing deeply personal matters. The debate has sparked broader conversations online.

The Dirty Truth - Why YouTuber is Forced to Use Dirty Words in YouTube V...

The Dirty Truth - Why YouTuber is Forced to Use Dirty Words in YouTube V...

Reality TV is extremely popular in Australia, the category coming second to the News as the most watched programs in the country, seen by about 41% of Australians per week in 2018. (Roy Morgan, 2019). In 2020, MasterChef was named the most popular reality TV show by audience demand, overtaking other well-loved shows such as The Amazing Race Australia, The Real Dirty Dancing and The Block. (B&T Magazine, 2020). New reality shows are constantly being introduced in Australia due to the popularity of existing shows as well, such as The Masked Singer in 2019 and the return of Big Brother in 2020.

Viewers or fans of reality TV shows can now come together in the public sphere online to share opinions or views of events and participants of the shows by using hashtags, which then creates a particular labelled space for those with similar views to connect with one another. This can be referred to as an imagined community. “the live tweeting of reality television allows the creation of an imagined community, bounded by national borders.” (Stewart, 2019). Some of the talking points that are generated on these digital communities can extend to creating political conversations online, which is important not to overlook as these online conversations can be as valuable as discussions that are generated at particularly politically community-oriented spaces. (Graham and Hajru, 2011).

For example, the hashtag #MAFS for the show Married at First Sight has gained popularity since the show first aired in 2015 and has created a space for many online debates on platforms such as Instagram, Twitter and TikTok. Check out the hashtag on Twitter #MAFSau and you can see topics such as contestants’ scandals like cheating being discussed, whether it be in comedic meme form or a heated comment.

Most recently, as a response to the 2021 season of the show, the hashtag has been used to discuss the behaviour of a contestant, questioning whether or not his behaviour towards his wife in the show should be considered emotional abuse. On Twitter, tweets can be seen such as “MAFS producers have gone to broadcasting mental abuse on Melissa,” and “#Bryce has done it – he has totally isolated Melissa!” Like Graham and Hajru mentioned, this discussion has a political dimension to it, as it is discussing matters that can relate to laws of violence against women and bullying. The most important factor to note here is that reality TV communities and fandoms on social media can hold producers and contestants of reality TV shows accountable for what they are broadcasting, and this can hold a lot of power and put pressure on those involved to behave ethically and responsibly.

References B&T Magazine. (2020). 2020 MasterChef Australia named the most popular reality series in the world. Bandt. Available at: https://www.bandt.com.au/masterchef-australia-is-the-most-in-demand-reality-series-of-2020/

Graham, T. and Hajru, A. (2011). Reality TV as a trigger of everyday political talk in the net-based public sphere. European Journal of Communication. 26(1) 18–32.

Roy Morgan. (2019). News and Reality TV are the most popular TV genres. Roy Morgan Research. Available at: http://www.roymorgan.com/findings/7969-top-tv-genres-december-2018-201905060240