Judgement in reality entertainment: a way to reinforce our own values?

TV exec Lauren Zlaznick demonstrates the dramatic mapping of the national psyche to television programming in this TED talk.

Ms. Zlaznick shows that mass entertainment naturally morphs to give people the kind of emotional attention they need. For instance, rises in the escapism of “fantasy” genre programming correlate exactly with unemployment rates.

The popularity of “judgement television”—reality tv, reality gameshows, and the new participatory social television—began its rise in September, 2001. The last big bubble of humour—Seinfeld, Friends, Frasier—ended with the relatively prosperous, peaceful 90′s.

Perhaps people gravitate towards judgement as entertainment to reinforce their own values, feeling more confident in their viewpoints and therefore more in control. With the availability of social proof like Twitter voting on X Factor, tribal membership is easier than ever to demonstrate, which can be a source of comfort in uncertain times.

We’re in the middle of a project now that explores people’s enjoyment of judgement. When it’s live we’ll let you know, so you can judge it