Living Inside Our Media
Why do people obsess over stories? Become invested in the characters, their relationships and their challenges? What makes the public so susceptible to media addiction through tv shows? The answer is both simple and quite complex. The simple explanation is that people use tv shows to escape their reality and take on different identities. Through fantasy shows, people can be a part of a new world and can escape their everyday realities. I personally know this feeling well and I am someone who dives full force into shows. I have very strong emotions towards the characters, I sit on the edge of my seat when they are in trouble and I cry when they find themselves in a hard situation. I am the definition of a fantasy obsessed consumer. To that end, the show that recently broke my heart, brought me to the edge of my seat and had me gasping for breath was Bridgerton.
The show Bridgerton premiered on December 25th, 2020 and it follows a book series written by Julia Quinn. The series is a period drama about the Bridgerton family and the rest of regency London high society in 1813. They live in a very judge mental and delicate society where image and reputation is everything. Their lives revolve around intricate rules and intense power struggles and no one is ever safe from scandal. Since gossip is the foothold on their society, a secret writer named Lady Whistledown becomes the anonymous gossip columnist for the entire town. Everyone, including the queen, is obsessed with the drama Lady Whistledown reports.
The first season follows the Bridgerton family’s eldest daughter, Daphne and her hunt for love. It also follows the other families daughters and their experience coming out into society. We follow Daphne through many trials and tribulations, coming out into society as a woman, finding her husband, Simon the duke of Hastings and all the drama they create. While Daphne is the focus of this season we also come to understand the other Bridgerton kids and their interests. They are all very different and have varying views about the world they live in. The narrator of the show is Lady whistledown who reports on all of the gossip and leaves no family, even those of the highest social standing, free of negative reports. She holds the power over all of the families and if anything negative is reported about you, your entire family will be ices out of society. Therefore, everyone has to be extremely careful not to be at the center of a scandal.
In my mind, the concept that this show connects to the most from class is why people are so attracted to characters and stories. We assimilate ourselves into their worlds and become so connected and obsessed that a show can take over all of your time because you simply can’t pull yourself away from the fantasy. In the textbook Media Literacy in Action, the effect of stories is explored. “Sometimes we cannot really understand our actual life experiences until after we have transformed them into a story.” We use stories to guide our thoughts, connect to each other and express ourselves. So, when we invest ourselves into a show, it is only natural that we would connect with the characters because they are made to be relatable. When you immerse your mind into a story, a theory the textbook talks about is the willing suspension of disbelief, which I find extremely interesting. It explains that when authors use a semblance of truth in their stories, it allows for people to experience true emotions towards the characters because they see them as real people. The amazing thing about fantasy and fiction is that it has the power to move you emotionally. Those strong emotions are a “meaningful form of pleasure”.
In the show Bridgerton, the reason it became so popular is because of the love struggle that Daphne and Simon endure. The drama, passion and adventure that their characters face somehow allow its audience to feel connected to their love story and develop a strong attachment to their bond. The show also allows for stereotypes within the characters to make them more relatable. The handsome, damaged duke who is a known playboy and gambler, the young woman in society who are naive and desperate for attention from men. These characteristics make the characters seem more real because they have a sprinkle of truth behind them and are concepts that have been used through storytelling for decades.
Connecting those stereotypes and truths to a clear concept from the text brings to mind archetypes within the story itself. People like characters that fit into certain categories and their characteristics allow for them to be labeled. In the case of Bridgerton, a hero may be Simon who is clearly a seeker. He does not conform to society’s ideas and does not want to marry to spite his late father. However, when he does become engaged to Daphne he refuses her dowry because he thinks it is a preposterous thing to have her be sold to him. He is different from others and is very lonely in life until he finds true love. You could also look at Daphne’s mother who is seen as the helper. I would define her as the sage or even the caregiver. She is there for advice and knowledge, she devotes all her efforts to support her family and she is incredibly compassionate. These categories allow for audiences to follow complex story lines and understand the intentions of the characters. They provide a window for that connection everyone is searching for.
I have always loved stories, fantasy and imagination are massively important in my life. These theories and ideas were so moving to me because of how engulfed I become as a consumer of stories and understanding why that happens is extremely eye opening to anyone who has the same experiences that I have. Fierce emotions, heightened senses, that need to sit on the edge of your seat and experience the world these characters are living in. It brings people joy and adventure in lives that sometimes may lack those things. I think it is a beautiful thing to bring connection into anyone’s home and everyone’s lives.
