An article about nothing
How sitcoms continue to stay relevant
Let’s be honest, there’s at least one sitcom that you have binge-watched more than once. I know that I have and at this point, I feel like it’s ingrained into our generation’s societal norms.
But I am really curious as to why I’m drawn to the same kind of storyline when there is such a plethora of other incredible television shows to consume. What is it about watching these particular types of shows that gives us that warm and familiar feeling inside?
Today I will explore how these sitcoms continue to stay relevant by playing into our nostalgia and explore the rising concept of information overload.
Picture this, it’s 7 pm on Friday night in 2004. You’ve just made dinner and turn on the TV to find they’re playing Mrs Doubtfire (again) and groan because it’s the fifth rerun this year.
Now imagine, it’s 7 pm on Friday night in 2019. You’ve just made dinner and turn on the TV to Netflix. You scroll through movie upon movie before playing How I Met Your Mother (again) and settle in to eat your dinner. Sound familiar? You may be a victim of a phenomenon known as ‘information overload.’
Information overload can be defined as ‘a type of stress that occurs when we are required to process copious amounts of information.’ It has become increasingly evident in recent years due to the rise of new media technologies which make it easier for us to consume information.
Barry Swartz, in his book The Paradox of Choice, brings forth the concept that having too much choice can have an impact on our psychological and emotional wellbeing. The constant flow of information, from choosing a brand of detergent to what we consume on TV, can cause our brain communication channels to shut down.
“One effect (of choice), paradoxically, is that it produces paralysis, rather than liberation. With so many options to choose from, people find it very difficult to choose at all.”
- Barry Swartz
To combat this, Swartz discusses why we tend to choose or gravitate towards things that increase our happiness and reduce anxiety. A 2016 study by Nabi, Preston and So, even found that watching television has the potential to reduce levels of the stress-related hormone cortisol. They also found that women who watched more television had significantly lower initial and average cortisol levels than those who watched less.
For many people, sitcoms contain something that feels familiar and comfortable, which is why we find ourselves continuously gravitating towards them. This bittersweet longing for the past, when politics didn’t exist and the environment wasn’t as totally f*cked, is commonly known as nostalgia. Nostalgia has a continuing role within the public sphere and the cultural nostalgia that comes from revisiting and consuming media, television and pop culture from a different time could help us combat information overload. As a younger generation, we are constantly being blamed for the world’s issues by generations before us, so we turn to the past for comfort.
Dr. Tim Wildschut, a psychology professor at the University of Southampton runs an ongoing group study dedicated to analysing feelings of nostalgia. He said that while it does tend to be used as a ‘crutch’ for some people, there are a lot of ways where nostalgia can be used for good.
“Our research indicates that nostalgia can have many positive effects: It increases a sense of social connectedness, it boosts self-esteem, it imbues life with meaning, it fosters a sense of continuity across time.”
- Dr. Tim Wildschut
This sense of community and social connectedness through the rise of social media platforms has also had an impact on the relevance and front of mind of these classic shows, such as the recent ‘Netflix and chill’ meme, and Facebook pages dedicated to posting videos of popular scenes, compilations, interviews, and bloopers from the show. An example of this is the popular Facebook page Friends Addiction, which currently has over 1.1 million followers.
This month also marks the 25th anniversary of the premiere of Friends with many companies and brands jumping on board and playing into our nostalgia. Ralph Lauren, in collaboration with Bloomingdales (both companies where Rachel Green has worked), have released a Rachel Green inspired clothing line, with select American cinemas also screening the first episode.
Only very recently, after having finished a long day of work and study, I was scrolling through Facebook and saw a competition where you could take a photo on the Central Perk couch and win a trip to the New York City. It got me in the mood to watch Friends while I ate dinner that night and made me wonder how many times I scroll through Facebook and decide to watch something or do something because it came up in my feed.
Another reason why sitcoms remain ever so popular is the concept of pop culture imitating life. We tend to consume shows with a storyline similar to our own. Take Will and Grace for example, as we watch the main characters navigate working life and break-ups in a comedic manner, we start to emulate this within our own lives.
‘My boyfriend and I broke up recently, so I know exactly how Grace feels.’
- Me
Seinfield is commonly referred to as ‘the show about nothing’, because nothing of any substance happens within the show. It simply shows us people living a life that is not all that different from ours. Quite often, when we find ourselves bingeing a show that we have seen before, we tend to scroll through Facebook and Instagram while we’re watching it. Shows that require constant attention with complex storylines take time and effort to watch. We could very easily miss something by glancing at our phone, whereas with sitcoms, it is easy to watch people doing nothing while also doing nothing ourselves.
After typing this, I can say with some certainty that I will probably continue scrolling through Netflix before landing on another sitcom and I sincerely apologise to all of the incredible TV shows that are currently in My List that I will never get around to watching. Anyway, I’m off to pour a glass of wine and watch Friends now.
