Idol+Phenomenon


 * The IDOL Phenomenon**


 * What is reality? Is there reality within the //Idol// series?**

Reality is the sum of all things possessing truth, existence or real meaning. Is it possible to have reality in television? Guy Debord is a member of an artistic movement in the 1960s called the //Situationists//. He wrote a book entitled //The Society of the Spectacle//. The ideas in this book discuss the concept that there is no such thing as reality any more. This is an interesting position, especially with the occurrence of reality television, which is supposed to be ‘real.’ It happens in real-time; it’s performed in front of a wide television audience, displaying real life settings, which are usually of a competitive nature.

One of the most popular of reality TV programs is the //Idol// series, //American/Canadian Idol//. These Idol shows, created by //Fremantle Media//, involve local and national talent who come together to audition before three judges. These judges sit at a table, and rate them on their singing ability, presentation and image. The goal of the program is to whittle down the number of contestants until there are only three contenders left. These three then compete with each other for the title, which is accompanied by a recording contract.




 * Why is this show so compelling, and why do people all around the world watch it? Why is it as popular today in Europe, as it is in the United States and Canada?**

The premise of the show is that the audiences who watch it get to participate, making it have the appearance of being interactive. The audience listens to the singers and they can vote along with the judges about which contestant will stay to the next round of singing. It has elements of other kinds of contests, such as beauty pageants and also links with competitive or merely fun outings to the local karaoke bar.

Paul Sloan from //Time// magazine writes, “Fans cast more than 65 million votes for the American Idol finale in May; that's two-thirds as many people as voted in the 2000 U.S. presidential election” (Sloan: 31). Hard to believe that astonishing number, isn’t it?

Debord states that there is a pseudo-reality, giving the approximation of reality, but not reality itself. It is a manufactured reality. If audiences thrilled with //Canadian// //Idol// could watch //Finnish// //Idol//, for example, they would find they were watching pretty much the same thing: same format, same three judges, with one like Simon in the American program, being British and very difficult to get along with. The attraction can be just to watch the contestants try and fail, sometimes comically and miserably, or watch them succeed. This gives the musical reality program a kind of sports event feel as well, where the individual viewers can cheer for their favorite singer to win in the end.


 * The competitive nature…**

An important aspect of the show is that it is always individualized. Each performer is in competition with every other performer. The audiences observe the contestants outside, lining up, waiting, practicing, nervous, and revealing aspects of their personalities to the camera.




 * Are their personalities actually real?**

Bernard states that this is planned and theatrical, rather than ‘real’ in the sense of how someone might act if there was no camera around. It is impossible today to even visualize a person who is not influenced by the fact that the world is full of television screens and television cameras. All people are performing for the camera, or imaginary camera; imagining themselves as movie stars or ‘Idols’, which is why the title itself is appropriate for the phenomena it represents.

In this artificial world of images, the individual who is participating or watching the spectacle is lying to themselves. They think what they are watching is actually authentic and real. It cannot be real because it is staged, staged in the sense that people come forward to participate in the spectacle, knowing it is a spectacle.


 * Authenticity…**

Authenticity plays a big role in this. The authenticity of the show is non-existent, or dead. Most people watching the program would not agree with this opinion. Instead, they would only think about which contestants they like, and why, and who made a total fool of themselves last night? Things like that are all fake, fake because there is a formula that occurs inside the //Idol// show, one that is recurring in the set design, staging, lighting, and judging aspects, as well as the contract award as the prize at the end. It also mesmerizes the audiences, who dream to participate or dream of entering, winning, and becoming a celebrity or ‘idol’ themselves.




 * What would be the reality within this show?**

Would it be struggling from a young age up through local clubs, until finally an individual breaks through using their natural voice? It would involve hard work, love for the art of music and a strong commitment. The //Idol// shows don’t do this or provide this; they can be considered a dead culture, like in Karaoke when the performer is simulating the kind of talent of someone else who is already a well known performer, even to the point of singing their songs and imitating their style. This means that the whole show is about comparing the way in which an amateur might sing as opposed to a professional in the same or similar situations.


 * So who cares about all of this right? Why the heck is this important to our culture? I don’t care if it’s real; it seems real enough, right?**

Using the //Idol// series as an example, the contestants must act and display a certain image that is not quite them in order to successfully advance through the competition. This image is seen and acted on by its audience. It is these images that are portrayed by the public and mold the perspectives of the public. An issue that arises most frequently is the fad that your look and image is all that matters.



Courtesy of adbusters.org, this ad reminds us that from the moment of a child’s birth, when it’s supposed to be in its purest form, he or she can become corrupted when they enter the world. Children are raised with the awareness of 'brand names' from a very young age. What this picture portrays is exactly what the reality on television influences to its viewers. We brand ourselves and loved ones and possibly hurt those in ways we can only see now within the countless social issues in our society.


 * Are the attitudes we portray as we brand ourselves real?**

In short, probably not. If you brand yourself in the types of clothing that are referred to as what a ‘thug’ or an ‘intellectual’ would wear, you would act like the image or personality that is classified under those circumstances. It is under these circumstances that you would express and expose yourself. This concern is sparked by what our culture believes is the reality of these categories of people.



That is what the contestants in //American/ Canadian Idol// do; they act in the way that will get them more votes and make them more popular with the judges and public. That isn’t real. It would only be real if they acted like themselves. Every reality television program acts and gives the illusion that what you see is in fact real life and because there is that illusion, the illusion transforms into what we believe to be reality.


 * __Bibliography__**

"Adbusters: the Culture Shop." __Adbusters__. 5 Dec. 2006 .

__American Idle__. FremantleMedia.

Bernard, Adam, “: The legacy of the Situationist International: the production of situations of creative resistance.” __Capital & Class,__ Winter 2004 issue 84 pp 103-125

Debord, Guy, __The Society of the Spectacle__, at http://library.nothingness.org/articles/SI/en/pub_contents/4

Sloan, Paul. “ The Reality Factory: Fremantle Media didn't invent reality TV, but its recipe for mega hits has landed 263 of its shows in 37 countries.”, __Time__, August 9, 2004 vol 164 issue 6 pp. 30-32