Evie 10/8

 “Belief in the stability of the referent (as in photography and film) leads to ‘the fantasies of realism’”

I enjoyed talking about this quote in class on Thursday. French philosopher Jean-Francois Lyotard is saying here that we look at media such as photography and film as if they were reality, however they are just a mere fantasy. Forms of media only show a glimpse into reality. There is a “fantasy” that is tied with the media because technology has allowed it to be so realistic. Photos and videos give the audience a lens into someone else's perspective. The issue here is that someone else's perspective can be misleading or screwed. Mary gave a great example of this in class. She explained that social media allows people to show themselves in the light they desire. Through good lighting, perfect timing, and photo editing tools, anyone on social media can portray the perfect life. When we see someone's profile, we feel that we know that person and understand their world. Social media is a very interesting part of today’s culture and I am curious what Lyotard would think about this ability to create these “fan pages” for ourselves. 

After our discussion about social media, my mind went straight to reality TV. Reality TV is a very interesting component in our culture that I believe is worth discussing. Essentially, reality TV does not consist of actors and does not have a plot. This form of entertainment brings the audience into someone’s life and is literally depicted as “reality.” However, reality TV is far from reality. Everything the audience sees is controlled by the producer in order to attract the most views. The unscripted, raw feeling of these shows make the audience feel like they know characters that they have zero connection to. This concept is very twisted when you step away and look at the bigger picture.