Artistic Entertainment for many decades and centuries existed in the world of fantasy with some nuances hinting or even mirroring the reality the world was used to. Granted, there were works that depicted truths that had occurred or were ongoing in the world and these served as powerful historical documentations.
Books, plays, film and other performative art-forms borrowed from the real and branched out to create a world of wonder or at times simply showed it for what it was.
The performative reality that we continue to believe and glorify turns our actual reality bleak and dim in comparison.
However, advancements in technology that the 21st century brought with smart/camera phones and the internet plunged the world of ‘performance entertainment’ into a new direction. Prior to this, the story in a book or a film was enjoyed by all of the minds that worked cohesively to bring it to life; the writer, directors, actors etc.
But in the early 2000’s a new wave of entertainment would push the envelope on the known world; Reality TV. And before you jump to halt me at my point as to how not everyone watches reality TV, just humour me for a few more moments.
The new way of being entertained turned from following a scripted story in whatever medium of delivery to simply following an actual person and their interaction with whatever unique environment they found themselves in. Are we not all victims to this way of interaction in our modern world?
Keeping up with a musician’s off-stage antics and lavish lifestyle, our scandalous politician who would rather show us the cars he has ticked off his list than action points off his manifesto or simply our local lifestyle content creator who enjoys the abundance of life through ‘manifestation’.
All of this is said not to bash the lives lived by others but to highlight the performative aspect of all of it, the world we have created and continue to create has a huge element of “action” and “cut” between the actual living of life.
Highlights are important and should be celebrated, the current basketball player with the most made 3 point shots is Stephen Curry with 3,085 (-and counting) but he too has missed 4,051 3 point shots.
The performative reality that we continue to believe and glorify turns our actual reality bleak and dim in comparison. The correlation between depression and the negative impacts of social media are visible but yet to be fully understood as the internet is an adolescent teen still battling with finding themselves.
But how can we be more conscious of what we do not yet understand? Should we turn away from the norm that all our peers are engaged with? Should we ignore the benefits the platforms we engage with offer us? What is wrong with celebrating the beauty of life and splashing some filters on the ugly bits? All are valid questions, that I too ask myself but there must be a better way to address wounds deeper than the flesh –to inquire on what’s wrong instead of limping on like the rest.
– Osier Emuye