The Unreality of Reality TV: From "After Dark" towards Twitter, Big
Data, and "Big Brother"
University of Westminster
Friday, March 3, 2017
17:00
309 Regent Street
Boardroom 117
London
W1B 2HW
Organised by Westminster Institute for Advanced Studies and Open Media
Registration:
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/unreality-of-reality-tv-from-after-dark-towards-twitter-big-data-and-big-brother-tickets-29380168876
High-velocity media, superficial news and sound bite-driven debates are
increasingly shaping our public discourse. The Brexit referendum and the
2016 U.S. election are cases in point. In the age of social media and
digital television, what potentials and limits are there for
strengthening constructive public debate? What are the roots of the
present crisis and what can be done to fight back?
Sebastian Cody (Open Media, founder of "After Dark") and Christian Fuchs
(University of Westminster) will discuss transformations of television
and digital media and how they impact the possibilities for public
debate. Sebastian Cody will focus on the technical and historical
context as a practitioner; Christian Fuchs will discuss the acceleration
of the public sphere and its impacts on society.
Alternatives to superficial television are possible. The series “After
Dark” – described in the television trade press as defining “the first
10 years of Channel 4, just as “Big Brother” did the second" – ran
between 1987 and 2003. Based on principles developed for “Club 2”, a
debate programme broadcast by the Austrian Broadcasting Corporation ORF,
“After Dark” was unique in the history of British television. The
programme’s ground rules of absolute live broadcasting (no editing or
delay) and open-ended intimate discussion meant that guests' utterances
were uncensorable.
Roly Keating, former BBC controller and current Chief Executive of the
British Library, described it as "one of the great television talk
formats of all time". The subjects discussed ranged widely across
national and international news events, while also exploring personal
and private matters. As the programme faced challenges from
broadcasters, government, the legal system and various vested interests,
it was often a source of controversy.
Later iterations of ‘reality TV’ have shaped the current media culture,
which is dominated by commercial logic. News and debate are served up as
fast-paced entertainment on social media, and big data exacerbates the
speed and superficiality of news, undermining possibilities for
controversy and fruitful communication.
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