Media's Secret to Success

Over the course of this class, I have determined that the media’s underlying message that everyone can and should be perfect is not only unattainable, but also contradictory.  Obviously no one can be perfect one hundred percent of the time; everyone has problems.  Media takes advantage of this unfortunate, and (at times) extremely entertaining, circumstance to make television shows and movies about people struggling to get by in life, chronicling their failures and successes.  And even though the goal in life is to eventually “have it all,” if we got it all life would prove to extremely boring and uneventful.  Think about it. If TV shows and movies showed people going through life with a great job that pays plenty and that they love and enjoy going to, the perfect partner who has brains, beauty, wit, and a giving and forgiving personality, the perfect family life, all the stuff they could ask for, and a great home with all of the latest and greatest technologies, no one would watch.  It would be boring.  And not only would it be boring, but people would also get annoyed watching some one else have it all while they are struggling just to get by.  Therefore, I argue that mainstream media and popular culture thrive on the fact that no one will or can ever be perfect or have the perfect life.  Media has realized that the entertainment value lies in watching others go through troubles and solve problems, striving to be perfect – and they exploit this discovery and understanding on the issue like it is no one’s business.  So while it is understood by the media that perfect is an unattainable goal, it is perpetuated by the media that it really exists and we all just have to keep looking ahead and working towards our happy ending.  Consequently it can be seen that media is then creating and bringing about its own popularity and corporate empire.