The purpose of creating media no longer lies in the art of creation itself, but in the number of eyes that fall upon the result. Whether or not the work appeases critics or other artistic elites matters little in comparison to its success in sales. These numbers – and their financial translation – reflect where audiences’ attention falls.
As inherently self-preserving creatures, humans naturally want to see their traits reflected in thriving characters. Audiences want to ensure that they are not alone when experiencing negative emotions. The algorithm that controls what appears on social media feeds off of this selfishness.
The Internet’s Echo Chamber
Relatable is one of the internet’s favorite buzzwords. It is consistently seen across platforms in comment sections, hashtags, etc. One of relatability’s main appeals lies in its ease. Watching a video or reading an article that aligns with your worldview does not challenge you. Without any perceived obstacles, media consumption becomes thoughtless and repetitive.
By pushing more and more content that the viewer is interested in, the algorithm continually cements their perspective without allowing space for alternative ideas. This relatability feedback loop creates a bubble in which the viewer is always right. To pop this bubble would be to deflate their ego, so most don’t view consuming relatable content as problematic.
Relatability confirms an individual’s solipsism. Solipsistic theory, a philosophical phenomenon, claims that the self is all that can be known to exist. This self-serving mindset defines modern American culture.
The nation has long adhered to individualism rather than collectivism. Americans prioritize values like independence and individual freedoms over unity and equality. The mirroring nature of relatability originates within this individualistic ideology of self-preservation. Unbeknownst to prescribers of this notion, many further purposes exist beyond finding internal relations within the media.
Reading Beyond the Self
Should relatability be the yardstick on which to judge a work’s merit? Despite its exclusion of alternative perspectives, relating to a character is one of the pleasures of consuming media. Identification is a tool often used to draw people into a work, however, a deeper meaning or purpose should always exist in addition to this initial interest.
This purpose helps to expand perspective, which should be the reader’s goal when consuming media. To craft a quality argument, more than one perspective must be understood. If all sides are considered, the argument is less likely to be refuted and the most well-thought out option will be chosen. Only considering aspects of media that are relatable ignores vital viewpoints from those with differing identities and opinions.
If relatability continues to be synonymous with likeability, then innovative and boundary-pushing ideas and identities will fall to the wayside. Especially when the political administration is pushing for the eradication of DEI initiatives, understanding the value of multiple perspectives is essential. If the world is to become more humanitarian, we must expand our perspective beyond the relatable.
Share your unique perspectives with VALLEY on Instagram @VALLEYmag.
You have observed very interesting details! ps decent website . “‘We’re always lucky,’ I said and like a fool I did not knock on wood.” by Ernest Hemingway.
Nice read, I just passed this onto a colleague who was doing some research on that. And he just bought me lunch since I found it for him smile Therefore let me rephrase that: Thank you for lunch! “Not only is the universe stranger than we imagine, it is stranger than we can imagine.” by Sir Arthur Eddington.
I’ve been absent for a while, but now I remember why I used to love this web site. Thank you, I¦ll try and check back more often. How frequently you update your site?
Hello, I think your blog might be having browser compatibility issues. When I look at your blog in Chrome, it looks fine but when opening in Internet Explorer, it has some overlapping. I just wanted to give you a quick heads up! Other then that, wonderful blog!
Thank you for some other informative site. The place else could I get that type of info written in such a perfect means? I’ve a undertaking that I’m simply now working on, and I’ve been on the glance out for such info.
Very interesting information!Perfect just what I was searching for! “Water is the most neglected nutrient in your diet but one of the most vital.” by Kelly Barton.
I like what you guys are up also. Such clever work and reporting! Carry on the superb works guys I?¦ve incorporated you guys to my blogroll. I think it’ll improve the value of my web site 🙂
Howdy, i read your blog occasionally and i own a similar one and i was just wondering if you get a lot of spam remarks? If so how do you reduce it, any plugin or anything you can recommend? I get so much lately it’s driving me insane so any support is very much appreciated.
I was curious if you ever thought of changing the layout of your website? Its very well written; I love what youve got to say. But maybe you could a little more in the way of content so people could connect with it better. Youve got an awful lot of text for only having one or 2 images. Maybe you could space it out better?
I too conceive therefore, perfectly pent post! .