In our discussion of Iwobuchi's theories on what makes media popular across cultural contexts—how they're "transculturated"—we touched briefly on the idea of "cultural proximity," or "cultural affinity." These terms describe the theory that consumers prefer to consume—whether visually or aurally—things that are "like" them. In other words, consumers want to identify in some way with the media they're consuming.
We can take this concept one step further. While we, as consumers of media products, seek out media in which we can see ourselves reflected, we also use media to fulfill a number of other psychological needs. As Deuze suggested, as consumers internalize narratives and become more and more emotionally invested in TV shows, movies or other forms of media, they find meaning therein. In this way, media is aspirational. I would argue that media consumption can also be more perverse—we watch certain types of television, for example, to vicariously fulfill desires that we are ashamed of. Reality TV, in particular, can serve the same type of "wish fulfillment" as Freud proposed our dreams do during sleep.
While media that provide scenarios we can see ourselves in can certainly be fulfilling, don't we also consume certain types media to differentiate ourselves explicitly from others?
And now for something completely different:
0 comments
Post a Comment