It’s so easy to be cruel behind your keyboard

Reality shows are a breed of their own, with formats changing over the years and the stakes continuing to rise as producers strive to push the boundaries of ratings.

The idea is getting more and more outrageous as audiences around the world are fed up and realize they’ve seen it all.

The long-running show “I’m a Celebrity, get me out of here” sees famous characters eat bugs and cockroaches, get trapped by rodents and other creepy crawlies, suffer from fear of heights and other I’ve seen them overcome their phobias. While trying to get along as a group in the glare of the camera. Well received by audiences, he remains one of the most popular shows on British television. Then in 2013 the US Discovery Channel launched ‘Naked and Afraid’. The show not only drops strangers into a jungle where they have to survive inclement weather, but, as the title suggests, they’re naked (and terrified).

Survival shows have a certain audience who (apparently) get a proxy thrill from watching all the stomach-churning challenges and enjoy how long it takes people to bear the pressure. .

At the opposite end of the spectrum are reality shows that satisfy different kinds of viewing needs, such as romance, rousing gossip, relationships, and sex.

This is where “Love Island” comes into play. Love it or hate it, Marta has launched her own version of an international television series.

The premise of this reality show is simple. Gather 5 single men and her 5 single women on an island and see which one falls in love. A group of contestants called the Islanders must live in isolation from the outside world in a villa under constant video surveillance.

It was basically a Big Brother and the dating game (you’ll remember if you were my age) where you had to pick someone from behind the screen purely based on how they answered a question.

Well, this show goes one step further. On the first day, the islanders become a couple for the first time based on first impressions, but for the duration of the series they are forced to “re-couple”, giving them the option of remaining in their current couple or swapping partners. . Love Island builds relationships from the start and leads to intimacy, ignoring all the incremental steps of getting to know each other through a few first dates.

Now, of course, what all reality shows have in common is the thousands of comments and opinions generated by the public standing on their own. Exposing yourself to television seems to imply that you need to be prepared for what happens next. As with similar islands around the world, Appearance is the main focus of Love Island (Malta). In fact, in the photos released to showcase the contestants, the young woman was wearing a bikini and the young man was bare-chested.

That’s why shows like Love Island have an inevitable public reaction, with contestant commentary already starting before the first episode airs.

Or perhaps we should paraphrase: “The atrocities have already begun.”

The whole concept may not be to your liking (I admit it’s not mine), but shouldn’t we be mature enough to just keep scrolling? Why is there an uncontrollable desire to act spitefully and sometimes maliciously in an attempt to collect likes and laugh emojis by doing “funny” things?

Some of the comments I’ve seen so far can’t be printed, and as usual, female contestants are the most likely targets (and unfortunately, the most cruel comments against their own gender). I also noticed that women are also more likely to post ). .

Again, no matter how you look at the show as a whole, there are millions of channels out there and no one is forcing you to tune in… although many are just contestants. I can already tell you’re tuning in to spitefully rip the . Bare teeth like a hungry hyena.

As they say, this is not our first rodeo. We now know that commenting publicly on social media platforms is very different from privately exchanging comments between four walls or private chats (which most people do). There should be. Once you put something very offensive out there, there’s an infinite chance that everyone, including the contestants’ parents, will see it, but I don’t think the people commenting really care. Is it not?

On the other hand, anyone who has children of that age can have an intense fear that it is their daughter or son who is busy making fun of everyone. There is also the issue of age. Some of the participants are just out of their teens. I hope you all stop before you hit the keyboard and remember how devastating a single comment can be at that age. Well, even in our 50s and 60s, we can still be deeply scarred by thoughtless remarks and abuse directed at us.

I always wonder why it’s okay to say things online that I would never dream of saying in person. Especially in a small community like ours, everyone is connected in some way: family, friends, work.

I’m not saying Malta is anything special when it comes to cyber badness (although it does feel like the country’s penchant for cruelty is growing year by year). But no, it’s not just happening here. Countless international celebrities and reality TV stars who have been targeted by Twitter’s barrage simply can’t stand the hate and have abandoned the social media stratosphere.

Former Miss Great Britain Sophie Grodon, a 2016 Love Island contestant, has garnered a huge fan base thanks to the show, but also a lot of hate from the constant trolls. In her 2018 radio interview she said: With so many comments from thousands of followers, I look for it from time to time…there will be a lot of negative comments. They comment on how you look and how you speak. They will come up with an opinion about you on a TV show that saw you for 45 minutes. ”

Recent contestant Coco Lodge was quoted as saying: I am so cruel about my appearance that I sometimes question myself… Regardless of anyone’s opinion, I am myself and all my traits and flaws that I put in the spotlight for people to crucify. I chose this decision and I just had to own the good and the bad. ”

So what exactly is a reality show that brings out the worst in human nature? told the following: It’s so impersonal. I think trolls are often unaware of the impact they are having. ”

If they are not aware, we have to keep reminding them. Many will have seen Love Island ready to pounce with a withering comment, but rather than share it with all of Malta, press ‘post comment’ on social media. Resist the urge to want it and share it privately with your friends instead. You may not get the same amount of likes or instant and widespread gratification, but at least you won’t destroy anyone in public.