As consumerism and technology continue to rise and root themselves globally, the matter of finding meaning through the endless amounts of hollow entertainment becomes an even more significant issue. Social media, sensationalism, and reality shows have been taking over society for the last few decades, creating an era where individuals are constantly looking to be entertained. This active seeking of entertainment is not one that comes with a desire to truly acquire anything from the media consumed, but a now seemingly instinctual form of distraction. Through the consuming wave of escapism that has infested these last generations, works of real substance, media with actual soul, have been left in the background, as this continuous search for entertainment leaves no room for true analytical thinking.
Though all sorts of media are regularly shoved down our throats, whether we like it or not, it would not be fair to say that each and everyone of these works is absolutely shallow. There is still some light in this vastly deep pit of distraction we have created. Yet, if you take a moment to let what you consume sink in, if you truly analyze the information being given to you, you’ll find that most of the time, it does not offer space for critical thinking nor does it introduce any sort of meaning or substance to your life. Entertainment is now created in masses, and almost exclusively for passive, active consumption.
A prime example of these ever-present escapist tendencies is that of what “booktok” and social media have popularized in the literary world. Tiktok is filled with reviews, recommendations and opinions in literature. It is important to note that there are some great creators with a lot of useful, thoughtful, philosophical insights. Yet, the content that always remains with the highest interactions is that of creators that explore literature created for mass consumption with little to no necessity for any thinking further or deeper than what is merely on the pages read. I like to think of these books as the equivalent of spending hours scrolling on social media, where you consume a lot of shallow, meaningless information given to you, only to never think about it again.
For those who still doubt that this is truly happening, I tried out a little experiment with some people around campus. I gave the following list of names: Annie Ernaux, Mario Vargas Llosa, Colleen Hoover, Svetlana Alexievich. Out of these lists, 3 are winners of the Nobel Prize in Literature, one writes toxic romance books. I then asked if any of these was a familiar name. Most answered only knowing of Colleen Hoover. Now, I am not passing judgement on the fact that people do not recognize Nobel Prize winners, as not everyone keeps tabs on these prizes or on the literary world. However, it is most appalling for an author with weak narratives and lack of range in plot and genres to be more popular and recognized than those awarded with the highest achievement one can earn in literature.
This idea is not an easy one to digest, faced with the harsh truth that we have all fallen for the trap of entertainment is a rather unsightly reality. However, it is most important to be able to recognize our short-comings, for how can things possibly change if the truth is avoided due to fear of discomfort? Now more than ever, it is absolutely necessary to think twice not only about the media you consume, but why you consume it.
