Week 4: Digital Community and Fandom: Reality TV Case Study
Over the past year, Vietnamese media has exploded thanks to a music reality show called "Anh Trai Say Hi". This reality show has become the hottest topic on Vietnamese social media in 2024 according to YouNet Media (Tinh, 2024), thanks to the heat from 30 artists and also thanks to the eye-catching performances, attracting more than 12.7 million discussions and firmly holding the top 1 position.
Photo Credit: YouNet Media
Let's find out 2 special reasons why “Anh Trai Say Hi” in Vietnam has been leading the media trend in recent years. Firstly, reality television is a genre that is designed to elicit talk and shared opinions (Deller, 2019)
VOTING MECHANISM
According to Deller (2019), reality is a genre that privileges ‘liveness’, especially in shows that are broadcast live and implement some form of voting. ‘Liveness’ helps the media emphasise its role as some- thing that can unite society. For “Anh Trai Say Hi”, in each episode of the show, the audience present at the studio will score the performances of the "brothers". This score directly affects the results of each round. In addition, the TV audience can participate in voting for their favorite contestants through the show's official online platforms. The number of votes plays an important role in determining the favorite contestants and can affect the final results.
With the existing fame and fanbases, 30 artists getting voted easier than new artists. It can’t be denied that fandom cultures play a crucial role in shaping the voting mechanisms of reality shows, especially in talent competitions.The larger and more influential a fandom is, the more secure an artist's position in the show becomes (Hill, 2017). Additionally, fandom power plays a key role in amplifying the show's visibility across social media platforms. Supporters actively promote their favorite contestants on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok, often swaying neutral audiences to participate in voting (Lee et al., 2019).
HUMOUR AND MEMES
Many shows integrate humor into their format and presentation, while audiences have traditionally engaged with humor in their discussions, both in-person and online (Deller, 2019). Anh Trai Say Hi follows this trend, leveraging humor, especially memes to spark conversations on social media, and to extend the life of reality shows and their participants.
The show's official account will start by creating memes from the artists' funny moments during their participation in the show.
Photo Credit: Youtube Channel: VIE GIẢITRÍ
After that, fans from the show then create their own media buzz by remixing existing memes and posting them across various social media platforms. Social media discussions about reality TV shows are often packed with puns, sarcasm, GIFs, memes, and witty remarks, as audiences engage in performative interactions to gain likes and shares (Deller, 2019). As a result, Anh Trai Say Hi continued to attract attention even after it ended, fueled by the humorous content generated by viewers.
Photo Credit: FC Pháp Kiều- Xa Xa
References:
Deller, R. A. (2019). Reality television : the TV phenomenon that changed the world. Bingley, Uk Emerald Publishing.
Hill, A. (2017). Reality TV Engagement: Producer and Audience Relations for Reality Talent Shows. Media Industries Journal, 4(1). https://doi.org/10.3998/mij.15031809.0004.106
Lee, S. H., Tak, J.-Y., Kwak, E.-J., & Lim, T. Y. (2019). Fandom, Social media, and Identity work: the Emergence of Virtual Community through the Pronoun “we”.. Psychology of Popular Media Culture, 9(4). https://doi.org/10.1037/ppm0000259
Tinh, L. (2024, December 19). “Anh trai Say Hi” là chủ đề hot nhất mạng xã hội năm 2024. Nguoi Lao Dong; https://nld.com.vn. https://nld.com.vn/anh-trai-say-hi-la-chu-de-hot-nhat-mang-xa-hoi-nam-2024-196241219141806056.htm
