Watching other people live…

I watched my first series of reality TV last month.

Previously I’ve only dipped a toe into the an occasional episode of the odd show – predominantly when I’ve been staying with people who are regular viewers – and I’ve not repeated the experience because I found the experience odd and unsatisfactory.

This time I watched for research purposes, as those taking part were – in the broadest of terms, my potential clients – being single, mature people who are looking to meet a romantic partner. I binge watched with notebook in hand, all the while accepting that even if the participants were behaving in an open and honest manner, what we viewed and therefore our perception, was being controlled entirely by the editorial decisions made by the programme’s producers.

And while I get that the producers are playing to the masses, I’d prefer to see nuance, more grey, less black and white. ‘Cos life is lived more in the grey tones.

And yet…

I have to admit that Himself and I do watch a number of YouTube channels where – in stripped down terms – we watch people live.

The only difference being that the people doing the curating of what we see aren’t a team of producers, but the people who’s lives are the fodder of our viewing. Before you think – yuck, how voyeuristic – I hope it helps somewhat to let you know that these are people who are building or renovating homes.

Having had a long-time addiction to what my good friend dubbed house porn, it’s been easy enough for me to take the steps back to enjoy the process before you even get to doing the pretty stuff. It’s all very much a road we’d both have liked to travel, and we enjoy watching the individuals creating new homes and lives for themselves. The major difference is that those we are viewing have the opportunity to earn an income from YouTube, which helps them fund their new life (and helps me to feel slightly less voyeuristic).

I cannot deny that some YouTube channels we’ve dipped a toe into are built on sharing everything – the mundane and the overly personal; yet others are obviously controlling the narrative – sometimes even to the extent of manipulation. Let me be clear – these are not my preferred viewing options. Humour, honesty without vomiting every detail, cute pets, learning (both theirs and mine), good (interesting or quirky) taste, local history and culture – these all go towards making a pleasant and relaxing viewing experience chez Debs and Himself.

But is this just a matter of semantics? Are both just watching people live? And are either – or both – a bit creepy as a result?

© Debra Carey, 2023