How do media industries shape media audiences?
To answer this question, I posed a question. Is the media teaching us what beliefs we should have about romantic relationships? With romantic comedies, they like to depict types of lifestyles with the perfect romance, perfect person, and a perfect relationship. Film industries tend to always go with the "happily ever after" ending, which we all know in real life does not always happen. With this comes the expectation violation theory. This theory goes hand in hand with interpersonal communications theory that makes the counterintuitive claim that violations of expectations are sometimes preferable to confirmations of expectations (EVT; Burgoon, 1993; Burgoon & Jones, 1976). Some examples of romantic comedies include "Pretty in Pink", "The Breakfast Club", and "Sixteen Candles". All of these films were written and directed by the famous John Hughes. Romantic comedies are movies that deal with love in a light and humorous way. In "Sixteen Candles", we have Samantha Baker (Molly Ringwald) who is in love with Jake Ryan, a cute, popular boy who has no idea she even exists. Then you have Ted who is the geekiest freshman in the high school who is in love with Sam. He agrees to help Sam get Jake with the movie ending with Samantha and Jake sharing the iconic kiss over a birthday cake with "Sixteen Candles" (not to mention, it was Sam's birthday and everyone forgot about it because her sister was getting married). But what if love does not end in a happy ending? Love is definitely romanticized in movies and seem "easy". Love does cost more than we do see in movies. Sometimes, rom-com's can give us more of a "realistic" point of view where it doesn't have such a happy ending. For example, the Oscar winning film "La La Land". There was a shared love but at the end, that love did not last. It ended on a good note but not on a good "love" note. Romantic comedy made in the 80's have shaped how they are now. They have and still do give us hope in finding that one great love BUT not all great loves are found as they are in scripted movies. Even though they are cheesy, they are definitely a top pick for movie goers and always give the audiences a hopeless romantic feel with humor and will always make us wanting and expecting more.
Sources:
- Burgoon, J. K. (2015, June 18). Expectancy Violations Theory. Retrieved April 02, 2018, from
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/9781118540190.wbeic102
- Marostica, L. (2012, May 24). Romantic comedies can shape expectations of what love is really
like. Retrieved April 02, 2018, from https://www.deseretnews.com/article/765578405/Movies-
and-marriage- and-love- too.html
- (n.d.). Retrieved April 02, 2018, from http://ns.umich.edu/new/releases/22253-isn- t-it- romantic-
movies-tv- shows-strongly- shape-how- we-view- love
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