Human anguish as spectacle

Programmes like Tista' Tkun Int broadcast on PBS reveal much about the transformations taking place in the Maltese media, which deserve a wider debate. Having lived away, I returned to Malta in time for the final editions, which gave an overview of "best stories".

Let us start unpacking the formula that drives such programmes. By Maltese standards the production involves admirable effort and organisation. The genre affords highly charged human-interest revelations that unfold before our eyes as on Reality TV. While glamour, fashion, perfect hairstyles and faultless acrylic nails have a central role, lavish prizes pull audiences as much as the interest generated by the public confessions of private individuals. These "stories" serve to gratify our curiosity and often serve as extensions of gossip learnt through interpersonal interactions within the community.

The audience loved it. The protagonists, roped in through the intervention of well-wishing nominees, seem to consensually expose and share their anguish, resentments etc. This in itself indicates a cultural change. The traditional sharp divide between the private world and public life is challenged, as more people seem willing to freely talk about confidential matters. The empathic hostess, backed by eager studio audiences and a massive home viewership, speaks on our behalf to sooth, "ease", "support" and "encourage" participants.

Such formats trigger several questions and I feel that a critical debate should ensue. Cutthroat commercial television requires stations to sell eyeballs to advertisers. However, since PBS has a public service obligation, shouldn't it set limits on the degree of audience commodification? What motivates compassionate audiences, who may shed tears watching some of the most painful experiences, to compete in a cynical game that requires them to vote for a "best story"? Were the last wishes of a terminally ill boy and the agony of his parents a "better story" than the prayers of a mother hoping for the survival of her teenage daughter? Are the tragedies of families suffering the absence of parents, siblings, sons and daughters "better" than the anxieties of a woman who could hardly afford to feed her family? How could we uncritically accept such a plebiscite that ultimately buys us a lottery ticket to a luxury apartment, fast cars and boats or dream holidays? If this is acceptable to Maltese society, does it mean that we are indifferent to important matters?

Human interest surely attract audiences and it could also help extend public understanding so that we could be better equipped to engage with social, political, economic and other concerns. However, market-driven formats that render personal experience into a spectacle merely seek to peak ratings so that audiences are sold to advertisers. In such shows forms of social solidarity, "help" and "assistance" are almost always conceptualised as charity instead of a right.

Sadly, this trajectory fits perfectly within the neo-liberal political culture that is eroding the spirit of what a public broadcasting service tradition stands for. When solutions are merely discussed at a micro level, as in this programme, they tend to reduce efforts to critically discuss wider perspectives. Here social responsibility appears to be discounted, whereas the market offers answers for most personal qualms. We also have some TV personae that became icons of benevolence - our modern-day Adelaide Cinis. Their intercession with patron sponsors seems to assist distressed individuals, yet sadly it is mainly programme sponsors who reap maximum dividends from the leverage gained, as they appear to strengthen their bank of goodwill.

A public service broadcaster should create awareness and enable audiences to gain a better understanding of society. In this country it should help extend civil society beyond the overwhelming influence of traditional institutions like the parties and the Church. As the Maltese media system undergoes transformations, we should resist the temptation to overcrowd our airwaves with market-driven formats that seek to entertain audiences by presenting human misery as spectacle.