Instigated by the most absolute voyeurism, the spectators can feel (now more than ever) sworn in the causes of others
After attending, day after day, the trial in streaming of Johnny Depp and Amber Heard last summer, spectators from all over the globe have followed, scrutinizing to the millimeter, the judicial dispute between Gwyneth Paltrow and Terry Sandersonduring the last weeks.
In the space of less than 12 months, we have witnessed, from the comfortable protection of our home, two “reality” shows starring some of our favorite stars from the Hollywood walk of fame. Are we facing a new audiovisual mass phenomenon? Are the judgments celebrities the new favorite entertainment of the 21st century?
For those clueless who have missed this latest loophole, we will give a brief context. [El de Depp vs Heard es prácticamente imposible que haya pasado desapercibido para nadie, ya se han llegado a producir hasta dos piezas audiovisuales recogiendo el drama…]
Oscar winner Gwyneth Paltrow has been put on trial by Mr Terry Sanderson, a retired optometrist, due to a ski accident in which both were involved in 2016. According to Sanderson, the actress had run him down a slope, causing severe bruises and medical complications, for which she was demanding $300,000 in compensation (she had originally asked for $3 million, but this figure was reduced as the process progressed).
So far, everything is correct, right? Accidents happen, people are taken to court, etc. However, This whole matter has become the media phenomenon of recent weeks. Users of Twitter, Instagram and TikTok have been following the legal battle step by step and, obviously, they have not missed the opportunity to create countless memes, jokes and content for their followers.
As already happened in 2021 with the conflict between the ex-couple, the audience has been completely enraptured by this new kind of “reality TV”, that has devastated in its path.
Instigated by the most absolute voyeurism, viewers can feel (now more than ever) sworn in the causes of othersyes. They attend the trial and are therefore part of it. They support and defend their favorite actors and actresses; they annihilate those who hate them. As if it were a Netflix series, a fragment of reality is taken and consumed in leisure time. The actor is again placed in a leading role, only this time it is his own life that is being played.
The audience turns, empathizes, (does it go crazy?), generates a bond similar to what happens with a movie, and from there, the product emerges.
Thus, two types of verdict are established. The officer: the one imposed by the magistrate at the head of the conflict; and the alternative and visceral: the one that generates the audience.
The matter is no longer part of the courts, now it is the task of the public to judge and give their opinion. Reality practically becomes fiction.
More than one will be thinking that this is not something new. And in part, it’s true. we are used to seeing reality shows in which entire families stand in front of a camera in their day to day. However, there is a slight difference. In the case of this type of program, there is usually a kind of script. There is a pact. What is done in front of the camera is previously agreed.
In the case of lawsuits in streamingthe course of events cannot be measured in the same way. The development of the judicial process can play for or against the star. A phrase, transformed into a meme. An imposted tear, turned into a lapidary stone.
That curiosity drives the public, the ignorance of the outcome hooks him firmly.
The question is there. Not waiting to be resolved, but looking to be raised.Are we witnessing the birth of a new entertainment subgenre? Will the cameras and the streaming to the most unexpected corners of privacy?
Source: Fotogramas
Jason Root is a writer at Gossipify, known for his in-depth coverage of famous people in entertainment, sports, and politics. He has a passion for uncovering the stories behind the headlines and bringing readers an inside look at the lives of the famous. He has been writing for Gossipify for several years and has a degree in Journalism from UC Berkeley.
