Talked with my cousin who works at a talent agency about the whole 'scripted reality' thing

We were at a BBQ on Saturday and she said, 'Half the 'feuds' you see online are just contracts for a new project.' She mentioned a specific show where two actors 'hated' each other for a whole press tour, then announced a movie together. It made me question every viral drama clip I've seen this year. How can you even tell what's a real beef versus a business move anymore?

3 comments

3 Comments

grant34729d ago

Totally saw a deep dive about this last week. Some entertainment reporter broke down how a bunch of TikTok "drama" between influencers was actually planned to cross-promote their merch drops. They'd have a fake fight, get tons of views, then "make up" right as their new product lines launched. Makes you side-eye every single viral argument now. The whole system is built on getting attention, and a contract for a fake feud is just another way to buy it.

harris.andrew29d ago

So if the whole system is built on fake fights for attention, where does that leave actual human conflict? Like when a band breaks up for real or someone gets fired, do we just assume it's another marketing stunt now? Feels like we've lost the ability to tell what's real, which is probably the point.

the_jessica29d ago

It reminds me of a local band that had a huge public breakup last year. They were throwing shade online for months, and @harris.andrew is right, everyone just thought it was a stunt to sell their last album. Turns out the drummer actually moved across the country and they genuinely hate each other now. The real drama got totally lost because we're all trained to see it as a marketing trick. That has to be so frustrating when your actual life gets written off as a business move.