Will You Accept this Sincerity? When Audiences Become Producers, Affect is at the Forefront
Schechter, Karina
0000-0001-9416-8303
:
2021-08-13
Abstract
The Bachelor’s long run as a franchise has historically paralleled the hyper-acceleration of social media culture, and as a result its combination of fairy tale romance and media reflexivity serve as a useful site for the study of sincerity in the age of Instagram. The allure of offscreen social media celebrity for contestants, coupled with evident storyboarding by producers (designed to harness fan interest), turn sincerity and authenticity into dwindling resources. However, the evolving media ecology of The Bachelor’s ardent fanbase makes it increasingly difficult for the franchise to ignore critique on this front. As the fandom unionizes online and draws critical attention to the show’s shortcomings (e.g. its whiteness, classist fantasies, stereotyping, heteronormativity, etc.), the franchise is forced to respond in real time, ultimately democratizing the production process. Though it remains nebulous whether true sincerity can even exist within the confines of reality television, robust online feedback from viewers highlights a widespread yearning for it amidst the spectacle of the genre, suggesting a stray from post-modern values and an emphasis on affect. Social media’s spurring of “participation culture” has catalyzed a bottom-up, season-by-season restructuring of the show, forcing deviations from its traditional form, rituals, and expectations in attempts to quell the fandom’s grievances. As a result, questions of sincerity are reiterated as their surrounding infrastructure is reframed. Reality television’s enduring reputation as theatricalized affect-without-sincerity certainly casts doubt on The Bachelor’s authenticity at large, but sporadic rays of sincerity keep viewer faith alive and inspire belief in the notion that there is more, still, for the franchise to tap into. The fanbase’s newfound status as borderline-producers has driven foundational changes with no signs of slowing and grounds for considerably more to come, all leading to the same destination: sincerity.