Freedom as in "Free"

With all the impact and focus we place on modern media such as TV shows, video games, and movies since they by-and-large are responsible for much of the mythmaking we’re used to on a spiritual and personal basis, much of what is seen nowadays is more of the same thing. The same films and TV shows are never allowed to end as they constantly see reboots or spin-offs in the same universe. A friend recently told me she loved that Adventure Time was constantly getting new entries since there was so much new material to write about within that universe. It got me thinking about what the effects of this phenomenon could be on a person. What happens if we just never get closure for a series? If the modern westerner obsesses over these fictional stories and is constantly roped into watching more and more, what could the potential consequences be? Is there any upside?

I would think the only benefits of this cycle would be more money in the pockets of the companies that publish this material to the masses through streaming. Of course, following the natural thinking about giving people what they want is likely the philosophy underpinning this move to recycle content. It’s far more profitable to have the same or new writers come in and work on an existing property rather than having to brainstorm and take risks on new material.

There’s also a comfort in knowing that these fictional characters you’re predisposed to care about and bond with never leave the ephemerality of the TV screen. Having conclusions means never seeing these stories and characters develop further and having to say “goodbye” in a weird sort of way. Of course, this only makes sense in our current media context. When you spend so much time watching something on a screen you begin to lose yourself in it and feel all sorts of emotions being wrenched by the events happening on it. As a child especially, when you watch so much TV all the time you start seeing the entire world through the lens of a camera. You lament the shows you watched then that will never evoke the same feelings and joys and sorrows. You’re now an adult struggling for meaning and purpose in the real world, while all these fictional characters and stories had it all laid out for them. Why let that comfort end when it could chased continuously? The real world is a rough place to be sure.

Nostalgia is a natural inclination when the present moment isn’t going the way we want it to. We feel homesick for something we can never go back to. This is the end media companies are working towards in order to gain more money. Exploiting that homesickness is an easy and profitable method to keep people hooked on content that they’re in control of. Nostalgia cannot be easily explained and many have tried to disseminate its root causes, but what is ultimately a natural emotion to being rootless and disenfranchised by the western system of living ends up being a mental and spiritual block to be exploited by bad actors. Not just media companies either, but politicians and pundits and influencers are more than willing to appeal to this emotion in order to achieve their own selfish ends, often at your own expense.

Finding closure in Media (ending the nostalgia cycle)