The Truman Show is a 1998 film that dealt with some of the philosophical issues surrounding the advent of 'Reality' TV and our growing culture of surveillance.
The tagline: 'On the air, unaware' might apply to all of us as we go about our everyday business, and, increasingly, online.
Some of the film's key lines resonate with us as we study Strinati's 'media saturated society' or Debord's 'society of the spectacle' and particularly Baudrillard's theory of 'simulation and hyperreality'.
'It's all true. It’s all real. Nothing here is fake. Nothing you see on this show is fake. It’s merely controlled.'
Truman: [to an unseen Christof] Who are you?
Christof: [voice-over] I am The Creator - of a television show that gives hope and joy and inspiration to millions.
Truman: Then who am I?
Christof: You're the star.
Truman: Was nothing real?
Christof: You were real. That's what made you so good to watch.
The film asks you to consider certain questions such as to what extent is it acceptable to manipulate a person's life for entertainment?
Is it ever acceptable to lie to someone on television for profit?
How far are our own lives, loves, tastes and hates shaped and manipulated by large multi-national media organizations like the Hollywood
