By AMIRA BROWN
Likes and views have become a new currency in the world today. Many entertainment outlets have studied the algorithm treading the line between exploitation and entertainment especially when the price of this amusement is being paid by the most vulnerable people in society.
Over time, decision making has been compromised out of desperation and profitability for major businesses. For many years, game shows were streaming at all hours of the day. These games, such as Jeopardy and Family Feud, offered the opportunity for people to answer wholesome questions or complete exhilarating tasks as seen in Wipe Out, granting the possibility of earning massive amounts of money; however the shift was already on the rise. Shows such as Fear factor and Survivor started to take over the charts and show developers began to pounce on the idea of how far someone would go to earn money.
Poverty spectacles have drawn the attention of many people beyond social media platforms and have extended into large corporations such as Netflix and Amazon Prime Video. The anticipation of this exploitative genre has been expressed across the entire world. Squid Game, a Netflix original, has now released its second season after the success of the first reaching a staggering 2.2 billion hours viewed according to Forbes.
A brief synopsis of the show is a group of people who are in debt are granted the opportunity to participate in a game. Unbeknownst to them, the risk of losing is actually death. Once signing up to play, contestants are abducted, stripped of their belongings, and placed into a large room for a duration of five days. Only one sole survivor exits the game. Although the show is marketed as fictional, Squid Game is not far from the reality of life horror events.
Ryann Robinson, a high school student, came across speculations of Squid Game being based on a real event on the social media platform, TikTok, and was in complete shock. “There was a bunker in South Korea in 1986 where people were held hostage in what they called ‘Brothers Home’ which was a detention facility.” The creator of Squid Game did not admit to this being true.
According to a website called Al Jazeera, Brothers Home was implemented under a 1975 ordinance with the goal of rebranding South Korea as modern and clean whilst cleaning the streets of people who did not fit their ideology. There are many dreadful realities which is what makes the show both compelling and terrifying.
Netflix, since the release of the original Squid Game, has released a reality TV show for real people to participate in. Popular youtuber, Mr. Beast, released a squid game of his own and derived many of his uploads from the same algorithm. This has allowed him to release Beast Games, a series funded by Amazon Prime Video for 1 million dollars, where participants that are in varying financial situations participate in squid game themed games.
Before the airing, there was already speculation of ethical issues with people not being given food, clothing, substantial sanitary conditions, and unsafe environments which resulted in heat strokes and injuries.
TikTok creators took a more affordable approach to implementing this profitable margin by hosting on the street games. Usually, the games are placed on college campuses or major cities which are places where many people struggling with financial hardships can be found.
“It is easy to judge participants for contributing, but if I was given the opportunity to earn money to cover expensive costs such as college tuition and monthly bills I would participate too; I guess that is why they always have candidates,” Derek Perri, a Washingtonville senior wrote to express how he feels about the new trend of game shows.
It is wrong to use people who are in a vulnerable position, whatever their intention may be. Although they are providing an unparalleled experience, it is at the expense of other people’s dignity.
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