Ever wonder how television drama actually compares to real life? Now you can find out. TNT, whose slogan reads, “Your Daily Dose of Drama,” gives us a taste of what it takes to make highly entertaining television through their new ad/viral video.
The video, “A Dramatic Surprise on a Quiet Square,” features a red button in the middle of a public space somewhere in Belgium. Above it hangs a giant sign which reads “Push to Add Drama.” The button — obviously — gets pushed. This action is followed by an ambulance racing to the scene, a fight, a woman in lingerie riding a motorcycle, and more.
While the video is hilarious to say the least, it’s also insightful. The video, which has gone on to become the second most-shared video of all time — falling only behind Volkswagen’s 2011 Super Bowl ad, “The Force” — also highlights the dichotomy between real life and television. Something we sometimes seem to forget.
Seeing how dramatic the media we digest truly is suggests we have to ask ourselves what kind of effect it is having on us whenever we press the “on” button of our remote. Is it drama like this which causes hypochondria, increased violence and other symptoms of a cultural demise we often blame on media? Maybe so.
Let us know what you think in the comments below.
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