Love island was already a popular show being aired internationally. Nevertheless, this year Love island came to Malta. Having local participants on this new local broadcast sparked up a lot of conversation and in fact was the topic of choice for daily gossip. This blog hence explores the obsessive factors of this reality show.
It’s Relatable
The fact that the reality show portrays relatable situations such as modern romantic interactions, sexism, masculinity and insecurities make it popular. This is because it creates romantic excitement and one ends up imagining some fairytale ending, hence leading to rooting or voting for one’s favorite couple (Myers, 2018). Additionally, seeing people being ghosted, or having one’s partner flirt with others no matter how good looking the contestants are, makes one feel better. It gives a sense that these experiences one goes through in everyday life are normal (Shah, 2023).
Moreover, viewers become emotionally invested in participants as they follow their journey. This goes both for the show itself and for the outside world as people continue to follow contestants (Lewis , 2023).
Sparks Fresh Thoughts
The couple’s interactions can also serve as an eye opener to some. Certain discussions and viewpoints can allow one to reflect on how certain thoughts can affect others (Myers, 2018). Love island also gave a new impression of men. Although it does portray different characters, the drama reveals men talking to one another, sharing their feelings and being open with one another. This goes against what certain people might think or believe; that men don’t talk about their feelings (Myers, 2018).
A Shared Guilt Pleasure
Furthermore, love island has been described as a guilty pleasure where one can unwind and simply relax; an escape from every time life (Shah, 2023). Additionally, the fact that the show airs daily means that all lows and highs are caught on camera. Therefore, viewers get to follow the drama unfolding (Lewis, 2023).
The show’s popularity has now created this fear of missing out, also known as FOMO. Thus, individuals who aren’t really interested in the show, watch it simply to know what is going on and not feel left out when talking with one’s friends (Shah, 2023).
If you think that you can benefit from professional support of any kind, you can reach out here.
Yasmine Bonnici graduated in Nursing and also completed her Masters in Counselling. She has worked with victims of domestic violence, clients dealing with suicidal ideations, bereavement, separation and anxieties. She is currently working with Willingness Team as a counsellor seeing clients who would like to explore their own identity and deal with any surfacing issues.
Bibliography
Lewis, S. (2023) Even with all its problems, ‘Love island’ is the ultimate guilty pleasure, Collider. Available at: https://collider.com/guilty-pleasure-love-island/#:~:text=Love%20Island%20succeeds%20because%20it,villa%20holiday%20in%20the%20sun. (Accessed: 06 July 2023).
Myers, J. (2018) How did we become so obsessed with Love Island?, British GQ. Available at: https://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/article/why-are-we-obsessed-with-love-island (Accessed: 05 July 2023).
Shah, F. (2023) Why are we all so addicted to Love Island, even though we say we won’t watch it?, Cosmopolitan. Available at: https://www.cosmopolitan.com/uk/entertainment/a44286319/love-island-addicted-experts-explain-reason/ (Accessed: 05 July 2023).