So, there's been a lot of Twitter and Facebook hatrid unleashed last night...
And its mostly been directed at Katie Waissel and Cheryl Cole. Once again everyone's fallen into the trap of getting fixated on having the people that they dont like on X Factor hounded to the edge of the earth. Or worse.
The show has a very negative relationship with social media (outside of the official accounts) as people flock to Facebook and Twitter on Saturday & Sunday nights to post their opinions about who should have stayed, or went, or how the show is a 'fix'.
The same thing happened last year with Jedward, where they stayed in over other contestants who the majority of social network users argued was a 'better performer'. Cue a million (equally boring) Facebook groups about how Jedward shouldn't be on the show any more.
And then the Joe McElderry winning single was stopped from reaching the Christmas number 1 chart position by a Facebook campaign to get Rage Against The Machine's 'Killing In The Name Of' to number 1 to "Show Simon Cowell that he doesn’t control the UK music industry".
Or something like that. Too many people missed the point last year, and thought that a song with the line "F*** you, I won't do what you tell me" suddenly made them above the 'mainstream' X Factor single. Except that Rage were on a major label so any anti-establishment feelings should have been quelled by the realisation that money for both singles would likely have ended up in (pretty much) the same place.
Katie Waissel was never going to leave the show last night, especially not against TreyC Cohen. But yet people have been saying that they'd never watch the show again, how they hated Cheryl for not making a decision about which 'act' to send home, and how other contestants (Wagner was a unpopular survivor of the public vote again) should have gone as well.
But will anybody actually switch off? Of course they won't.
Like with the earlier 'Gamu-gate' (which seems so long ago now) people will tune in each week to see what new controversies occur, then post about it to their friends on Facebook and Twitter.
I quite enjoy it on a Saturday night when everyone posts their opinions about the performances, as it makes the show much more 'interactive' than anything else on prime-time television in the UK. People obviously have different opinions, but its the discussion and spouting of views that makes the X Factor so enjoyable for me.
Should Katie have left the X Factor?
Should Cheryl have voted?
Who do you want to win the show?
Also - If you don't want to add a comment, please feel free to click on the 'Good' or 'Bad' reaction buttons below - It’s nice to see what people think of this blog.
Paul
I think Facebook and Twitter are hilarious outlets for people to rant about The X Factor and I find some of what people say highly amusing. Especially because Twitter allows you the option of choosing to read about only X Factor related Tweets, rather than scrolling through the Facebook newsfeed which has been clogged with illiterate statuses.
ReplyDeleteI didn't have the internet at hand last night, so I couldn't join in the abusive Cheryl/Kayt Weasel/Trake backlash online, but I was texting several friends simultaneously.
We all seemed to be in agreement that it was the backstage people of X Factor's (wrong) choice in taking the highest majority of the three votes, and not including Cheryl that lead to the decision to evict Trake (TreyC). If Cheryl hadn't publicly said that she wasn't going to vote and if she did she would take it to dead-lock, then the producers wouldn't have had to choose to ignore her completely. (As a Judge, at some stage in the show she should really do some "Judging"!) In my opinion, dead-lock is a much better ending, as it leaves it in the viewers’ hands, and it then gives the viewers less to complain about! Although.. Complaining/having an opinion will keep the viewers interested! Which is surely what the producers want?
Personally, I dislike Kayt Weasel as a person (not sure why, just dislike her immensely) but I found Trake zzzzzz.. Ousting them both would have been pleasing :)
I do like deadlock, but only because its used as a 'novelty' on the Sunday shows. If it was used every week, it would take a lot of the needed controvercy out of the show in my opinion.
ReplyDeleteCheryl obviously doesn't want to look bad (whereas the other three judges would have probably chosen between two of their acts) but the way that the situation played out has probably left her looking worse in many people's eyes as she could (and should) have made a decision
I'm of the opinion where I enjoy having the acts that people despise stay in week after week.
Last year there was only Jedward, this year there's Katie, Chere and the legend that is Wagner!
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1328268/X-FACTOR-2010-Producers-ordered-Dermot-majority-verdict.html
ReplyDeleteooh er! ps. i realise this is from the Daily Mail and therefore not to be taken too seriously!