Is The Clapback Worth the Community? Examining The Collective Effects of Reality TV on Blackness

Many times after a long day of surviving America’s caste system, I decompress by scrolling through social media– and what do I find? Countless examples of Black culture putting AmWHOericana on its back and carrying it to relevancy time after time.

What the Black community is not adequately compensated for in American dollars is made up for in timeless memes and soundbites, for who doesn’t crack up at the very mention of, “I was waiting for you at the door?” or who doesn’t recognize the impact of Joseline Hernandez sobbing, “Steebie, you not gon’ send me back to the strip club!”

These cultural moments, whether from short-form content or iconic reality TV shows, continue to echo the impact of Blackness. But at what cost to Blackness? Sometimes, what is lost from a community cannot be restored by the restitution of dollars. Which brings me to the question: Has reality TV done permanent damage to the collectivism of the African American community?

I’m telling you now my answer is Y-E-S! Yet, on the other side of my declaration is the reconciliation that I have contributed to the current state of affairs. In an alternate world, Love and Hip Hop doesn’t get a season two in 2011 if countless millennials weren’t glued to their TVs. Perhaps the world would have been spared the steady decline of human empathy if we learn from Basketball Wives to feel that our fellow person didn’t matter because “You’re a non motherfuckin’ factor, bitch!” There is no denying that we added to the demise of our humanity.

If you allow me to fully dive into my nerdiness, my feelings ain’t just feelings. One of the most cited frameworks that connects the effects of reality TV and Social Media on society is the Cultivation Theory.

This theory was developed by George Gerbner, an American Communications Professor in the 1960s, yet it’s a cornerstone for Media Psychology. Its premise proved that “TV was the dominant storytelling system through which messages were transmitted to the public and that these messages resulted in the cultivation of the collective consciousness about elements of existence. Which is a fancy way of saying, TV or what we watch shapes how we move and behave as a collective.

Furthermore, this theory has evolved with the creation of Social Media– the grandchild of television. As we’ve gravitated to short-form content as a media mainstay, the emergence of Influencers, Streamers, and overall content creation, people cashing out from this industry. 2025 is set to see this space make upwards of $191 billion– couple that with the understanding that sensationalism sells, and we have the recipe for the cultural shift we are experiencing.

There is no denying the unashamed greed of white-run media companies who have no boundaries as long as coins are involved– especially when it ain’t their community being vilified. But, when it comes to these environments, if we are willing to hold Whiteness to the flames for their exploitation then how much more so should accountability be had from our own?

Speaking of, has anyone seen Mona Scott Young? What of other notable Black EP’s who have crafted careers around programming that is as damaging as it is entertaining? Carlos King and Shaunie O’Neal to the front… IMMEDIATELY! Oprah, girl, you may only have around 5% ownership in O.W.N., but what are you doing with that five? How many more seasons do we have to focus on the shenanigans of Love and Marriage, Huntsville– when the irony is a show truly based on understanding the struggles of Black contractors and developers would have been amazing to witness. To the Zeus Network– I can’t.

This is the part of the article where you may go, “Girl, so what? You doing a whole lot of complaining but what is the solution.” Honestly, there is no set solution because the genie’s been loosed and Reality TV is a permanent part of pop culture.

However, when it comes to Blackness, as the ancestor Toni Morrison ideology conveyed, “Black people have been the world’s creative community. We made language, music, and metaphors out of our oppression. We turned survival into art.”

It is up to us to push the boundaries of our creative expression and on both sides of the fence. Just as the pendulum swung to place unscripted content as King, there is a surge of Black creators pushing their pen to present nuanced art that shows us in all our colors.

From filmmakers, to writers, and influencers posting commentary that also makes us critically think, we have choices. Variety, therefore not only provides options, but it becomes a statement for HOW we want our Blackness to be portrayed and what we choose to lean in to. I just wish we all could balance our love of being entertained with the need to spread more positivity.

Myself, included.