Manipulation Of The Media In Society (The Truman Show Movie Review)

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to have the uninterrupted attention of the world on you ceaselessly? The control and influence that the media puts on individuals and society is illustrated in the classic movie, The Truman show. In the movie, The Truman show Truman Burbank struggles with the media’s manipulation of real life, jurisdiction of his own life, and Truman’s inability to find seclusion.

The media’s manipulation of reality exploits the differentiation between what we perceive as reality and what veritably is. Throughout the exposition of the movie, we see The Truman Show’s director, Kristoff prognosticate Truman’s actions precisely and affix new obstacles for Truman to react to and overcome daily for the purpose of entertainment. Once Truman becomes dubious of his situation, we discover the reality that Kristoff has built a world around Truman made up of actors with elaborate scripted stories in order for Truman to react a certain way so it makes for good TV.  Truman’s suspicion of the reality of his world which leads him to try to get off the island is only strengthened when Kristoff, in an attempt to get rid of the suspicions throws unrealistic challenges towards Truman such as when he staged Truman’s supposedly dead father returning only now from when Truman was young due to supposed amnesia when he was thrown off a boat. Viewers watching the Truman show, however, see this as a return of the actor who played Truman’s dad earlier in Truman’s life. Nonetheless, media manipulation in The Truman Show is discernible everywhere except for Truman himself which causes Truman to lose sense of actuality. Media manipulation can cause us to focus on obtaining an idealistic state instead of graspe the obtainable intention of a notable life.

Over the lust of entertainment, the media can cause us to lose jurisdiction over our own life. Numerous times throughout the show we discern the many advertisements that metaphorically pause Truman’s own life. For example, we see Truman’s wife, Meryl ludicrously ignoring Truman’s disheartened behaviour to advertise “New Mococoa drink mix”, consequently, leading Truman towards bewildered and agitated actions. Truman Burbank also makes an unconventional decision to fly to Fiji but is quickly halted because he is unable to leave the miniscule studio he is unaware he lives in. Moreover, a flashback of Truman’s adolescents is shown which manifests Truman’s individual decision being deprived when he wants to spend time with Sylvia but she is unfortunately taken away from him. The media’s jurisdiction over our life can eliminate the birthright of making decisions that we as individuals ordinarily can make using our own perspective and knowledge of life.

The media has taken the virtue of seclusion, a right to everyone away from Truman. During an interview with Kristoff we retain how little privacy Truman is actually given. In this interview Kristoff arrogantly states how through Truman’s day to day routine 5000 cameras are always ready to record him. Various clips throughout the show include Truman in his bathroom mirror as well as sleeping in his bed, both places where most would want seclusion but Truman is deprived of that privilege. Once Kristoff’s temper arises during Truman’s attempt at an escape on the sailboat, we hear him unpleasantly state that everyone has seen his birth and that everyone might as well see Truman’s death. With The Truman show, being televised 24/7 Truman is given no opportunity to collect himself without a portion of the world always watching him and he is entirely unaware of any of it. Seclusion shouldn’t be treated as an exemption but rather an entitlement to everyone no matter who you are and the media unsparingly stripped that right away from Truman.

The movie, The Truman Show vividly illustrates Truman Burbank’s external struggle with the media’s manipulation of his life, jurisdiction of his own physiological decisions, and unwillingness to offer Truman any solitude. Continuously throughout the movie Truman is challenged with the media’s hindrances for their own rapacious intentions. The uninterrupted of the world on you ceaselessly can be deceivingly desired at first but, when scrutinized can provoke dilapidation in even the best of people.