fishers, surfers and casters

And here’s the paper on BB08 that I’m preparing for a possible conference in Melbourne in 2009, or for a journal or book section, or just my own interest…

Religion and ideology in Big Brother 08

Weeks before the first airing of the 2008 series of Big Brother in Australia (known in shorthand as BB08), Channel Ten offered viewers a “sneak peek” of some of the contestants. In ten-second video-bytes, contestants would make simple statements that would offer their audience a glimpse into their character. Watching these snippets, I couldn’t help but ask why the very first words of a BB08 contestant heard on air would be those of a middle-aged white woman, “I believe that religion is the root of all evil.” I believe the question was answered in part when audiences were introduced to another contestant, an escapee of a cult who speaks freely of his faith journey outside the confines of organised religion.

This paper/presentation will outline the findings of a survey of religious content in conversations between contestants exposed to the television audience, its commentary by the show’s presenters, and ritual practices of both contestants and presenters in BB08’s various programs (The Daily Show, Eviction and Big Mouth). I believe my analysis will show that BB08 is not just a game, not just a “social and psychological experiment” among contestants (as widely promoted and advertised), but also an ideological experiment played out between the producers of the show and its audiences.

In a media environment where the word “religion” is more frequently associated with war, terrorism and discrimination than faith, love or justice, religion has become a more prominent field of ideological debate in Australian society. The “real-life” drama seen on BB08, I will argue, is a carefully plotted and predicted expression of mass media’s view of Australian religious debates and dialogues.

Paul Emerson Teusner is a PhD student in the School of Applied Communications at RMIT University in Melbourne, Australia. While he has never enjoyed watching Big Brother, he recognises its cultural significance, and has been labelled a “theologian” when talking about ritual practices in Big Brother on ABC Radio.

A few weeks ago my supervisor and I met with a couple of members of RMIT’s Globalism Institute (I think that’s what it’s called). We discussed the idea of hosting a conference in Melbourne next year with funds from the Fulbright Symposium. The theme of the conference, if it gets up and running, will be Religion, Ideology and Media. It’s a loose title, but can incorporate so many things.

The night before I had seen Channel Ten’s first “sneak peek” at the Big Brother 08 contestants. The first was an older woman who stated “I believe religion is the root of all evil”. It made me think, what is on Channel Ten’s agenda that leads them to make this statement the first utterance spoken publicly from any BB08 contestant? Mmmm, methinks therein lies a good starting point for a paper.

So I’m working on the abstract now. In the meantime my new life-partner, an HDD digital TV recorder who has stolen my heart, is collecting all episodes of BB08 for me, so I can maintain some sensibility in the household and don’t have to give in to my daughter’s constant pleads to watch the show. It also means I can just sit down one weekend and get the whole damn viewing thing out of the way.

Worst thing about doing research on Big Brother, it means you have to watch it.