Documentary to Detail how TV Shows Manufacture Applause to Manipulate the Public
June 8, 2024
It is rather obvious to most people watching a TV show when they hear forced laughs or applause from the audience when the host says something he wants them to laugh or applaud at. What is not clear is how this process exactly works and what influence does it have on people watching the show.
Given how influential some TV shows have become in shaping public opinion, it is more important than ever to understand this process. For example, when Bill Maher says something incendiary against a group of people, most would expect a reaction of indignation towards him. Instead, we hear laughs from his studio audience. Is he paying the audience, or has he found a cult-like group that cheers and laughs at almost anything he says? These are just guesses, but learning the truth and understanding the effort the producers go through could make these guesses seem benign in comparison.
Additionally, if the public learns exactly how they are being manipulated, rather than having just a vague understanding, they would raise their guards more and be less subject to subversion by these types of tactics.
One could conduct a study on how polls are influenced by shows like The Tonight Show and its various segments, including actual measurements of how each round of applause changes the data and contributes to the statistics.
