You will become way less concerned with what other people think of you when you realize how seldom they do.
David Foster WallaceRead
TV's 'real' agenda is to be 'liked,' because if you like what you're seeing, you'll stay tuned. TV is completely unabashed about this; it's its sole raison.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Television aims to gain viewers' approval to maintain their attention, prioritizing entertainment over content.
David Foster Wallace highlights the underlying agenda of television, which is driven by the desire to be liked by its audience. This pursuit of approval dictates how content is created and presented, emphasizing entertainment value often at the cost of more substantial or thought-provoking material.
Themes
TelevisionMediaAudienceApprovalEntertainment
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about the impact of reality TV on society, this quote can highlight how media shapes public perception.
More from David Foster Wallace
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It seems important to find ways of reminding ourselves that most 'familiarity' is meditated and delusive.
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Under fun's new administration, writing fiction becomes a way to go deep inside yourself and illuminate precisely the stuff you don't want to see or let anyone else see, and this stuff usually turns out (paradoxically) to be precisely the stuff all writers and readers share and respond to, feel.
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