When Did Television Become Subliminal Messaging?

The opinions expressed in this article are The Review Ballerina's. 

Several weeks ago, a new television show began on Thursday evenings and I decided it was a great event for my husband and I. He is a walking encyclopedia of music (the fact he beat my Dad on Trivial Pursuit told me a lot) and when it comes to the genres he doesn't know I'm great filler, I thought this show would be right up our alleys. So Thursday nights became a night of:

That's right, we watch Jamie Foxx and laugh at his jokes, try to get the songs right quickly, and talk about how much money we would've won just like millions of others. A couple of weeks ago they talked about how you could play along with the show with the Shazam app so I downloaded it, spent 20 minutes looking for directions on how to sync up but couldn't find it then gave up. I found myself using the app a couple of times after that to figure out a song but I normally would just ask Siri and get the answer to whatever song it was. I never needed the app, but I felt like to enjoy the show I really needed to get it.

Every night I go through my DVR and delete whatever I'm not going to watch or already had. A special feature of Dish Network's DVRs is you can record what they call "Prime Time Anytime". It records all the major network stations from 7pm-10pm so you can go through and watch what you want. This comes in handy for me I love having it, I've gotten into shows like "Imaginary Mary" (which just like my favorite show Firefly, cancelled on the first season...) and more because it recorded this. Today I went into the folder to delete and just...went slack jawed. A new show aired tonight, and after turning it on and showing my husband I let it run for a few minutes.

Yes, the show is Candy Crush on television. Celebrities play the game, and also other "games" and win money for charities. I sat back watching the show remembering how I used to play Candy Crush but I deleted it off my phone over a year ago after getting bored with it...and finally came to a real conclusion about television:

Television is nothing more than 30 minute subliminal messages.

I watched Beat Shazam for a few weeks, and found myself downloading the app while trying to find a way to play Beat Shazam through my phone. I also began using an app that was completely unnecessary or unneeded on my phone because television told me to get it. Tonight, I saw Candy Crush as a television show. We aren't getting any kind of good sitcoms anymore. Roseanne was a fantastic show in fact I'm in a group on Facebook called "Roseanne Obsessed" (Note: That was not a paid for plug and they are just now realizing they were mentioned, hi!) because I loved the show. It was about a lower middle-class family and their survival through life. Didn't matter race, political affiliation, the actors lives outside of the show; Every single person who watched it could appreciate it and also relate to it. At least one episode spoke about something going on in everyone's lives. Fast forward to today...

...I bet you after Candy Crush aired, they saw a spike in application downloads. On top of that, they probably saw a spike of in-app purchases. While many of us pre-record shows these days from the LAFF channel (Thank you Laff for keeping us grounded!) this is what passes for good television these days. Our lives are now centered and rotating around mobile applications! We no longer have subliminal advertising, it's right in our face in the form of a 30 minute "game" show. This is our television! Instead of spending hours pressing phone screens and clearing digitized candies, we're watching celebrities do it. How in the world did we become a society where instead of watching television for its morals we now watch television to bide our time until we look at our phones again. Heck, we even look at our phones while watching television.

How many people watched Candy Crush tonight? How many of you downloaded the app while watching? How many of you started playing while the celebrities were playing? I deleted Shazam off my phone the moment I realized I fell for the subliminal message of the show. I did not re-download Candy Crush nor will I ever. Be careful everyone, don't get sucked into the subliminal advertising that is no longer subliminal! Let's bring back real television! Firefly and Roseanne, you're very much needed!!!!

Elizabeth is a wife to her wonderful husband, a work at home mother to her beautiful little girl and a blogger for some time now. When she isn't spending time with her "Livvybug", or laughing with her husband, she is looking for new review opportunities and writing or singing along to classic rock and pop music!