...what a leveller this remote-control gizmo was...it chopped down the heavyweight and stretched out the slight until all the set's emissions, commercials, murders, game-shows, the thousand and one varying joys and terrors of the real and the imagined, acquired an equal weight...
In Salman Rushdie's "The Satanic Verses," the remote control is portrayed as a powerful equalizer in a world filled with diverse media experiences. It allows viewers to easily navigate through a multitude of shows, commercials, and various forms of entertainment and news, regardless of their weight or gravity. This capability blurs the lines between significant and trivial content, presenting everything as equally important in the realm of television. As a result, audiences are provided a sense of control over their viewing preferences, leading to a homogenization of content where serious issues and lighter fare are treated with the same level of attention. Rushdie highlights this phenomenon by referring to the remote control as a "leveller," emphasizing its role in reshaping the way we perceive and engage with media in a contemporary context.
In Salman Rushdie's "The Satanic Verses," the remote control is portrayed as a powerful equalizer in a world filled with diverse media experiences. It allows viewers to easily navigate through a multitude of shows, commercials, and various forms of entertainment and news, regardless of their weight or gravity. This capability blurs the lines between significant and trivial content, presenting everything as equally important in the realm of television.
As a result, audiences are provided a sense of control over their viewing preferences, leading to a homogenization of content where serious issues and lighter fare are treated with the same level of attention. Rushdie highlights this phenomenon by referring to the remote control as a "leveller," emphasizing its role in reshaping the way we perceive and engage with media in a contemporary context.
