That familiar tune plays again on television as the hit reaity show Survivor returns for a 17th season, this time, in Gabon, Kenya. Once again 18 castaways are grouped into tribes, knowing that in order to attain personal glory at the end, they first need to cooperate in order to achieve tribal immunity (losing tribe had to vote a member to leave the game) during inter-tribal challenges and avoid tribal council (where voting takes place). Also, their initial teamwork was demanded, literally, for survival sake as Gabon is a land of beasts that is almost untouched by humans.
Within the tribes, members demonstrate all the basic characteristics of being part of a group. There was casual interaction as everyone had begun as strangers to one another and needed to get to know their "team-mates". They're also interdependent for basic survival tasks i.e catching fish for food, collecting water, starting fires. Tribe members also have a certain degree of shared behavourial standards. For example, it is an unsaid rule that everyone must help in the day-to-day activities in camp. Lastly, each tribe has an obvious collective identity, albeit a rather superficial one, as they don their respective tribe's colours on their bandanas. Interestingly enough, the oldest members of each of the two tribes were made the "leaders" of the tribe. In the second episode, members of tribe Fang came to an iffy collective agreement that their tribe did not need a real leader, largely because they weren't satisfied with some of Gillian's (oldest member of tribe fang) actions and the fact that nobody wanted to step up to assume that position of power since it would inadvertently make that individual look "strong" and therefore risk becoming a target. In other words, tribe Fang decided that they would count on their group synergy to pull them through.
Contestants have to constantly manage group dynamics and ensure that they balance their effort based on both individual and group needs. Should they choose to solely focus their energy on individual needs then they would be seen as selfish and voted off right away but at the same time they could not afford to just be the ultimate team player and not watch their backs because backstabbing was the name of the game. It is a classic case of group socialisation as contestants seeked to influence the group to act in certain ways or make certain decisions that would most benefit them in terms of their power and level of membership within the tribe. Finally, the occurance of groupthink takes place repeatedly. Within a tribe, cliques or alliances are formed and the one with the most members is the group within the group that is in "power". Most of the time, the relatively low-profile members of a tribe go along with the decision of the dominant alliance on who to vote off even though they do not understand the logic behind it, for fear that their disobedience would put their heads on the chopping block instead.
Which role do you think would be the best strategy in this game of complex group dynamics? The manipulative backstabber, the quiet worker or maybe the outspoken leader? Ever thought of how you would play the game should you be a contestant on Survivor?
10 comments:
Even though it is just another reality series program, Survivor is one which shows the harsh realities of interpersonal and group communication. We see two types of people, the scheming type and the honest type. Because they think differently, the game progresses with lots of twist. Looking at their acts and schemes, are we very much different from them in our real lives?
i must say that survivor is the greatest reality show that captures all the characteristic of human. the show clearly shows what man is capable of. that the world is a theatre and we're actors and actresses in a show. a show of our personal lives.
i think i will play the role of the quiet back stabber! this way u subtly induce ur team mates to vote each other out!
there are similar board games that have been created with the human political touch too! IM THE BOSS is one of those. you should try it! its about persuading ur frens to do business with u even though they have nothing to gain!
'OeeeOOOoooEEEAAEEA' ahaha that's funny! You're the second person I happened to come across who did a blog post on Survivor besides me. Again, great minds think alike! =)
I find Survivor really interesting because it has to do with interpersonal as well as group communication. For instance Ken tries to form more than just an alliance with michelle. Too bad she's voted off so he can't progress with that. and Ace, he tries to get the team together with his yoga and stuff.
I feel that when they strike a good balance between these 2 types of communication they are bound to be successful in the game. (:
Sad to say I've only watched the first 2 seasons of Survivor and caught smatterings of the other 14 .
But OH MY GOD , isn't that a hell lot of Survivor ? (I love the backstabbing and drama ! /popcorn)
I believe Survivor is an excellent series for COM101 students . The myriad of different forms of communications and whatever perceptual blah and framework blah and stereotype blah that you guys learn are all encompassed in ONE tv series . Is that brilliant or brilliant . But of course a NON-COM101 student like me can just enjoy the backstabbing and drama . QQ
OeeeOOOoooEEEAAEEA !
I still remember Survivor One..The manipulation the outwitting the surviving in the jungle..All of which was so thrilling.
By the way i read in a magazine that the contestants sleep in cabins at night(after the camera's are switched off.
The manipulation acheived through communication is awesome, I agree with Marv, Survivor is a splendid series for Comm students to dissect. And as for your question, I would be the quiet useful guy.
It's a tender balance to sustain day in and day out. How to get along with touchy, tense people that are placed in situations where they have the ultimate goal of getting one individual prize. When people are placed in situations like that, they tend to cash in on their capitalist sides. Else, why would they have even signed up for a game show like Survivor?
In any case, like what some people have said, we can really get to witness their real personalities. It's a fascinating process. In the end, we're so interested to see what other copies of our species would do that we waste one hour of our lives every week staring slack-jawed at the incredible drama and deceit that unfolds. That in itself is amusing, no?
Personally, I would say that my interest for the reality show has decreased as years go by.
However, I would have to admit that it is a entertaining show if you like watching backstabbing and fights. Moreover, it is also a good social experiement to see how people use various group communication techniques to achieve their goals.
Well, i think one should take up the role of the outspoken but caring individual during the initial stages. Adopt a snake's role towards the finale to see off competitors. Its a game of backstabbing and gossiping.
All the bullshit about "caring" for one another is unconvered by so many of the nonverbal ques that we learn during lectures.Competitors are dying to get one another off the boat, hence the name survivor. How complentary this series is with our module...
I never really liked Survivor . haha . But in any case , yea , Survivor is a great series to look out for how people communicate in a group . It also kinda showed that if anyone want to achieve success , you need to be in a group . Which is why the contestants are constantly trying to form alliances . There you get to see the art of persuasion at its best .
If I'm supposed to be a contestant (which I won't because I have had enough of outfields) , I think I will try not to be too outstanding .. and at the same time make a large party to keep myself in the game for as long as possible .
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