A healthy mix of "Big Brother" and "Black Mirror" and an opening theme tune similar to "Stranger Things", Channel 4's new reality show "The Circle" reveals the power of social media. The show began last Tuesday, and eight participants were welcomed into "The Circle" and given the chance to win £50,000. Some chose to be themselves while others chose to play a game and catfish their fellow contestants.
"The Circle" is set to last three weeks, and with the first week over, here is what we have learnt about the power of social media so far. The aim of the game is to be popular, gain the highest ratings from your fellow contestants and become an influencer with the power to send others home.
Although the majority of the contestants chose to be themselves, the paranoia and questioning of others in "The Circle" are on everyone's minds. The show reflects the views of society on social media, with more and more stories being told of the dangers of meeting people online and not in person. "The Circle" reveals how easy it is to pretend to be someone you are not and get away with it.
Catfish contestants
Contestant Alex played the game as Kate, using his girlfriend's photographs and her top tips on how to be believable as a girl in her twenties. It was a tactic that worked well and put Kate at the highest rated contestant twice in a row, meaning that she became an influencer with the power to block one of the other contestants.
However, Alex's lies began to crumble by the end of the week when fellow female contestants Sian and Aiden began to question if she was being real. Alex's black book of tips did not prepare him for handling an argument between girls. A confrontation between Kate, Aiden and Sian threatened to have an effect on Kate's high standing.
Also acting as a catfish was Siobhan who chose to play her game as a sixty-five year old man, Christopher, using photographs of her Grandfather. But her attempts to pretend to be someone else did not work out so well for her, and other contestants questioned her believability, although everyone enjoyed having a Grandad join the group.
Although not a catfish, contestant Freddie has lied about his sexuality since setting up his "Circle" profile. Despite saying in his CV that he is "a proud gay man," his plan has worked out well so far, having gained him a group chat with all the other male contestants and a close friendship with contestant Sian.
Ratings matter
Similar to Facebook and Twitter, where the likes and shares a post receives often reveal popularity, the five-star rating system in "The Circle" does the same. Contestants cannot help but play a game to receive the highest rating to gain power and avoid being blocked.
The show almost resembles an episode of "Black Mirror" where the only way to survive is to be rated highly by people that you have never met and is the main reason that the contestants have kept secrets and told lies.
An example of this is contestant Genelle who has her six-month-old daughter but chose to keep this a secret, so it would not affect her chances of staying.
As the first week came to an end there were power shifts, suspicions and new relationships formed. Another revelation of "The Circle" is that it showed how easily opinions can change through the power of social media.
