In its 6th season, the Peacock reality show Love Island USA has become the most-watched series in the United States. Millions have witnessed the ridiculousness of a highly choreographed presentation of romance under a system that works overtime to find profit in every aspect of life. Capitalism erodes genuine feelings of love by making us choose partners based on who can survive the system with us; we are expected to chase money rather than fulfilling bonds.
Set in Fiji, the show is presented as a paradise, where attractive singles date with the potential of gaining fame and a $100,000 prize. There are big faults with the program, notably the lack of LGBTQ+ participants, and the fact that we only see contestants who are lean and buff. Corporations do not want to include people who reject the nuclear family structure or the accepted and highly manufactured standards of beauty. The contestants are used to sell products. They are walking advertisements to shame us into trying to be desirable like them.
The relationships themselves leave much to be desired. The prize money takes center stage over forming meaningful connections, as contestants are willing to betray each other and end relationships to stay in the competition. In this way it’s a mirror held up to our larger society—an endless competition where we are supposed to attach to people and then let go of them based on how they can benefit us, competing with everyone else all the time.
There’s also never serious talk about politics or social issues, as the series wants to make viewers think that politics should have no place in our personal lives. Contestants are too busy complimenting their physical appearance to discuss serious issues like climate change, children dying in Gaza, or the struggle to pay the bills. This is love that can only exist in a bubble of fantasy, not in the real world where everything is burning down around us.
Under capitalism and in shows like Love Island, the human need for connection and relationships is reduced to a commodity. In a country suffering from loneliness, many are willing to waste hours watching dating shows to fill the void of deficient or barely existing relationships. Capitalists know there is money to make by selling romance, so they will continue to do so.
Love Island USA is a stark example of how this profit-driven system depletes our values and needs by putting profit ahead of human connection. If you’re looking for a more realistic exploration of what it means to break free from unrealistic norms and pursue the types of relationships we really need, you will have to look beyond the scope of this unrealistic and totally manufactured series.
