MTV: Where Has the Music Gone?

MTV stands for Music Television. Music Television. Music, as in songs. They started with their revolutionary ideas in 1981, back in the days when music was something you listened to. Nobody believed there would be any interest in a TV station that showed nothing but music clips. They were wrong. It didn't take too long for MTV to become so influential that having a decent clip was almost more important than having a decent song. VJ's got rock-star status and could make or break a song. MTV became a style, a brand more than just a TV-station. Their fast-paced filming style and informal interviews quickly became the standard for a new generation of teenagers to grow up with. As interest grew, MTV realized that different nations listen to different music and daughter stations appeared all over the world. The future was bright and shiny. But somehow, they lost it all.....

Rather than sticking to what they did best, MTV decided to have non-music related shows as well. They still appealed to the youngsters, with Beavis and Butthead becoming the icons for kids all over the world. A few years later, and MTV went a step further. Reality TV had taken over the whole world, and in an attempt to keep up with modern times, the whole world could follow the daily adventures of The Osbournes, a real-life family as close to The Simpsons as they come. Ozzy already was a caricature of himself by the time they aired the show, but the rest of the family grabbed the opportunity to stardom with both hands.

Encouraged by the popularity of the show, MTV went further and further and after defying the boundaries of good taste for a while, crossed them completely with some 'Real Life Shows' that range from gross to sickening to everything in between. Where there was still some humor to be found in programs like Jackass, the last batch of shows have taken a deep dive for the worse. Dating shows, The Real Life,Pimp My Ride, quality is no longer the standard and the worst yet had to come.

The all-time winner in bad taste has to be I want a famous face, a reality show where we follow some youngsters who want to look like their idol and undergo plastic surgery in order to do so. We're talking about normal looking guys who think girls will suddenly fall in love with them because they get their cheekbone lifted or young girls who obviously will become famous actresses after breast implants, nose corrections and new eyebrows. Most of them look nothing like their idol afterward, nor do they achieve their goals, which makes an already sad show even worse. Not one of this shows has got anything to do with music.

I want my MTV, but not like this.