I like business reality shows so I regularly watch Dragon’s Den and The Apprentice on BBC, and I absolutely love both shows.
Therefore, when I saw that Netflix recently added Shark Tank, which is the American version of the British Dragon’s Den I immediately got interested.
I was not disappointed because Shark’s Tank is brilliant. The American culture of politeness and entertainment is very visible in the show. Thus, sharks are more likely to invest and the feedback is always detailed but less brutal than in the UK. There is one exception to this and that is Kevin O’Leary, also called Mister Wonderful. O’Leary is brutal and other sharks joke with him frequently.
The other members of cast include Mark Cuban, Barbara Corcoran, Lori Greiner, Robert Herjavec, Daymond John, Richard Branson, and Sara Blakely. In a few episodes we also saw Ashton Kutcher and some other famous guests.
What is particularly striking here is how open Americans are about their connections in retail and online business and how they pitch to entrepreneurs when they compete to win an investment (i.e when more than one shark is interested and makes an offer). They openly pitch by using their connections in this or that industry, which really shows the network society theory at its best.
The network society theory explains how today’s world has evolved from previous individual and group relations to relations that are happening within networks. In that sense, the communication has changed and we now live in the era of hyper-connectivity. However, changes in the way we communicate also affect our social relations for we no longer engage in personal relations as much as we use to but rather use technology to communicate and build relations. While those who are part of the network society fit into various roles, those who are not part of the network society are increasingly becoming unemployable. This in turn is causing grief among people who can’t join the network society, which is why we have anti-globalist movement and the upsurge of nationalism across the West.
Indeed, if you openly listen on national TV how people have connections to get you anywhere and boost your business while you struggle to make ends meet, that can cause grief. And then sadly, instead of working hard to join in some people opt out even more and make very questionable decisions, especially when it comes to voting behaviour.
This film gives a good overview of the network society, the way it works and how different groups respond to it.
Either way, whether you are a part of the network society and whether you support it or not, this show is entertaining and dynamic enough to be worth watching.
Thank you for reading.