An interesting read from Vanity Fair recently discussed the legacy of Gossip Girl, an American television show that ran in the early 2000s.
"The show premiered before Instagram or Snapchat had launched, and before Facebook and Twitter had become the juggernaut forces they are today. But the premise of the series—an anonymous blogger, who goes by “Gossip Girl,” monitors the goings-on of a small group of glamorous Upper East Side high-schoolers—predicted, to an almost eerie extent, what was to come for our culture."
Read the full article here: https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2017/08/gossip-girl-ten-year-anniversary?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=THR%27s%20Today%20in%20Entertainment_now_2017-08-30%2007:00:16_ehayden&utm_term=hollywoodreporter_tie
Something that is interesting about Gossip Girl, as well, is the fact that it has remained so timeless while other shows that are so similar have not. (One example that comes to mind is 90210, which is centered around the same "type" of teenager except in Los Angeles.) I think the reason is because, as the article said, it predicted what was coming in American culture. The secrecy and scandal of Gossip Girl is not dissimilar to accounts that are run today (some of which don't even focus on celebrities) that have no respect for the privacy of those being talked about. It feels as though instead of predicting this mindset, it influenced people to have this mind set. Viewers saw how the internet/social media was treated on gossip girl, and they mimicked it because the show inspired ideas of glamour and scandal in impressionable minds. As social media evolved, so did modern day "gossip girl".
Thanks for sharing the article, Rachna! It was an enjoyable read; I've watched all six seasons of Gossip Girl about three times, and I can say that one thing that's really appealed to me is how the storyline is crafted around the setting of New York. The characters and plot are fully fleshed out, but beyond that they all seem to relate to the backdrop of the city in some way. That says a lot about New York culture, but also the culture of Upper East Side New York as well--it speaks to how much places influence people.