After watching Grace Vanderwaal win America’s Got Talent season 11 this past Wednesday, I was uncharacteristically fuming. Legitimately mad. Who thought a tween needed a Vegas show? I am not one to typically have a strong opinion on entertainment news or really, any opinion at all. I’m so ‘meh’ about the subject that I gave my little sister my TV the last semester I was on campus (and I’ve never had Netflix). I’m not anti-tv/movie, but I am probably in a very small minority of people my age that doesn’t have a “my show” watched religiously every week/new season.
After my initial irrational anger, and like 10 minutes of research, I’m slightly more placated, but still wondering why Grace Vanderwaal won this season. Not because she isn’t talented (I think her songwriting is very insightful for her age, and also relatable), not because I don’t think she will do great things (fingers crossed, cheering for you!), but because when I saw her first audition I had the same thought as everyone else – she’s special. However, I am totally fine with waiting a few years before she is thrust into the blue-light of all of our social media platforms. Obviously, I wasn’t the majority.
Alas, it looks like she’s already the buzz of the moment, but we’ll have to see if it lasts or fades. Case in point: Google her now, and in chronological order, it takes five pages before you get to any results not published in the last 24 hours. She went from having a YouTube channel of random shenanigans around the house to having multiple sites dissecting and documenting her 12 years on this planet.I feel like that would be a lot for anyone to handle, but in addition to taking away her privacy, she also got $1 million and a Vegas show. Thankfully, she’s better than 90% of the population since she’s donating a considerable portion to charity, and for herself, only desired a treehouse (who doesn’t want an awesome treehouse?). I was under the impression that a Vegas show would be a long-term commitment, but have since learned this show will only be 3 nights, includes the runners-up, and is a one-time thing. Is that even worth it? It leaves me with similar thoughts to this guy. We know she’s amazing, so why rush her into it? Why don’t we just appreciate her talent, let her grow up, and then come to us when she’s ready; a majority of the other finalists were ready for their break now (shot in the dark, I know.)
Because this is the time of instant gratification, we want great stuff, and we want it now. America wanted Grace now. People had to vote to make this happen, and popular belief would say it was the teens and millennials – the “me” generation, the generation criticized for thinking of nothing but what they want, and how quickly they can get it. While that’s still possible, it’s more probable that it was actually people over the age of 35 who decided this girl needed to be a star right now. Interesting.
I found some reliable marketing statistics on traditional TV viewing (I mean if Google, MIT, LinkedIn, and the Washington Post use these guys, they’re doing something right). People my age aren’t watching as much TV – it’s gone down, but if you’re over 50, your average amount of TV each week has gone up over the past 5 years. Sure, you slow down as you age, but I feel like complaints about how much time “my” generation wastes on our phones can be equated to the time older adults spend in front of their televisions. Yes, we are on our phones a lot and I won’t deny that, but may I point out that those aged 35 – 49 spent around 30 hours a week watching TV in the first quarter of 2016. It also showed that while the average 18-34 year old’s traditional TV watching has gone down, our online TV viewing has gone up.
My point? I’m still baffled about why Grace Vanderwaal won this season of America’s Got Talent, when other contestants would have been a better fit for a longer-running entertainment spot in Vegas, but anyone who has the same sentiments as me can’t prove this was completely the product of young people becoming obsessed with the next kid star, so let's all take responsibility for this and make sure she isn't forced into a box that has to be broken out of later, like so many other kid stars.
