[panflute]

In the past I think people were equally wrong when assuming their real life was accurately similar to average for the entire society they lived in and not a regional and perhaps class based bubble. I think there was a short period when amateur media was correcting more misconception than adding to it.

[nephihaha]

It can be the opposite way. I can think of umpteen examples where mainstream media seemed to misrepresent or ignore certain aspects of ordinary life. For example, if a bore is shown in a sitcom or drama, they will usually talk a lot about trains or so called conspiracy theories, not about football (soccer) or the weather... Even though in real life, I've encountered far more football and weather bores. (They are very common all over the UK.) I suspect this is because football is an acceptable thing to drone on about.

Drama writers can also imagine situations which don't derive from real life. Channel 4 had a drama about a Muslim riot grrrl punk band called Lady Parts, something which to my knowledge has never happened in the UK... Because if it had the Guardian etc would be all over it. Maybe it was meant to be a self-fulfilling prophecy. (The drama was written by an upper middle class woman who was sent to private school and lived much of her childhood in Singapore... Not exactly a typical working class British Muslim upbringing.)