The Imaginary is the new Real

A few years back I was in Toronto for a tennis tournament and while I was down there, I had the opportunity to do pretty much whatever until the day of the tournament. My friends and I were wandering Yonge St. and ended up at MTV, a popular TV network station , originally known for airing music videos, but currently airs a variety of content. Just in time for the airing of MTV Live, we joined their live audience. MTV Live, for those of you who don't know is a popular talk show that features daily news, celebrity interviews and live music performances. Anyways, the point of my story is that after all these years of experiencing the imaginary (on TV), I became a part of the real. It was cool and all, but let me tell you.. watching the imaginary all of those years, all of a sudden, was a more enjoyable experience for me. Actually being in the studio was so much less appealing for me. Seeing the set, all the cameras and unflattering lights, the dusty floors, etc. It was like I was in a totally different environment. Also, turns out there's only three rows of audience members whereas on TV it seems like there's an incredible audience every time! I was very disappointed. At the same time, it was cool to see the people run the show, and how everything was put together. I guess what I'm trying to say is it seems that as we disconnect with real, and connect more with the imaginary, not only does it replace the real but seems more appealing than what is real.