Reflection:

Satire

• Understanding satire as a comedic form involves recognizing its power to critique societal norms, behaviours, and institutions through humour and irony. Satire often employs exaggeration, parody, and ridicule to expose hypocrisy, illogicality, or injustices, aiming to provoke thought and incite change. This provides insight into how satire functions to challenge and subvert established conventions.
• In particular, our discussions have highlighted the role of satire in offering commentary on contemporary issues, from politics and culture to interpersonal relationships. Satirical comedy serves as a mirror to society, reflecting its flaws and contradictions in a humorous and often exaggerated manner. By skewering societal norms and behaviours, satire encourages audiences to question the status quo and consider alternative perspectives.
• The sketch about online dating, specifically focusing on the Hinge app and its many issues, embodies the essence of satire by humorously critiquing the modern dating landscape. Through the character of Nia and her therapy session, the sketch explores the frustrations of online dating, from corny pickup lines to deceptive catfishing tactics.
• The sketch responds to the constraints and concepts of satire by employing irony, exaggeration, and parody to highlight the irrationality of online dating culture. The montage of guys using terrible pickup lines serves as a humorous commentary on the superficiality and insincerity often found in online interactions. Similarly, the depiction of a romantic date with a man leading Nia on, only to reveal his disinterest in anything serious, satirises the disconnect between online personas and real-life intentions. Additionally the sketch employs irony in its resolution, as Nia refuses to delete the Hinge app despite her therapist’s advice, indicating a perpetuation of the cycle of online dating disillusionment and the difficulty of breaking free from their grip as well. Once Nia then leaves the therapy session, she discovers the therapist’s dating profile on hinge. This ironic twist serves as a commentary on the addictive nature of online dating platforms, indicating the inter-relational connection between the real world and the digital.
• In conclusion, the sketch effectively utilises satire as a comedic form to critique the pitfalls of online dating culture, employing irony, exaggeration, and parody to provoke laughter and reflection. By highlighting the contradictions inherent in modern dating practices, the sketch offers a humorous yet thought-provoking commentary on the challenges of finding love in the digital age.