Why Corporate Chat Continually Circles Back by Lisa
In the popular reality show Love Island, where singles compete for love and a lucrative endorsement deal with Boohoo, the common way to initiate a conversation is by asking, “Shall we go for a chat?” This phrase often carries a tone similar to a manager inviting an employee for their yearly performance review.
Observing other reality shows centered around romance, such as Married at First Sight and The Only Way is Essex, it’s interesting to note the formal, almost corporate-like tone that has seeped into personal dialogues. Nowadays, resolving disagreements can sound like a call to a customer service representative about an overpriced phone bill. Phrases like “That has created an issue for myself,” are common, as the other party prepares a response akin to a Human Resources representative.
This corporate tone was evident in a recent episode of Love Island when Lana Jenkins finally resolved her love triangle with Casey O’Gorman and Ron Hall in a dramatic recoupling. After Lana chose Casey, a disappointed Ron invited him for a “handover” chat. This unusual “handover” was conducted similarly to how one might pass on work to a colleague before going on vacation or at the end of a work shift.
This business-like approach to personal relationships has been a trending topic on social media for a while. In 2019, academic and writer Melissa Fabello tweeted a message from a conversation with a friend. In the message, her friend warned her about a difficult topic ahead, asking if Fabello had the emotional and physical capacity to listen to her vent. The tweet went viral, with some people arguing that the interaction treated friendship like a contractual obligation. The debate heated up when Fabello shared an example template of how she would respond if she didn’t have the capacity to provide the necessary support for a friend. This template led to numerous memes and sparked a discussion about the language we use to establish boundaries in relationships.