OPERATIE NL FIT: Constituting and reinforcing self-government

Abstract

Commercial reality TV has often been analysed as a technology of governing and as providing technologies of the self. This article explores this relationship further by doing a critical discourse analysis on a particular media text, OPERATIE NL FIT. This Dutch public service programme’s self proclaimed goal is to stimulate the Dutch citizens to be healthier and fitter. The goal of this article is to show how this programme constitutes and reinforces a specific notion of the self. This particular case will also shed more light on the Dutch context and the role of public service TV as a technology of governing. I will especially look at the transformation of the participants, the role of the experts and the multi-platform approach of the show.