We hate to love it so much.

What is it about reality TV shows like Love Island that have us so hooked? Each and every year we are glued to our screens to what can only be described as mind numbing television, but why do we love it? While I think we can all agree that it really is not anything remotely intelligent to be consuming, we don't care. Love Island is successful for a number of reasons, and you'll be surprised that "we're all idiots" isn't one of them. We hear it time and time again from people who don't watch Love Island, it's mind-numbing, only stupid people are interested in that, all of that talk. But in reality, millions of people tune in every summer, and most of us are far from that. Love Island gives a sense of community, never in the history of reality TV has a show brought a group of people together like this. https://twitter.com/amil/status/1022427558774820864?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1022427558774820864%7Ctwgr%5Ehb_0_10%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Ftheconversation.com%2Flove-island-what-makes-the-show-so-successful-163385 When we're watching the show, we're not just watching, we're reading through Twitter, we're seeing what the families are posting for their loved ones in the villa, we're reading about it the following morning in follow up pieces. There's a sense of belonging, that we're a part of something. There are other people that have the same interest in something that we don't know, a connection to other people through this. Of course we wouldn't have this online community if we didn't have the show itself. At its core, Love Island is about entertaining its audience. The people here are real, they are living their real lives in real time. Nobody is acting (unless they're playing games) and the longer they are in the villa, the more authentic they get. We get to see different sides to them, we see vulnerability and emotions, we see drama that we don't have to be involved in. It's like hearing gossip so juicy you need to talk to someone about it, but here we can because we don't know these people and everyone is watching, it's gossip that doesn't impact our own lives. Another thing that makes Love Island so successful is its social media strategy. Audiences in shows this popular are a part of the conversation. Simply watching isn't enough, fans are getting involved on social media and reality TV has had to adapt. Research has shown that audience engagement and a strong social media strategy is a must when it comes to Love Island. By using their own social media to post teasers, viral moments and unseen clips, they are generating a new conversation in the comments, they are hiking up their own engagement while simultaneously reeling viewers into the next episode. Whether you love it or you hate it, the producers of this show know what works, and they'll use that to keep us in.