What attracts millions of Americans each week to “Reality TV”? Millions of viewers tune in every week to be entertained by gossiping, the drama, and also many real moments in the show. Reality tv has opened many doors for many celebrities and Pop culture as a whole. Reality TV has impacted the world, but it has impacted The United States Of America the most. Studies show that humans like to be entertained by seeing fights and arguments on TV or in person. Many reality TV shows are mixed with scripted and unscripted scenes. America is a state that if someone mainstream is doing something, people want to do the same thing as the popular person. For example, Love and Hip-Hop is one of the most famous reality TV shows of today . They show scenes …show more content…
They are the main component of the new pop culture. Keeping up with the Kardashians, Love and Hip-Hop, and many more reality tv shows are watched by a younger crowd. Why are teens so easily influenced by what they see on reality television? Studies show that it clearly points out that teens and preteens who highly value popularity and physical appearance are much more susceptible to a deeper interaction and connected to reality television (Dodrill 78) . Viewers could connect to certain stars on the show on so many levels. Staff scientist at the Center David Bickham states that “Young people tend to watch shows with older characters to learn what it will be like when they get to that age (Bickham 1) Emphasis has been placed on the idea that youth develop their conceptions of social reality from concurrent experiences in a variety of contexts. Social reality, in this case, refers to the meanings, values, attitudes, norms, and roles that form the basis for social interactions. (Peterson 67) Social reality fits in just right with younger viewers watching the lives of the other people on …show more content…
"The Appeal Of Reality Television For Teen And Pre-Teen Audiences."
Journal Of Youth Ministry 10.2 (2012): 104-107. Academic Search Premier. Web. 26 Oct. 2016. D 'Addario, Daniel. "What Reality TV Can Teach Reality Politics." Time 187.5 (2016): 17-18.
Journal Of Youth Ministry 10.2 (2012): 104-107. Academic Search Premier. Web. 26 Oct. 2016. FOGEL, Joshua, and Lyudmila KOVALENKO. "Reality Television Shows Focusing On Sexual Relationships Are Associated With College Students Engaging In One-Night Stands." Journal Of Cognitive & Behavioral Psychotherapies 13.2 (2013): 321-331. Academic Search Premier. Web. 26 Oct. 2016. Gary W. Peterson and David E. Peters. “Adolescents Construction of Social Reality: The Sexual Relationships Are Associated With College Students Engaging In One-Night Stands." Journal Of Cognitive & Behavioral Psychotherapies 13.2 (2013): 321-331. Academic Search Premier. Web. 26 Oct. 2016. Holy, Peek., M.D,. M.D.H. “ The Impact Of Reality TV On Our Teens: What Can Parents Do?”. The MGH Clay Center for Young Healthy Minds. N.p., 11 Aug. 2014. Web. 16 Oct. 2016. "Is Reality TV Messing With Your Head?." Scholastic Choices 28.3 (2012): 12-17. Academic Search Premier. Web. 1 Nov.
Sipple, L. (2011). The appeal of reality television for teen and pre-teen audiences. Journal of
The first wave of reality TV shows (such as Survivor, The Weakest Link and Dog Eat Dog) played on people's collective anxieties about the new workplace culture whereby nothing is secure. The threat of expulsion and humiliation is what draws people to this style of programming. This was followed by the lifestyle programs, which were the once removed cousins of Reality TV. Naturally no one is entirely satisfied with the way they live so these programs played on people's desires to improve their lifestyle and living conditions. The third wave of Reality shows (such as Joe Millionaire, The Bachelor and For Love or Money) plays with people's fears of falsified relationships; are there ulterior reasons behind a `supposed' loving relationship (such as money)? The main appeal of Reality television is that the viewer experiences raw human emotions like humiliation, deceit and rejection from a removed perspective. The ability to inspect and analyse the happenings of others without being seen takes on a god-like perspective. It invokes the fantasy of having access to all that is hidden.
In reaction to the media’s numerous stigmas around college hookup culture in recent years, sociologists and psychologists have begun to investigate adolescent and young adult hookups more systematically. In “Is Hooking Up Bad for Young Women?” by Elizabeth A. Armstrong, Laura Hamilton and Paula England, this issue is addressed through a reaction to previous articles from sources on opposite sides. One side of the argument over sexual activity for young women places them at risk of “low self esteem, depression, alcoholism, and eating disorders,” while the other side argues that the underlying issue is the “moral panic over casual sex.” This issue has been seen by many as a “sudden and alarming change in youth sexual culture,” but systematic research has shown that experiences of young women in college
How Reality TV affects the audience and the characters who were participating into it? Does it really give knowledge to people who were watching and supporting? Or is it just the sake of money and exposing their appearance on television? When it comes to watching television, people at home can choose which types of program they want to want for many reasons. Some people look to television for inspiration; others want to be kept informed about their surroundings and the world. In the article entitled, “Reality TV and Culture” by Jack Perry, he argues, there are some good points to how reality television are formed and offered. Perry explains that, not all of the shows are designed to encourage and promote dangerous and unrealistic. However,
Reality based television has a broad landscape ranging from competitive game-like shows to programs following the daily lives of a group of people. Every major network now has some form of reality programming because the genre’s shows are high in viewership and require low costs for production. The genre is appealing to viewers because it provides them with a first-hand look into the lives of everyday people, which allows them to observe social behavior that helps them determine what is appropriate or not (Tyree, 2011, p. 397). Since the majority of modern reality stars start out as unknowns, frequent viewers of reality programming believed that fame is obtainable if they appear on a popular show (Mendible, 2004). According to Mendible’s evaluation of the genre in the article Humiliation, Subjectivity, and Reality TV, people enjoy reality programs beca...
The first effect of reality shows is the image it gives viewers. Reality shows give misconceptions of everyday life; the Real World and Jersey Shore show young adults relaxing, having a good time, and partying every day. The...
Cynthia M. Frisby, in her article "Getting Real with Reality TV", analyze reasons why audiences are attracted to reality television programs. According to Frisby, reality television shows have captivate audiences because, apparently people enjoy watching other people 's lives, and they can compare themselves and lives with others. Different people in society see reality tv in different ways: some see it as something to lift it, in either way reality affect society both positively and negatively.
Kids are very impressionable human beings, they see one thing and they begin to imitate this thing. Reality TV enables kids to think for themselves. Going back to the show Maury, it is mostly African American teenagers seen yelling and screaming at the top of their lungs making a spectacle of themselves. Teenagers watch reality television more than anything else. One statistic states, “On average, a teen will watch 28 hours of television per week, adding up to almost 15,000 hours a year” (reportherald.com). Shows such as Love & Hip Hop, exposes teens to
Suellen, Katherine, Rebecca Ortiz, and Jane Brown.” Reality Television shows Reveal the Risks of Teen Pregnancy.” Teen Dating. Ed. Louise I. Gerdes. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2013. Opposing viewpoints. Rpt. From “Evaluating the Impact of Mtv’s 16 and Pregnant on Teens Viewers’ Attitudes about Teens Viewers’ Attitudes about Teens Pregnancy.” Science says vol.45.2012. Opposing viewpoints in context Web. 26. Feb. 2014.
Reality Television has changed television in a way that no one could have imagined. Being the one of the most talked about genre in history, it is seen by millions of viewers. It has more ratings than any other kind of show (Breyer 16). From its start, there have been many Reality Television shows. Shows like The Real World, Survivor, Big Brother, and Jersey Shore. All of these give off a negative portrayal of reality. While Americans watch these shows, it seems that the show is real life, but in reality, no pun intended, before the show is even filmed, it’s written, edited, and produced (Breyer 21). Writers humiliate and degrade people just for the plot of the show, making their private lives public (Breyer 16).
Papacharissi, Z & Mendelson, AL 2007, ‘An exploratory study of reality appeal: Uses and Gratifications of reality TV shows’, Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, vol. 51, issue 2, June, pp. 355-370.
Many reality TV shows are driving young kids to be driven by money and fame. Our reality television makes us seem ignorant to other countries. Young viewers of these reality TV shows do not realize that most of the shows are often scripted and are not “real”. Although the programming of reality TV can be highly entertaining, it is important to be aware of the messages, and values that these shows often portray. Since reality TV has such a strong foothold in American pop culture, it is likely not going anywhere or changing its content any time soon.
Paul, E. L., & Hayes, K. A. (2002). The casualties of “casual” sex: A qualitative exploration of the phenomenology of college students’ hookups. Journal of personal and Social Relationships, 19, 639-661.
In this day and age, there isn’t hardly a person who doesn’t watch some form of reality television. Whether it is an adrenaline pumping baking competition, a talent based show with singing and dancing, or the pure entertainment of a day in the life of celebrities most everyone watches some form of reality television. There seems to be a few different sides of reality TV that make it so entertaining for people to watch. There seems to be the shows that lure people in because of the motivational aspect, the drama, or the deep down genuine appearance. However, most people are oblivious to the fact that the screen they are watching isn’t usually what actually happens in real life. James Poniewozik explains the manipulation going on behind the camera
One of the main reasons for watching reality TV is to provide people with entertainment. To an extent, the majority of society has a desire to explore what goes on in the world around them. People like watching drama that occurs on public television. “Insults, temper tantrums, selfishness, gross behavior, and plain old stupidity- these are the main ingredients for most of today’s reality TV shows. Guess who is watching them? Millions of viewers just like you” (Cohen). “Viewers cannot seem to get enough of the torture, embarrassment, temptation, and above all, drama of other regular, everyday people being placed in unrealistic settings and manipulated for the world to see” (Pontius). These two quotes state that the reason that the majority of our society watches these shows, is that they are entertained by the supposed reality that is portrayed.