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Reality of reality television
The dangers of reality TV
3 arguments about reality TV
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beginning of reality television. One thing many wonder and some already believe is how real “Reality” television is currently. According to McCraley in a survey of students at BGSU 61.5% of people said they did not think “Reality based shows” depicted real life accurately and 35.3 said they somewhat did. This shows that the majority of people do not think that it is realistic. The producers pick out the people and usually they end up having an equal number of men and women as well as at least one minority and one homosexual (“Reality TV”). They choose people who will cause a sensation but also look for conflict (“Reality TV”). The producers want to create story lines that the audiences wants to see so they use the footage they get to create story lines of conflict and sex since those seem to work the best (“Reality TV”). Although there is the reality of people being chosen from an everyday group of people the rest is basically not true reality. Many people could probably agree that people act differently when they are being filmed as well. There is always going to be people who put on an act to make the audience like them. That takes even more of the reality out of it.
By calling it reality television yet having various people not acting like that really would and then having the footage chosen to set a certain story makes those watching, especially young children, think that’s how people truly act. When they figure that is how people act they start acting like that as well.
Just as Tyson states, “It’s like junk food: we love it and we know it’s bad for us, but we─and our children─watch anyways.” Although many people know how bad of an influence it is for them and their children they still continue to watch because t...
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McCraley, Kelly. " Reality Television- Survivor and the Others." Reality Television. N.p., n.d. Web. 8 May 2014. .
McGee, Monica. " A Brief History of Reality Television." Reality Television. N.p., n.d. Web. 8 May 2014. .
McKay, Hollie. "Experts: Reality shows featuring fighting females harmful to the young girls who watch them." . N.p., 10 Oct. 2012. Web. 8 May 2014. .
Tyson, Zakeia. "The Negative Influence of Reality TV on Teenage Girls." The Opportunity Agenda. N.p., 2 May 2012. Web. 8 May 2014. .
“This is the true story… of seven strangers… picked to live in a house… work together and have their lives taped… to find out what happens… when people stop being polite… and start getting real” (Robinson par. 8). The reality television program, The Real World, by MTV, had its first airing in 1992 and is one of the longest-running shows in MTV history. Initially, the program was designed as an outlet for young individuals to express common issues of adulthood ranging from prejudice, religion, AIDS, sex, and substance abuse, but eventually it evolved into a showcase for immature and reckless behaviors.
The majority of romance-based reality television programming is geared towards the individuals under thirty- five years old. It is important to note, some reality shows like Survivor and Celebrity Apprentice target a wider demographic. These shows typically target eighteen to forty-nine year olds. The re...
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 emergence and soon popularity of reality TV in some degree demonstrates the huge market of selling “real experience” through exposing “realities” of privacy, relationship between players, etc. (Deery 2004 in TV program area.). However, reality TV may not be intrinsically “real” though almost all involved players are unprofessional actors and programs are usually highly inscribed. Players are actually selected carefully (e.g. audition or interviews) and constrained by various signed agreements and all filmed scene sections are delicately edited with special purposes, making reality TV kind of erasing reality and fiction together (Bingchun & George (2003)).
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 these programs are high in viewership and require low costs for production. The genre’s shows provide audiences with a first-hand look into the lives of everyday people, which creates resonance among viewers because they feel like they can relate to the characters on screen (Hasinoff, 2008). Since the majority of modern reality stars start out as unknowns, frequent viewers of reality television have essentially bought into the belief that they too can achieve overnight fame by appearing on a popular show (Mendible, 2004). According to Mendible’s evaluation i...
...sold worldwide. This makes teenagers and other young adults do unruly things to try and gain their own spot in the limelight. Even though reality television is supposed to be this great source of entertainment and may make us happy at the moment, if not watched carefully and really thought about it could ruin someone’s life with its negative values.
Reality television serves essentially the same purpose of all television programming: supporting the political economy of the industry while reflecting dominant ideological positions for the viewer. Additionally, this study questions the limited research on reality television programming from a cultural studies perspective and argues more research from a cultural perspective is required to
Thesis/ Preview: Good afternoon, Mr. Charles and fellow classmates, My name is Ianna Blanchard and I am here to inform you on what reality TV is, how it all started, and why is this genre of television so popular.
Over the past couple of years, reality tv shows have become much more popular. They tend to be on many channels and have a vast variety of interests so everyone can pick something they like. Susan Whitbourne writes a psychological view on viewers in her article “ Who watches reality shows and why?” and Andrea Seigel also explains her own perspective on why people watch these shows in her article “The Life Lessons Hidden in Reality Tv”.
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.
Lights flashing, cameras clicking, and lavish lifestyle – all equal reality television shows? Wrong. Imagine your walk out to your mail box: pajamas, slippers, and a mug of coffee. You grab your newspaper and T.V. Guide to head inside to start your daily routine. This is a real-life situation that would fit within the boundaries of the definition of the word “reality”. No one would click record or devote time in their day to watch someone do something they could personally experience themselves. Yet, chances are the guide you just grabbed somehow contains lists upon lists of differing reality T.V. shows. How is this possible? Reality television stretches the title “reality” just a bit too far as they have been accused of providing scripts, staging and editing “real” life situations, dramatizing and influencing how cast members behave, and promoting unethical values for a monetary gain. Any group or organization, no matter the size or amount of money they wield would be able to take down this multi-billion dollar genre, yet if viewers and producers around the programs would take the shows for what they are, entertainment programs, then it would reduce the amount of deceitfulness surrounding it .
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).
Profanity and violence are mostly what is involved in reality tv. One advantage of having regulations would be that it would limit violence that can be a bad influence on younger viewers. “After being read arguments on both sides of the issue nearly two-thirds of parents (63%) say they favor new regulations to limit the amount of sex and violence in TV shows during the early evening hours, when children are most likely to be watching (35% are opposed).” (Facts and TV Statistics 2). By watching this kind of program, it encourages people to do what they do because they think that since those people are getting attention by doing that, they will get it too. With that being said, Shannon Kelly writes, “Some worry that if young people look to reality stars as role models, they might imitate the violence committed by the stars.” (Reali...
Reality television engages the viewers by providing a story line and plot similar to the way a writer engages their readers, the only difference is viewers are seeing those things played out by regular people like ourselves. According to Penn state communications professor S.Shyman Sundar the most appealing aspects of reality television is “ The power to make audience members feel like part of the action, viewers join the creative production; the experience feels less like simply watching television and more like being a part of a shared national project”. Like most reality shows, many viewers tend to pick and choose who their favorites or least favorite players are, based on the behavior of the participants. As the game progresses viewers tend to rally for the individual who’s ethical and moral odyssey results in winning the game this is accomplished not only by being a strategic player but also being a person who doesn’t cross to many unethical boundaries. While watching a show I look for what the average person might do to win, will they play in a way that makes the viewer route for them or hope for their quick departure. In a game where a participant could win a million dollars, many players put their own personal beliefs about how people should be treated aside; some will do anything by any means to win and in doing so could result in the loss of the million dollars.
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.