Reality Tv Essay

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Reality tv has shifted to have viewer interaction than in the past. Competitive Reality Shows specifically have a lot of viewer interaction. One of the many motivations in cultivating a sense of viewer interaction is to ensure that a show has a dedicated group of viewers. The theory is that viewers are more likely to continue to watch a show if they know that their views and concerns are contributing in cultivating the show’s outcome. Thus, while reality tv varies in it’s many formats and genres, researchers agree that viewer interaction and participation has become an integral part of reality tv programming.
Beginning around the early 2000s Reality TV has shifted to a more viewer engaged format. Mathijs of the University of British Columbia …show more content…

Big Brother producers have introduced ways in which audience member could vote for their favorite houseguest. Audience members were directed to cbs.com and throughout several weeks during the show were prompted to vote for the houseguestt they liked the best in that particular season, in a survey the show called “Americas’s Favorite Houseguest”. The houseguest with the most votes as a result would win a cash prize of $25,000. Mark Andrejevic, an associate professor of Communication Studies at Fairfield University, found that shows like Big Brother specifically are able to cultivate a form of viewer interaction through establishing a relationship with the viewing audience. This relationship is cultivated as a result of the efforts of the producers to ensure that the will of the audience is getting communicated and incorporated into every twist and turn that occurs throughout the …show more content…

Mathijs and Hessels have found that through the use of a presumed audience, producers have been able to target certain methods of viewer interaction through targeted campaigns toward specific age demographics. Su Holmes, a faculty member of the University of East Anglia School of Television and Film studies, discusses how technology has increased the feasibility and access to viewer interaction over a large audience. “The core media channels through which interactive opportunities are offered are the conventional telephone, mobile phone, text messaging, digital TV and the internet” (Holmes 2008). Text messaging, the internet, etc. have all been used by producers in order to create a sort of way of dialogue between viewers and a reality tv show. By using something, the cellular phone, that the majority of viewers have access to producers have been able to ensure that every audience member has the ability to stay involved and have a voice in what is happening on a reality tv show. This connection and continual interaction results in an increase in the number of viewers who tune into every

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