The Influence Of Reality Television

America has loved television ever since it was invented in 1927. But what does America love most about television? Drama. Reality television is when real people’s daily lives are filmed for entertainment. These programs happily provide us with a daily dose of gossip. You either love them or hate them, there isn’t much of an in between. It is also becoming even harder for those who despise them to avoid the popular shows. This obsession all began in 1894, when Candid Camera first aired, and increased in the 2000s. Soon as we know it, almost everyone is watching Keeping Up with the Kardashians or The Real Housewives of Orange County. So why do we take the time out of our day to watch these shows? Possible answers to this question include

When watching reality shows like Keeping Up with the Kardashians with my friends, I find that we often compare ourselves to those on the screen. We either degrade ourselves or the characters. The counter is usually the most favored. Therefore, there have been many times where I have heard someone exclaim things such as, “She looks terrible! I look way better than her.” These degrading comments are much easier to make when behind a screen. In addition, everyone's a bit insecure. So, some will continue watching television to make themselves feel better. Some reality television shows show celebrities’ day to day normal life, even though their lives are far from normal, as they are being filmed. But the showing of their basic duties such as running errands, give us a sense of relatability that maybe we aren’t as far from celebrities as we think. A simple thing as seeing Kim Kardashian using the same laundry detergent as us may make us think that “hey maybe I am fit to be a celebrity

Some people find their escape through drugs and alcohol, but another option is reality television. Dr. Carole Lieberman, a psychiatrist, explains our enjoyment “We live vicariously through the experiences of the reality TV stars – from the safety of our own homes. We don’t actually have to risk our heart or our reputation when we vicariously live through the experiences of the reality show participants.” Reality TV gives us the freedom to daydream and fantasize of all the glamorous things we could have or do. That’s why so many people watch these programs, so they could live out their dreams through others. Similarly, Dr. Henry states, “We don’t have to think about the problems we have in our real lives and we get to weigh in on the choices and mistakes of a population that was foreign to us before the reality TV era.” Everyone has problems, and although it is unhealthy, it is always easy to put them aside. Therefore causing the popularity of reality television to increase, since it allows us to forget about our own troubles and focus on more glamorous