Reality Television Oxymoron Analysis

There are many different opinions when the subject of reality television is discussed. Although reality television shows are thought to be negative they really are just mindless entertainment. Many can argue that these shows are misleading and disturbing. On the other side of this, people merely use these shows for entertainment and allow people to forget about stress in their lives. The cause of these different opinions is a result of different age, gender, religion, and race. The main purpose of these shows is simply to allow people to live vicariously through the characters. This excitement of being in other people’s lives is what makes reality television so addicting to people.

Do you know the guiltiest pleasure of the American public? Two simple words reveal all—reality TV. This new segment of the TV industry began with pioneering shows like MTV’s The Real World and CBS’s Survivor. Switch on primetime television nowadays, and you will become bombarded by and addicted to numerous shows all based on “real” life. There are the heartwarming tales of childbirth on TLC, melodramas of second-rate celebrities on Celebrity Mole, and a look into a completely dysfunctional family on The Osbornes. Yet, out of all these entertaining reality shows arises the newest low for popular culture, a program based on the idea of a rich man or woman in search of

Reality TV is known as exciting entertainment because the audience never knew what will happen next as it is with no strings attached and even have the freedom of speech. Despite the entertainment it can bring, the content of reality shows are actually degrading the society. Our pop culture and civilization have been affected by the reality programs in a bad way. Indeed, reality TV is promoting bad social value to the

Studies have shown that the real in reality television can sometimes be deceptive to the audience. Tyree has stated what perhaps makes reality television open for so much discussion both in academic research and in modern culture is the perception of its authenticity. The real in reality television primes many people to believe in its truth and accuracy, Nevertheless, Hill states, that the audiences' understanding of reality television is contradictory and complex (Tyree, 2011). Additionally, the dynamics between the audience and how he or she views reality television are

Though these reality shows are entertaining, they give viewers a false sense of reality. Reality shows portray competition as the sole way to achieve success. After viewing this mercenary behavior on a daily basis, viewers will inevitably develop an unhealthy need to succeed in all that they do. Since reality shows progressively eliminate the losers and glorify the winner(s), viewers will begin to base their self-worth on winning. In addition to praising winners, reality shows also fail to demonstrate the importance of working hard without a monetary reward. By failing to acknowledge the importance of a strong work ethic, reality shows do not encourage viewers to reach their full potential. Reality shows also cause viewers to become narcissistic. According to a study done by Psychology Today, habitually watching reality

Reality TV has a history that spans over 60 years, but it was only since the beginning of the 21st century that it has become the most popular form of entertainment. So what makes reality TV work so well? Some say it’s the stakes; making high-pressure decisions with no time to think, engaging in the process of elimination and competition. Reality TV consists of people working in high stress conditions, be it the threat of being sent home or the date who may be turned down. It’s synonymous with drama

Due to reality television’s captivating nature (Papacharissi & Mendelson, 2007), audiences tend to find it quite difficult when distinguishing fiction and reality, particularly when reality television is shown as genuine (Mitu, 2011). Whilst audience’s reasons for their consumption of reality television vary, reality television “is popular because it appeals to the voyeuristic nature” (Nabi et al., 2003).

Since reality TV’s entrance into American culture, there is a vague explanation of if this should be considered as a bona fide source of entertainment (Curnutt, 2013). To some extinct, reality TV provides a certain degree of realness. Though at an exaggerated state, theses shows’ actuality is used to attract consumers who can easily be allured by mass media (Curnutt, 2013). Even though these shows mainly focus on peoples’ lifestyle of some sort, networks make sure that they illuminate the casts’ misfortune. The use of this cruel concept should deter participants from partaking. Reality TV causes featured personalities to contemplate misleading fame over inadequate representations of their character. Real-life people are used instead of actors; not only because it is effortless to achieve their theory this way, but also they can highlight peoples’ internal desire to be actors by showing it externally (Curnutt, 2013). A better and more appealing reaction can be made from this seemingly fateful

Reality TV has also come to define success as wealth and power, and the achievement of these is to be accomplished at any cost. We now revere success and failure is considered as an anathema. No means is too strong to reach these goals, as per reality TV, these rewards are easily won. Cheat in school, dope up as an athlete, embezzle from your company, etc., and you can be just like those reality stars. The reality shows don’t make us do these things, but by watching them, we begin to feel as though these behaviors are normal and acceptable, so we lose the inhibitions instilled from our

Some people disagree with Reality TV being detrimental. In “The Case for Reality TV” Michael Hirschorn argues why Reality TV is beneficial to society. He begins by saying more people had watched American Idol, the previous week than the state of the union address on the broad cast networks combined. Hirschorn states that Reality TV is the liveliest genre on the set right now and has addressed a visceral need for a different kind of television at a time when the Web has made more traditionally produced video seem as stagey as Moliere. That Reality TV shows can leave behind the story structure and pacing of scripted television and also filter out the canned plots and characters. He also argues that Reality TV can place real people in artificial surrounding designed for maximum emotional impact, and at the

For close to a decade, the ethics behind the existence of reality TV have been questioned. While there are ardent viewers of reality TV, researchers and other scholars disapprove them, and claim that the world would have been in a better place. Reality TV shows, especially in America, are extremely profitable to media owners, and this has increased their popularity in the recent years. The main target audience for these shows are teenagers and women, who spend a lot of time discussing about them, even hours after the shows. Most of the reality shows in America and other parts of the world have common ideas. The most fundamental aspect of most reality TV shows is that they display people who go through embarrassing, painful and humiliating ordeals. This is what the reality shows expect their audiences to be entertained, and presumably laugh at the situations the people go through. For this reason and many more, it has been found that they are more detrimental than entertaining to the society, and therefore, the world would be in a better place without them (Pozner 89-91).

Reality television is the newest trend that seems to he invading televisions and homes all across the world, but what is it with these shows that are causing people to become obsessed with them? One of the greatest appeals is the low budget production of these shows. You take a group of different strangers, drop them off in the middle of nowhere with no supplies except a few meager items and then let them fend for themselves on national television. There are no sets to attend everyday, no props, and no lines to remember, just unscripted, unedited characters that are supposedly everyday people. Then there is that incentive of a cash prize that is offered, a phenomenon often called “lottery mentality.” Even in this alleged age of economic prosperity, most people no matter how hard they work will never make it rich. These shows produce the illusion of “quick strike” wealth, which makes ordinary people think that it could be them someday striking it rich. The biggest reason though that these shows are so popular is the good old-fashioned competition and conflict. Before shows like “Survivor” and “Big Brother” came about, talk shows such as “Jerry Springer” and “Rikki Lake” were the only shows to provide conflict between people, hut no one would ever know if these were staged or actually real people. With reality shows these days, we know that these are real people

Have you ever set there watching your favorite reality television show and wondered what effects it could have on you, your family or your friends? Truth is most people do not think about the effects television shows can have before watching them or allowing their children to watch them. This paper will discuss rather reality television is real or fake, what the appeal of reality TV is, how reality television has changed television viewing habits, and the impact of reality television. Even though reality television can be

There has been a huge increase in “reality” based television over the last few years. From Survivor to Big Brother it seems that we are constantly being bombarded with a new type of reality television program. But why do people watch these shows? What makes these shows so interesting? One theory brought up in an article in Psychology Today by Steven Reiss Ph.D. and James Wiltz, a Ph.D. candidate at Ohio State University, is that, “reality television allows Americans to fantasize about gaining status through automatic fame” (Reiss and Wiltz, 2001). This is the American dream, acquiring fame with little to no work at all. And what better way to do it than on television?

In 1968 American artist Andy Warhol said 'In the future, everybody will be famous for 15 minutes.’ The expression is normally linked to people in the entertainment industry and more recently related to those figures, involved in Reality TV.