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Media influence on sexuality
Do various forms of media play an influential role in an adolescent's emerging sexual identity and sexual expression
The effects of the media on sexuality
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MTV’s famed reality/dating television show NEXT has received a good deal of criticism since it began to air in May of 2005 (IMDB), and it is not the intention of this essay to refute the majority of that criticism. As a reality TV program, NEXT portrayed shallow-minded, material contestants who judged other individuals mainly on the basis of appearance, and watching this superficial judgment was its principal allure. Most critics’ issue with the program was simply that NEXT was exactly what it sought to be: a comical and even satirical representation of callow characters competing for dates and money. Maribeth Theroux’s essay “The NEXT Plague: MTV’s Sexual Objectification of Girls and Why it Must be Stopped,” however, makes the additional claim that, as the title explains, NEXT commits the crime of objectifying young women (Silverman, 169). Although Theroux’s argument is not entirely free of sound reasoning, she fails to understand how knowledge of the reality show genre as satire and entertainment changes what viewers take from NEXT; specifically, how the aware viewer understands and expects NEXT’s frivolousness and knows not to take it seriously.
It is a popular argument that reality television is detrimental to its viewers, as many programs rely on outrageously ridiculous, lewd, or irate characters acting in their most primitive form for their major appeal. James Steyer, author of “The Other Parent: The Inside Story of the Media’s Effect on Our Children,” says of reality TV: “There's a premium on the lowest common denominator of human relationships. It's often women degrading themselves. I don't want my 9-year-old thinking that's the way girls should behave,” (Poniewozik, 3). Theroux’s argument is not unlike Steyer’s; both wr...
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...o parody the expectations that society holds about courting, and any viewer who can find humor and take pleasure in such a program is able to understand the difference between reality and reality TV.
Works Cited
Silverman, Jonathan, and Dean Rader. The World Is a Text: Writing, Reading, and Thinking about Visual and Popular Culture. Prentice Hall, 2008. Print.
Episode Listing; NEXT (2005). The Internet Movie Database. Web. 26 Feb 2011.
Poniewozik, James. "Television: Why Reality TV is Good for Us." TIME Magazine 17 Feb 2003. Web. 01 Mar 2011.
Shmoop Editorial Team. "The Importance of Being Earnest." Shmoop.com. Shmoop University, Inc., 11 Nov. 2008. Web. 02 Mar 2011.
"Hell's Kitchen: About." FOX. Fox Broadcasting Company, 2008. Web. 28 Feb 2011.
“MTV’s NEXT.” 5 June 2010. YouTube. 03 March 2011.
Sipple, L. (2011). The appeal of reality television for teen and pre-teen audiences. Journal of
Untasteful, feral, depraved viewing; Euphemism for palpable voyeurism; Is spelling the end of decent, moral society - Slagging out reality TV from a high culture standpoint is as easy as taking candy from a blind, paralysed, limbless baby. Reality TV is a significant part of popular culture in the current settings of mainstream Australian society. Counting the number of reality television shows on two hands is now a physical impossibility. But what impact is this concept having on society now and into the future?
Will, he describes the workings of television and the ways that television has morphed over the years. According to George F. Will, television is all about imitation. In order to make “good” television people create shows off of other television shows and each time they put a spit on it to make it more and more interesting and shocking. He also argues that we are becoming more and more desensitized. Television shows are increasing the amount of violence, sexuality, and degradation and at the same time people aren’t as easily shocked as they once were. He also warned us by stating, “Imitation is the sincerest form of television” (293). In other words, the idea of imitation is what brings about the added shock factor. For example, in the article was the television show Fear Factor. Fear Factor was created based on the MTV show Jackass. Fear factor takes the basic concept of Jackass and adds different twists, not to mention money, to gain viewers and participants. Another example of television imitation is the NFL versus the XFL. NFL promised that viewers would see more violence and more cheerleaders’ breasts. However, I have mixed feelings on this particular topic. Yes, I feel that reality television can be degrading, humiliating, and even desensitizing, but I also believe it’s the person’s choice to either watch the shows or even be on them. The Hills, for example, is broadcast on MTV late in
Nabi, Robin L., et al. "Reality-Based Television Programming and the Psychology of Its Appeal." Media Psychology 5 (2003): 303-330.
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...
In summary, the real detriments of reality television far outweigh the artificial claims that some people consider benefits. Reality television is a successful form of entertainment for many people, but no good comes from it. Scripted television shows that are entirely fictional can serve all of the same purposes. They can be just as dramatic, catastrophic, and interesting as reality television shows. It is important that viewers take the time to evaluate and understand the reasons they enjoy reality television. It is essential to become familiar with the statistics of reality television, learn about the process of producing one, and examine the morality of such shows. Presenting contrived situations as reality, promoting unethical values, and presenting humiliation as a form of entertainment are only some of many detriments of reality television shows.
If T.V. news or radio have morphed into reality shows, then it is only a reflection of the viewers. As a former news reporter, the author should understand that the success
Relationship Between Soap Operas and Reality TV Dating Shows Tania Modleski’s “The Search for Tomorrow in Today’s Soap Operas” proposes that the unique appeal and function of soap opera lies in (a) the viewer’s ability to inhabit the text’s prescribed spectatorial position of ‘the good mother’, and (b) using the archetypal ‘villainess’ to displace one’s own repressed anger and powerlessness. It can be argued, using Modleski’s analytical perspectives on the interpellated spectatorial positions of soap operas, that a new genre of television programs (namely the reality dating shows) function in a similar way. An examination of Modleski’s thesis renders these statements more likely. Modleski argues that soap operas are essential in understanding women’s role in culture.
To begin with, in order to explore the meanings of these reality shows, a description of them is necessary. In the case of The Bachelor, the eligible young man is a handsome, well dressed and mannered person. Most importantly, he tends to be filthy rich (think in millions). But for all of these excellent qualities, the bachelor is unsuccessful in love and his search for an ideal woman to marry. So then enter twenty-five young, beautiful, perfectly shaped women into the picture. Everyone lives in a splendidly furni...
I can recall a time when the media was influencing my life and actions. The week after I graduated high school, my girlfriends and I took a trip to Cancun, Mexico, where the MTV beach house was located that summer. As I look back on the week of drunken partying and sexy guys, I can only wonder how I made it home alive. How could any young woman find this behavior acceptable? Every young woman there was flaunting their bodies to the young men around them. They were proud to be sexual objects. Where did they learn such debauchery? This is the kind of woman that is portrayed throughout MTV and various other aspects of the media. They have even coined the term “midriff”—the highly sexual character pitched at teenage girls that increasingly populates today’s television shows—in order to hook the teen customer. Teenage women increasingly look to the media to provide them with a ready-made identity predicated on today’s version of what’s “cool.” The media is always telling us that we are not thin enough, we’re not pretty enough, we don’t have the right friends, or we have the wrong friends… we’re losers unless we’re cool. We must follow their example and show as much skin as possible. The type of imagery depicted by MTV-- as well as people like Howard Stern, the famous “Girls Gone Wild” videos, and various Hip Hop songs—glorifies sex and the provocative woman.
The image of watching almost real but in most cases fictional shows on TV, instead of the ordinary scripted TV show, attracts mostly young adults, ages 12-21, because it gives them an aspect of imagining their life in different shoe sizes, because they are able to connect with the main character(s) of the show. Many argue that reality TV affects teenagers’ perspective on life because it brings them with abnormal ideas by idealizing inappropriate concepts such as drugs, teen pregnancy, crime, bullying, etc. Steven Reiss and James Wilts analyzed reality shows and have proven through an experiment done at The Ohio State University to be a good source where young adults can find motivation to feel self-important, as well as friendlier, free of morality, secure and romantic. Why is it that reality TV has always been deemed to be a harmful inspiration to young adults if it can help personalize a teenager’s character? Many do not realize how watching an almost real TV show can actually affect a person's personality because teenagers are able to relate to these shows more, thus allowing for a change.
A. “Reality TV Offers an Amoral Message.” Reality TV. Ed. Ronnie D. Lankford, Ph.D. Farmington Hills, MI: Greenhaven Press, 2008, 32-37. Print.
He is a veteran journalist with an emphasis on psychology, the role of culture, and the cultivation of creativity. Jacobs argues that reality television changes the way we view our society and makes people show bad behavior when they haven’t done anything. From watching reality TV we see relationships are nothing serious and can just be thrown away. Jacobs goes on to say that people that watch these reality shows have more emphasis on sex, like sex on the first date or multiple sex partners. The way Jacobs goes with his article is by saying our society is shaped on what or who we watch on
Lehmann, Carolin. “Reality TV: A Blessing or a Curse? An Analysis of the Influence of Reality TV on U.S. Society.” Academia. Edu 5 Nov. 2012. 29 Nov. 2013.