Reality Television And Racial Stereotypes

Reality programs have dominated television networks since their rise in popularity began in the early 1990s with MTV’s The Real World. The reality genre quickly gained viewership as it redefined the formulaic set up of televisions shows from the past. Reality television has infiltrated television because networks prefer low budgets for their programs that also generate high ratings (Hasinoff, 2008). People watch reality shows because they are intrigued by the seemingly “real” drama with ordinary people as characters (Dubrofsky, 2006). Now at its peak of growth, reality television evokes ideas of social order and cultural norms to its audiences, while perpetuating racial stereotypes in society (Mendible, 2004).

By utilizing other aspects of communication, reality television is able to keep a firm hold on the younger community who thrive off of all things internet-accessible. In addition to being able to access reality television via internet, research has shown that many of the preteen to teenage viewers base most of their decisions and prioritize things based off what they see every night on their favorite shows. In 2011, a survey of over 1000 American girls between 11 and 17 was held. Those who viewed more reality television most often put a higher value on things emphasized on... ... middle of paper ... ...ratings are, the more there will be a need for cheap production ideas to sell. Because reality television doesn’t require the extra production crews or writing staff, it will always be the first choice.

Have you ever wondered why people are so addicted to watching their favorite shows on TV? Have you ever wondered why reality TV is so popular? This paper is an explanation of why large numbers of people watch reality TV shows. Proof and facts will be provided showing that reality TV provides entertainment, inspiration, the stirring of emotions, vicarious living, and a substitute for social life for many who watch. Here are a few examples of these statements.

Many individuals thrive to be on shows with monetary reward because of the cultural myth that money make you happy. The 1950s quiz shows and 2016 reality TV shows both follow Sternheimer’s American Dream Theme of “Success Just for Being Yourself.” This theme focuses on that idea that “we are all in this together”, this was evident in the quiz show when a large number of contestants that were testifying stuck together and lied. An example of this in todays reality TV in the ‘Bachelor Nation” which includes contestants and

If these words are indeed true of reality television, why in the world are people so fond of it? As Jaffe wrote, “All we really wanted to see was the same thing we saw in the mirror every morning-ourselves. Only different.” This really explains the reason that people are so drawn to reality television. They see people as normal as themselves on TV, winning a million dollars and becoming low-class celebrities. Perhaps this is just a much greater pull than seeing perfect, beautiful actors/actresses on some fiction show and knowing that they get a million dollars for filming only one episode.

Real or Not Real: Reality Show for a Change How influential can popular culture be for teenagers? Why is popular culture always redefine by the young adult population? There are many aspects of popular culture that affect how different teenagers see life. Take into consideration Reality TV, which has been glamorize in modern society as “popular.” The image of watching almost real but in most cases fictional shows in TV, instead of the ordinary scripted TV show, attracts in 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

Society today relies heavily on television for their daily lives; whether it is for the local news or for the entertainment value of reality television. However, with television being more accessible today than ever, teenagers are watching it completely unregimented. With teenagers being extremely influential human beings, they are more likely to replicate the celebrities they see on reality television due to the influence that these celebrities have over a normal person. Many researchers have proven that the choices of reality television stars are often imitated by teenagers because they may feel compelled to follow the reality stars they see on television due to the desire to be popular, for guidance in making the transition from high school

They are the main component of the new pop culture. Keeping up with the Kardashians, Love and Hip-Hop, and many more reality tv shows are watched by a younger crowd. Why are teens so easily influenced by what they see on reality television? Studies show that it clearly points out that teens and preteens who highly value popularity and physical appearance are much more susceptible to a deeper interaction and connected to reality television (Dodrill 78) . Viewers could connect to certain stars on the show on so many levels.

Shows of today contain numerous, difficult plots with multiple characters; interesting topics and high profit yields. Steven Johnson believes that all of these things have created a new kind of television, one that may make you more intelligent, however, there are exceptions to this such as reality and junk television. In Stevens Johnson’s article about new television making you smarter he gives arguments such as multiple plots, series of ending and newly beginning information and endless characters. He believes that multiple plots require the viewer to pay deeper attention, he uses the show 24 as an example by saying, “to keep up with entertainment like 24, you have to pay attention, make inferences, track shifting social relationships.” Johnson mentions that shows of the past have fewer, less detailed plot lines that contain very few characters, usually three to four, which make the shows these shows today, seem boring and not much for the mind to keep up with. Today, however, a drama on primetime has multiple stories in one episode, one mystery ending and ten more beginning.

Furthermore, there are many causes behind the reason that reality television shows are popular. Entertainment is one of the cause that reality TV is popular. There are different ages who like to watch reality TV. In addition, reality TV is not for specific age because it has different types of shows. People get more Interaction when they watch competitors and talk to their friends about it.