Negative Effects of Reality Television

Reality TV shows have become more and more popular over the years. What are these shows about? They are common people who agree to film their lives on a day to day basis without the use of dialogues or scripts. Some Reality TV shows have put a negative effect on today’s society.

Television was introduced for the purpose of education and teaching. Over the years the writers and producers are finding more ways to attract an audience by producing these reality TV shows. These shows are a “choreographed illusion that celebrates distasteful and dysfunctional behavior, feeds our voyeuristic urges, and siphons intelligence, while enthusiasts celebrate it as a method of entertainment.” (http://mediabloodhound.com/effects-of-reality-tv-on-society.html  March 21, 2012) Viewers who watch these shows to long can start seeing different concepts of the world they live in. By watching them they might feel better about their own life. Gerbner’s cultivation theory seeks to explain the connection between the programming viewers watch and their perceived reality (O’ Guinn, Shrum, 1997). “The more people watch television, and hence are exposed to these distortions of reality, the more they will come to view the real world as similar to the world portrayed on television and thus perceive a greater real-world incidence of the over-represented entities.” (O’Guinn, Thomas C. & Shrum, L. J. (1997). The role of television in the construction of consumer reality. Journal of Consumer Research, 23, 278-294.)

There are many different types of reality TV shows that are being aired today. Some types are: Competitions, Dating, documentaries, hidden cameras, hoaxes, renovation, self improvement or make over’s, social experiments, supernatural or paranormal, and talk shows. Many of these shows give the wrong impressions to their viewers. For example Teen Mom is a show about young girls having babies. It basically is saying to the viewers that it is ok to get pregnant at a young age without being married. The show does have some good parts about it.  It shows that once the partner is told that he is going to be a dad, he leaves or doesn’t help. This is a part of life that is happening more and more. Another show that comes to mind is the Bachelor. Here is a single guy that has twenty women to choose from. He goes out on dates and all inclusive trips. In the real world this does not happen. What happened to the old days when you met someone through school, work, church or social activities and you dated and then fell in love? By watching these types of shows some people can be easily manipulated and this behavior can be applied at home, school, work or society in general.

Some reality TV shows do have a positive effect on society. Shows like The Biggest Loser, Americas Got Talent and Extreme Makeover Home Addition. All of these shows are inspirational and have positive outlooks. The Biggest Loser not only inspires the contestants but can also inspire the viewer if they are overweight. It proves to the viewers that losing weight is tough but it can be done with a lot of hard work and effort. Americas Got Talent lets people show that they are not afraid of showing their talent to the world. Some of the winners have gone on to make records and pursue their dreams. Extreme Makeover Home Addition is one of my favorites. The show builds new homes for people that are nominated from others in their community. Normally they are chosen because their homes are in very poor living conditions and can’t be salvaged. The family goes on a week’s vacation and comes back to a beautiful new house. All three of these shows have a positive effect.

Reality TV shows are distasteful and dysfunctional behavior that serves as a method of entertainment. They view the real world as similar to the world portrayed on television. Some people can be easily manipulated and can apply this behavior in today’s society. All reality shows are not bad. There are few that can have a positive outlook and are inspirational to the viewers.