The reality TV seems to have become the buzzword of this days as every network has them right from the network to the cable and its looks like sits its what everybody is talking about these days. Reality television is literary everywhere and it seem people don’t seem to get enough of it. Reality TV started with just one or two shows that follow real life events have become so popular such that almost all television studios have mastered in continuously coming up with newer and more thrilling reality shows which has made people to continuously watch. This is evident by the weekly episodes that people both adults and teens tune in to televisions to watch dreams realized. Examples of such reality shows include the American idol, Temptation Island, race car, big brother, survivor, and amazing race.
Reality television is a genre in television programming that attempts to present purportedly unscripted drama or humorous situations, actual events, documents an in most case feature ordinary peoples rather that professional actors and in one way or another in a form of contest or real situations that involves presentation of award or a prize. The TV genre has been around since the early years of televisions but exploded as a global phenomenon in late 1990’s and early 2000’s through the introduction of popular series like the big brother and the survivor series. During the early years of televisions shows reality television was termed as reality shows and involved production in series but documentaries and other non-fictional productions like the news as well as sports were not classified as reality shows. The television genre includes a wider range of programming formats that includes gaming, question shows to surveillance or even the voyeurism focused productions like the big brother.
Reality television involves portrayal of a modified and a form of reality that is highly influenced through the use of sensationalism to endure that viewers are attracted to it hence enabling generation of immense advertising profits. The actors, participants or the performers are placed in abnormal or even exotic locations and sometimes subjected to some form of coaching on acting on some specifically scripted ways of screen as segment editors or story editors which serve to portray events and the manipulated and contrived speech hence creating an illusion of a reality through post production techniques and editing.
History of Reality Television
Reality television started in the 1940’s which involved portraying people in an unscripted situations for instance the candid camera which broadcasted unsuspecting people relocating to pranks and its termed as the granddaddy of the reality TV genre. In 1950’s reality shows included game show and involved contestants in stunts, wacky competitions and practical jokes. The era also daily activities of police officers in Culver City California were tape recorded and helped pave way for reality television.
1960′ and 1970’s saw the first broadcasting of television series in the United Kingdom which involved inquiry of reactions of seven year old derived from the broader sections of society towards everyday life. The show had the effect of turning ordinary people into celebrities. In 1980’s and 1990’s witnessed the introduction of camcorder and the cinema verity feel which constitutes most of later realty TV. In addition to that the period saw the concept of putting strangers in same environment for an extended period time while recoding the ensuing drama also the heavily use of sound tracks interspersed with post-recording or confessional by cat members. Late 1990’s reality television consisted of the elimination contests where last man standing won a prize. The concept of self improvement and makeover also was developed.
Finally the era beyond 2000 saw a global explosion of reality television where television studios started devoting more time to airing of reality shows and in 2001 the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences include the reality in the Emmy awards and in 2003 another category of outstanding reality compensation program was added to the existing outstanding program and in 2008 one more category outstanding host for reality was also added. The year 2010 saw the airing of first ever television show the tester over a videogame console.
Reality Television Polluting Young Minds
In these days there is a growing trend towards the reality TV shows those are based on sallow external values and just as the appeal for the junk food comes with the hypnotic effect even on the strongest minds. TV seem harmless form of entertainment but the damage however how subtle it is done is a very powerful one especially in this generation when people worship vanity rather tan virtue. Therefore the more one watches television show the more exposed they become to such distortions of reality hence individual tend to view world as portrayed on television thus perceiving the greater world incidences an over represented entities especially when one consider that the show is real and involve participation of ordinary people. This attributed to the idea that viewers feels connected to the participants who they believe are real people who represent them. Over exposure to television reality which is mostly manipulated to unrealistic settings subtly makes its viewers to cultivate a perception of reality which thus leads to a negative influence on viewers mind by portraying a false sense of the communal experience hence creating unrealistic standards of living as well affecting productivity especially of the young generation.
Another way in which reality television pollutes the minds of the viewers is through setting of a bad example to the especially the children and even women who have a tendency of being influenced by character that appear on television. There are reality television shows that set a bad example for the children as children are known to pick up acts that they see on television. Therefore reality TV can encourage immoral behavior especially the explicit content that is aired on reality shows which can have more deleterious effects as compared to the scripted shows because children know that is no real. Children tend to pick act and liens that characters use in the shows and incorporate them as they develop their learning grammar and speech. Therefore watching some reality show like the temptation highland can corrupt the minds of its young viewers as they air explicit content that is intended to be appealing to its supposedly adult viewers.
Another way in which reality shows pollutes the minds of its viewers is portray similar behaviours that are in the reality shows for instance children adopt some of the behaviours aired in these shows for instance those who watch the MTV real world shows portrays room mates fighting a lot with the use of profanity over stupid and unnecessary things as a result of misunderstanding or under the influence of alcohol. Thus such bad behaviours tend to be picked by viewers who perceive them as what happens in the real world as resulting to polluted minds.
In addition to that watching reality shows pollutes the minds of the female viewers in that they end to idolize the TV characters especially when it regards to some views regarding fashion, trends and lifestyles. For instance the more female teens watch these reality shows the more they believe that what these participants say is what is right in real life e. g. the opinions regarding body weight , junk food, fashion, mode of dressing, product brands and life styles. They replicates similar things in their lives and in most case leads to disappointment a an altered self esteem since what is aired in reality shows is not the reality in the real life setting.
Most of current reality shows also corrupts or pollutes the minds of its viewers through sending of wrong message that appear to degrade human beings and value of creation. For instance there are realty shows that air content dealing with the benefits that plastic surgery to improving ones beauty and image. In addition to that there are others that idolize on becoming successful and famous in life with limited or no talent at all and such concepts never apply to a real world setting.
Its also clear that reality TV shows are not really real as Francine Prose in ‘ voting democracy off the island’ argues that the reality television of modern times is not making any good for those who watch as its all about ethics and describes the participants in the reality shows as amateurs who may have as well been chosen for their instability and fragility. Such claims puts doubt over the issue whether the so called reality shows are real and that the shows gives its views an escape route from their realities dramas by having the freedom to cruelly mock the participants of these shows failing to realize or to just judge that they are fake. This therefore drowns their morals as well as ideas into something that is fake just like what they are watching in the reality television shows. In addition to that the minds of the viewers are polluted by reality shows as it creates an alternative avenue in which they can lead their live and this is evident when viewers live their everyday live to pursues things and careers that a re out of their limits just as the characters in the reality shows abandon their routine lives just to pursue celebrity and fame through shows like the Americas next top model, deadliest catch among others.
Most reality shows in television are very dramatic and present itself as real life and such concept cause its viewers to believe that their live should also be a dramatic and such perceptions and ideas as of unrealistic expectations is a sign of polluted minds of the viewers of such shows on television. Also the fans of the reality television shows are influenced into believing as well as agreeing to statements like prestige is important to them or even being impressed with certain designer clothing and accessories and such effects of the reality shows pollutes their minds making them to often fantasize about gaining similar status and fame by simply showing up in a reality shows which is not healthy in real life.
Another way in which watching reality television shows pollutes the mind of its viewers is the erosion of the privacy expectation especially in public disclosure and this is because most reality shows portrays a lack of privacy of individuals participating and such perceptions makes public disclosure of every formerly private behaviours and such expectations spill over to the real live of the viewers who tend to expect events in the real life setting. They expect do so because their mind have been corrupted by what they watch on television shows. More over, most reality shows carry many scenes involving humiliation of many of its participants and such acts contributes heavily to coding of the characters behaviors of the viewers as compared to scripted shows and that forms the lotta human frailties which are termed as just consequences of the shows.
In conclusion based on the dissuasion of how reality shows are made and how it pollutes the minds of its viewers its therefore clear that there is less reality than it comes to reality television and that it’s a business of making its viewers feel good rather being good. Also it’s a business that contributes a lot to corrupting viewers minds through celebration of human weakness rather than excellence and finally it does not really empower viewers but instead take their innate power as well as inner knowing and spirituality making them less fulfilled, inadequate, isolated and promotion of anti-social behaviors, excessive indulgence, greed, obsession with winning at any cost and erosion of morality both on individual and societal level.
