Viewing habits of today's society

There are many people in today’s society who in watch reality TV for various reasons. In the essay, ” The Tribe Has Spoken”, Rebecca Gardyn explains how age and gender can affect why people watch reality TV. She also focuses on whether or not reality TV will last. In her essay, there are many different statistics showing peoples perspective on reality TV. Gardyn draws upon different demographics that relate to her essay. Like others in the 18- to 24-year-old age group, I too enjoy watching reality TV. Although I like reality television, I am also interested in other genres as serial dramas because of the suspense. In Gardyn’s essay, she explains why people in my age group watch reality TV. She explains, ” 70 percent of 18- to 34-year-olds watch reality television programs and 44 percent of this group prefer to watch real people over scripted characters on TV”(Gardyn 182). Also, statistics show that ” 43 percent of 10- to 34-year-old viewers say they tune in because they like to see conflict break out among the contestants” (Gardyn 184). Ed Martin also added ” These kids grew with cable television, where unscripted, documentary-style shows have always been a staple,” (186) I agree with Garden’s essay and her statistics. I enjoy watching reality TV for many of the same reasons as others in my age group. I rather watch real people doing real things the actors with rehearsed lines. Reality TV show’s demonstrate real emotion and that is something that attracts me to this genre. My favorite reality show is The Real World. Ed Martin explains, ” These kids grew up with cable television, where unscripted documentary-style shows have always been a staple”(186). The Real World is the first reality show I can remember watching. The Show is about seven stranger who are picked from different parts of the world to live in one house together. The Show are always in different cities and states. The people all have different personalities, which sometimes causes conflict. One the latest season, The Real World: Key West, a few of the guys were keeping a notebook in which they made fun of a girl living in the house. The didn’t like her because they thought that she was spoiled and she lied a lot about her life. She found the book and was devastated because she didn’t know anyone felt that way. I think a lot of people watch the show to see the relationships that form, conflicts that break out, and the controversy surrounding the cast members. When I am looking for something to watch, I start by tuning into the TV Guide Channel . I then focus on the show times. I usually have time to watch TV around seven or eight o’clock. Once I find the show time, then I look at the first few networks to find a genre that interest me. I first focus on networks such as ABC, NBC, and FOX. If I cannot find anything on those networks, I then begin scanning through the other networks. The TV Guide Channel has made it easier for me to find something to watch. It also saves me a lot of time because I no longer have to flip through the channels hoping to find something to watch. Some of the shows I like to watch are Medium, Law & Order, The Real World, and 20/20. I enjoy many different genres such as serial dramas, reality TV, sitcoms, and news programs. Out of all the TV show I watch, I like Medium the most. The show is about a physic named Allison that works for the district attorney. In every episode she helps the solve cases. She had dreams and vision about the victim that lead them to solve the case. Usually her dreams or visions are hard to understand. During the show she is trying to make sense of the visions she has in order to solve the case. In one episode, Allison was having dreams about doctors killing their patients. She interviewed doctors guilty of the crime in the past and they all said they heard voiced in there heads telling them to do it. She had dreams that a girl working to a grocery store was the next victim so she was trying to find her. In the end she found the girl and realized that the doctor was not a doctor, in fact he was the butcher that worked at the store with the girl. He too was hearing voices in his head. When she figured it out she notified the other detectives she they found the girl right before he was going to kill her. I like watching this show for the suspense. Every week it is a new show and I don’t know how it will turn out. To me, TV is a way to relax after a long day. I like many different genres and I can always find something to watch. Reality TV is one of my favorite genres because of the real people and the real emotions. I don’t think my viewing habits will change unless I find more time to watch it. I will still tune in when my favorite TV show are on. I don’t think the future of television programming will change either because there are many different networks on TV for everyone to find something they like.