The success of reality television essentially depends on how popular it becomes with the public. The more viewers it receives, the more advertisers it attracts. The more advertisers lead to bigger profits for production companies and better salaries for employees. Better salaries employ above-average creativity that translates into programming options for development. Hopefully, the development process will bring interesting, intense, and extreme encounters to the viewers. High levels of intense and extreme confrontations among participants, seem to bring in high-level ratings.
What Reality TV Promotes
Many reality shows demonstrate common problems that people share on a daily basis but, they can be glamorized. In many cases, verbal and physical fights break out without notice between housewives, husbands, and wives, or single women and their partner. Often, their encounters are vulgar, condescending, and without finesse. However, critics indicate that this is what makes a reality show attractive to viewers and successful to networks with high ratings.
The Strategy Behind Reality TV
One should consider the strategy behind TV reality when viewing shows and realize the impact it has on individuals. Because, basically, this kind of programming is solely directed at receiving maximum profits for the producers, networks, and actors.
Negative Impact on Adults
For many people, reality TV is considered the bottom of the barrel entertainment and an insult to their intelligence. However, adults who consistently watch reality TV can easily be influenced by it especially, when they have low self-esteem, impaired values, and/or displaced anger issues. Dr. Brad Gorham from Syracuse University, states that when arguments, for example, break into actual fist fights on a reality show, the adult viewer could become aggressive and possibly violent. People see such enactments as attractive and may imitate the behavior in everyday life situations (Fahner, 2012).
Programming That Affects Body Image
Even programming that focuses on medical and health issues could affect a person’s body image or self-worth over time, according to Dr. Peter Christenson from Lewis and Clark College. One of the major problems according to experts, is that the characters in the shows do not demonstrate taking responsibility for their actions, nor apologize for their violent, immature, and inappropriate behavior.
Negative Impact on Youth
Research indicates that reality TV strongly impacts the values of young teenage girls and how they perceive real-life situations, according to Dr. Holly Peek (2014). Moreover, experts agree that there is a link between emotional, verbal, and physical aggressive reality shows and bullying. The aggression demonstrated on TV is often misinterpreted as using a tool or technique to acquire what you want and how it will bring you happiness. Young men and women who engage in excessive partying, sexualized body image and little work ethic in lieu of a good time, are sending mixed messages to our youth. Consequently, values, self-worth, and daily interactions are impacted by the dysfunctional lives created by reality TV.
How Can We Help?
1-Parents are the crucial component in modeling proper program viewing.
2- The healthy interaction between parents and children demonstrate ideal behavior toward others and delivers a sound self-image and values.
3-Adults and youth must recognize TV reality for what it really is and how misleading and damaging it can be to society.
*If networks refuse to take responsibility for screening appropriate programming and its damaging effects, then it falls on the parents, caregivers, teachers, schools, and students.
References:
Fahner, M. (2012). The real effects of reality TV. Retrieved from college.usatoday.com
Peek, H. (2014). The impact of reality TV on our teens: what can parents do? Retrieved from www.mghclaycenter.org/…/teenagers/impact-reality-tv-teens-can-parents/
Reality TV’s impact on bullying and student behavior. (n.d.). Media Education Foundation. Retrieved from http://www.cyberbullyhotline.com/04-25-12-reality-tv.html
