What Will Future Scholars Think of Reali-TV?

Reality television is a genre that I find myself watching more and more. After the class discussion on Monday, I realized that I watch so much reality TV. I did not make the connection that television shows such as House Hunters International and Clean Freaks were reality shows. During our discussion on Monday, we began evaluating whether or not Reality TV or Reali-TV actually depicts real life. When evaluating "experimental" shows such as "Jersey Shore" , "The Real World" , and "The Bachelor" to name a few, we saw that they represent the extreme versions of ourselves. The producers at MTV have castings before they air shows like the "Jersey Shore" and "The Real World". By doing so, they are casting the typical characters of a story or plot line  Although they do not know exactly what will occur, they know that combining a newly out homosexual and a devout extreme conservative Christian will cause tension and conflict that as a society we enjoy to watch. These types of Reali-TV shows are the ones I worry that in the future or other countries base their opinions of our nation on. I hope that when people consume this media that they realize that these "characters" reflect the extreme sides of our society.

Another interesting point that came up in our discussion was the idea of Reali-TV educating the audiences. Originally, Reali-TV emerged because of the cheap production costs and the simplicity of making them. The genre has now taken on a life of its own and has many different branches. Our group discussed "The Biggest Loser" and if it educates its audiences on the trials of obesity. I think shows like this are not only entertaining but are helpful to show our nation real problems that we are facing today. I think the fact that they are addressing childhood obesity this season is crucial to showing our nation major problems in our society. I wish that they were more shows like this that have positive underlying messages, encouraging their audiences to better themselves. Unfortunately, they are also shows like "Honey Boo Boo" that show putting mayonnaise on everything is okay, so I don't think Reali-TV will necessarily fix the problems of our generation but actually propel them forward and make these problems seem okay. (Ex: Teen Mom glorifying the idea of Teenage pregnancy)