The False Representation Of Reality

The general topic of this paper will argue that reality television is a false representation of what reality actually is. Reality television is a genre of television where real life people are continuously filmed. Throughout the past years, reality television has grown and become more popular. Current demographics of people who watch reality television include teenagers, young adults and adults. Viewers are manipulated into thinking they are watching the lives of real people with unscripted story lines and a continuous rolling camera shot. But in fact, this is not the case. Makers of reality television have the power to imply or outright fabricate things about real people who have to carry their fake reputations into their real lives (Poniewozik

They tune into these television shows any chance they get to because these shows air on popular networks such as MTV. They watch the television program and fall in love with the characters on the show because they want to be just like them or they want to act like them. Little do they know, these “characters” are really just actors/actresses following a script. Viewers who tune into these shows become negatively affected because they change their attitudes and values based around the characters. Audience of reality television are in the range of teens to young adults which makes them more vulnerable to be manipulated. Audiences that watch reality television are more likely than audiences who do not watch reality television to perceive gossiping and trash talking as a normal part of relationship because it is in their nature to be competitive or spiteful with one another. These audiences also believe that being successful requires being meaning and lying to get what they want (Weller, 2014). There is a positive correlation between viewers watching reality television and their behaviour/attitudes towards real

Reality television show audiences enjoy watching this genre because of the “real people”, unscripted nature of the programs and the people on the shows have something to work for. These audiences crave for interpersonal interactions because they are curious about other people’s lives (Hall, 2009). They get excitement knowing they are able to compare their lives with a character’s life in the television show. Some say that watching reality television is an escape from reality because they think that the reality television world is what they want their life to be like. This is the negative effect of reality television on real life because makers of shows find different ways to attract more viewers by making real life seem more entertaining to watch. Directors and producers do this by using more drama, fake relationships, specific personalities that can make viewers at home believe that reality television is in fact