...The Harsh Reality about Reality Television Tasha Sutton ENG 122 English Composition II Instructor, Tina Santino March 28, 2013 The Harsh Reality about Reality Television What happen to the good old days when television programs had sweet, wholesome, honorable messages depicted to their viewer. Remember the sitcom, Family Matters, with Steve Erkel and the Winslow family. Brings a smile to your face, does it not? Television programs such as Family Matters, Saved by the Bell and Charles in Charge were great shows for every age. These shows, showed the viewer’s actors having a problem and how they solved it in a decent way that worked out for everyone. The audience knows that the characters are not real, but that does not change the message that they direct towards their viewers. Reality television is what is new and hip. The point of reality television is to make their viewers feel what they are seeing is indicative of everyday life. What most people do not realize is reality television is no different than a scripted, television show. Reality television caters to the negative emotions that make viewers want to see more television. Reality television programs are anything but wholesome. Reality television appeals more to our negative emotions and values, and has changed our viewing habits by decreasing family time and increasing television viewing times. These drastic changes that have occurred due to reality television has only changed society...
Words: 1672 - Pages: 7
...Classical Conditioning 4. Impact of Reality Programs on Various Industries i. Food Industry ii. Home Improvement Industry iii. Entertainment Industry iv. Health Industry 5. Involvement Level and Interactivity that affect Viewers Perception v. High Involvement Level vi. Low Involvement Level 6. Conclusion 7. Appendices 8. Reference List 1. Executive Summary This report discusses about the impact of Reality TV shows on viewers. Firstly, the theories that apply to the way in which viewers form their perceptions are discussed. Three different types of theories namely selective perception, consumer learning and classical conditioning will be examined and how they relate to the forming of a viewer’s perception of a Reality TV Show. Secondly, the report also discusses how these programs impact the viewer’s purchasing decisions. Information from four industries was used to evaluate and explained the impact of Reality TV on consumer purchases. Lastly, involvement theory was used to evaluate the impact of involvement to the perception of the consumers/viewers. High-level and low-level involvement consumers/viewers are used in deriving to the answers. 1 2. Introduction Reality TV Show has impacted consumer lives in a huge way. Fashion trends, eating habits, purchasing preferences and lifestyles of viewers have all been influenced by Reality TV Shows. Reality TV Shows also affect viewers’ understanding...
Words: 1863 - Pages: 8
...ones who need to escape reality will go to extreme lengths to do so. Some people despise the life they live in this small minded world so much, they place themselves into another one and in Mildred’s case, this is her television program and technology. When Mildred attempts to take her life with sleeping pills, she goes to her technology and acts like nothing like wrong occurred the night before. She was trying to distract herself from reality. Guy was vexing Mildred about had happened she only replied saying “it was really fun, It’ll be even more fun when we can afford to have the fourth [TV] installed”(20). She was cutting him out and ignoring him using the television, changing the subject. Her relationship with her husband is so stuff and distant, they can’t even talk about something as serious as suicide. Guy was concerned for his wife’s safety and health but she only wanted to discuss the materialistic portion of her life....
Words: 644 - Pages: 3
...our obsession with reality television. Collins uses a totalitarian government to call attention to how powerful our government can be if we become even less involved in political activities to show just how helpless we are against such a power. In The Hunger Games, there are twelve districts in total that succumb to the will of the Capitol; a very harsh and cruel government. The districts must listen to each and every law and order that is given to them. Failure to comply with the Capitol’s rules could potentially end up in an execution of many people or worse. The destruction of the districts. There was a thirteenth district, but because of the uprising beforehand, the Capitol decided to annihilate them in order to show the districts their superiority over them and to also show what’ll happen if another uprising appears again. This is seen when the main character, Katniss Everdeen, speaks out her mind about the Capitol: “Taking the kids from our districts, forcing them to kill one another while we watch – this is the Capitol’s way of reminding us how totally we are at their mercy. How little chance we would stand surviving another rebellion. Whatever words they use, the real message is ‘Look how we take your children and sacrifice them and there’s nothing you can do. If you lift a finger, we will destroy every last one of you. Just as we did District Thirteen.” This style of government can be seen from the way North Korea operates. They are a very harsh and cruel government...
Words: 1051 - Pages: 5
...understand the modem young woman' s 19reed' for money, jewellery, and jobs. Her one abiding interest outside the household is the Ganesh Mandir that she has visited every Wednesday, ever since she got married. She lacks higher education and hence has little appreciation for the arts, the literature, and the sciences. Her ample spare time is spent watching the TV, which is her prime source of entertainment and information. Shobha, the Troubled Homebody Shobha married young to the first person she fell in love with, Prakash. Four children came quickly before she was quite ready to raise a family. Now, she is unhappy. She is having trouble in making ends meet on her husband's salary who is employed as clerk in a private business and is often required to work up to late hours. She is frustrated, as her desire for an idyllic life has turned sour. She could not get education beyond high school and hence there are hardly any job opportunities for her. Her husband also keeps on complaining of the long hours of backbreaking work he has to put in. He consumes country-made liquor routinely. Shobha finds escape in Black and White TV soap operas and films that...
Words: 1630 - Pages: 7
...Technology has the power to influence and erase human memories when screen time is abused. Guy Montag and his wife were victims of the memory-erasing effects of technology. Montag asked Mildred, “When did we meet? And where?’ ’I don't know... how funny, not to remember where or when you met your husband or wife’ (Bradbury 40). These characters are unable to recall a significant memory of their relationship, which is a harsh effect of the distraction that technology has bought along. Research has shown that the programs that someone watches can affect how they remember (or not remember) certain events in their own life. Studies have shown that,“the TV program generates negative mood experiences... then these experiences will affect how you interpret events in your own life, what types of memories you recall, and how much you will worry about events in your own life” (Davey). It is alarming that a simple TV program may alter your own memories, which is a point that Bradbury clearly made in his novel. Relationships between family members can also be disrupted because of the distraction of technology. When Montag became ill, he needed someone to provide him with help and comfort him during this time of need. Unfortunately, Mildred had become attached more to her 'family' than Montag through the years. Montag noted, “ ‘Will you turn the parlor off? he asked” (Bradbury 46). Mildred responded, ‘That's my...
Words: 1444 - Pages: 6
...as, comedy, love, and reality TV to name a few; but violence in today’s society is a very real and common issue struggled with still to this day. Instead of becoming active in communities or just even deciding to go out with friends on a whim, the invention of the television has provided the answer to violence and destruction in communities, and in the people who you care about. Excessive television watching for children over the years has become an epidemic in regards to safety. Figure1 Television in this day and age has definitely changed for children since the 90’s in those years’ shows such as The Bill Cosby Show, Family Matters, 7th Heaven, Saved by the bell and many more shows. Now, the media has quietly added violence to what once where wholesome shows and also have geared most of their shows to violence. Figure1 is a prime example of how children today conceive what they see is right, they might not think anything of it, but in all reality what they see on television is what they will try to do in real life and that is not at all ok. The “Monkey-see Monkey do” term is widely used over the internet, it basically means what someone see’s and experiences they in turn will do that as well whether it is right or wrong. “Television programming as of 2010 is all about showing reality without censorship, meaning that child watchers are inundated with shows depicting physical and sexual violence, as well as the use of illegal substances and harsh language” (http://www.livestrong...
Words: 877 - Pages: 4
...Jill Duggar’s husband Derick Dillard made a big deal over the fact that his wife got a certificate that offered a comprehensive exam for certified professional midwifes, making her ready to deliver babies. While the Duggar family fans loved to hear the news, it appears there could be more to the story. According to the Hollywood Gossip on Monday, a doctor is calling the reality star out alleged that her certification offers nothing and she “became a counterfeit midwife.” So who is saying such harsh statements about Jill Duggar’s big announcement? Dr. Amy Tuteur wrote a blog about Jill Duggar’s so-called announcement and the woman is qualified to weigh in on the subject. Dr. Tueter is an obstetrician gynecologist, a bestselling author and got...
Words: 289 - Pages: 2
...I Am Not Fat! Magazines at the grocery store, commercials on TV and movies playing at local theaters, all of these forms of entertainment seem to be harmless outlets of creativity. Yet these very forms of media affect women all over the world and tell them what they should physically look like to be deemed as beautiful in society. One may not believe that the media is up to such a terrible act, but subconsciously women believe what the media portrays as beautiful. Today’s pop culture demonstrates the impact of self-image and the effect it has on society and the way the society should look. Ads and pop culture enforce a negative outlook on the body image, which affects young women throughout the society. There are many aspects of today’s society that effect women within this pop culture and the way they have started to look at their bodies and see themselves as below average because they are not measuring up to the standards of society. In all reality, media and advertisement must know the effects it has on the young women and their body image in the world, but choose to ignore the fact because of the success that has sky rocketed in the past years. Not many people can ignore the media and find themselves beautiful no matter what features they have, but the ones who do such things are confident and strong while growing up in this tough and harsh world. Ads within television, magazines, newspapers, etc. all have some direct correlation to the media having an effect on the body...
Words: 2275 - Pages: 10
...main character Katniss Everdeen. This novel is written in an alternative future where the world was destroyed by war, Panem rose from the ashes of North America and it was not a democracy but a dictatorship led by President snow. In reading this book I started to fear what would happen in our future, there are many strong resemblances between Panem and the modern world. In our world, entertainment is becoming increasingly voyeuristic. We watch sports games and cheer when the opposing team’s star player sustains an injury. We turn on the TV and clap when we see K.O. in a boxing or Ultimate Fighting match. We “ooh” and “ah” over couples in staged and deliberately pre-planned dating shows like “The Bachelor,” pining to see more of their romance. We no longer think critically when watching “reality” shows like “Survivor.” In fact, the TV show “13: Fear is Real” is eerily similar to the Hunger Games; thirteen contestants fight to stay alive in harsh conditions until all but one are gone still, we can find examples even closer to life. In at least one country in the Middle East, women are stoned to death for a trivial infraction; their deaths serve as warnings against those who wish to rebel. Not to mention, these nations are controlled by dictators who wouldn’t hesitate to blow up one of their “Districts” and suppress the others by force. Much like the deserters of a District who are captured by government hovercrafts and never seen again, Chinese citizens who speak out against...
Words: 501 - Pages: 3
...old tracks, we lie in the hills at night, and the city people let us be. We re stopped and searched occasionally, but there's nothing in our person to incriminate us. Bradbury, 152. This quote from Fahrenheit 451 shows us what our reality could be like in the future. No one is allowed to have their thoughts or read, and everything we know is on the internet and the TV for us. Bradbury warns us about what our world could be like, and that we should try and fix it as soon as possible. The world we live in today is way better than the idea of a new, highly advanced society. Reading...
Words: 740 - Pages: 3
...comes great maturity and responsibility. Unfortunately, in today’s society, we see babies having babies. Teenage pregnancy is a huge issue and shows like Teen Mom on MTV tend to glamorize teen pregnancy rather than help show ways of prevention. We should be teaching our kids about contraception and abstinence rather than showing them that becoming a teen mom could get you a television show. One would think that the harsh realities shown on MTV’s Teen Mom would help lower the teen pregnancy rate. But do they? Does this show send a confusing message to teen girls? (http://www.sheknows.com/parenting/articles/819328/Are-we-glamorizing-teen-moms) Teen Mom is a reality television show that follows the lives of four young girls as they share their struggles through motherhood with the world. Teen Mom first aired in December 2009 and has gone on for several seasons. We know these teens by name; Farrah, Maci, Catelynn, Amber, Janelle, Leah, Chelsea, and Kailyn. These ladies are the stars of Teen Mom, Season 1 and Season 2. We see them pretty much everywhere we look; on TV, on the covers of magazines, and entertainment blogs. The bad decisions these young teens made have been rewarded with fame and attention. (http://www.sheknows.com/parenting/articles/819328/Are-we-glamorizing-teen-moms) It is shocking to me that this show has lasted this long because I personally believe that the series glamorizes and encourages teen pregnancy for fame. Some teenagers are smart enough to learn from...
Words: 1079 - Pages: 5
...‘Reality is based on the people and experiences we encounter.’ I see the shadows of this We base our reality on the experiences we have which is a direct effect of what the media does in portraying what individuals my age are supposed to look like and behave. After reading Michael Leunig’s article ‘Thou Shalt be attractive’, I have come to realise what the media does to my reality and how it makes me alter my identity. The important questions raised in the article shows exactly how reality is based on the experience we have with the media. As a teenager trying to go through high school I am surrounded by the media altering my reality. The media acts as ‘dictator’; someone who has complete control over me and an overwhelming pressure to be something that it wants me to be. In the magazines I read and the shows I watch on TV, an image is portrayed to me of what beauty is. In the words of Leunig “the limbs are longs, the smile loaded and the eyes with promise, the bottom tightly bound”. However, after reading Leunig’s article I have come to realise that this image the media portrays is nearly impossible. I now see that the media affects the way I view my reality. How am I supposed to look like that? I often question looking at these beautiful women and handsome men. The media have an overwhelming command that ‘thou shall be attractive’, but Leunig’s article teaches me that beauty is subjective and the task of trying to be like the people in the magazine is a huge weight that...
Words: 903 - Pages: 4
...The Rewards of Evil Not everybody is evil, but everyone is certainly capable of doing bad deeds. Chances are, you’ve done something bad once, but were never punished for it. Some people who consistently do bad deeds believe that, in reality, they are actually positively contributing. This may be because they are just “following orders”. And when people follow these orders that are actually, they are rewarded for doing so instead of being punished. Humans are more willing to do evil because society awards evil actions. It has been written copious times in history and stories that evil is the winner. The story “The Seafarer” has the protagonist and narrator at sea, while he says that evil is on the land. “The days are gone/When the kingdoms...
Words: 899 - Pages: 4
...The characters show examples of some of Freud’s defense mechanisms like dissociation and reaction formation. The society in “Harrison Bergeron” can even be compared to the Id because society seems to be out of touch reality. ‘Harrison Bergeron”, although a short story, has so much depth to it that it is possible to be able read into the story on a different level. By using a psychoanalytic lens, the readers can grasp a better understanding of the underlying meaning of the short novel “Harrison...
Words: 957 - Pages: 4
