Category: TV Show

Introduction

The Intervention is a reality show program that airs on A&E network. In any given episode of the reality show, the program features two unsuspecting people who suffer drug addiction. Usually, this happens with the explicit permission of the family of the person being featured.

The television cameras document whatever the family member see as problematic behaviour done by the person as a result of the drug addiction. This television show has been analysed by different academicians. Van Over is one such few researchers who analysed data as evident over a series of 15 Intervention episodes. His aim was to look at the self as a culturally constituted linguistic resource in interventions (1).

This was analysed on the cultural practice of the intervention, whose aim was to tell the person features that his or her current status (under drug influence) was inappropriate, inadequate, harmful or/and illegitimate to self and others (Van Over 8). The assumption of the Intervention is that hearing such words from the interveners would motivate him or her to take the requisite corrective actions, which would include accepting to take up treatment as the first step.

Likely Outcomes

At any one episode, the Intervention has four likely outcomes: first, the drug addict would question the legitimacy of the intervention and refuse to participate; secondly, the addict could accept the assertions made by the group and take up the recommended course of action; third, the addict may disagree with the assertion made by the group, but decide to take up remedial proposals; and finally, there is a possibility that an addict could accept the groups assertion but refuse to accept treatment.

While acknowledging all these four possibilities, Van Over claims that in all the 15 episodes he collected data from, the fourth scenario never occurred.

His hypothesis regarding this outcome is that the Intervention deliberately avoided airing shows where the intervention failed or the Intervention is such a convincing persuasion strategy that none of the people who go through cannot help but resonate with the assertions of the interveners and other participants (9).

Van Overs review concludes that the intervention brings out the elements of identity, the self and the personhood whereby the true and real self seems lost when an addiction takes over.

Tough love

Scheck argues that the Intervention show shows how tough love can work wonders in enabling people suffering from drug addiction to take up treatment (37). The author compares the television show to an era when young people would be taken to emergency rooms in hospitals where they would see some of the injuries that resulted from drug use.

In a similar manner, Scheck argues that the family members in the reality show as well as the general audience serve to open an addicts eyes to the realities of drug abuse. Scheck calls this confrontational counselling (37).

Comparisons with films and documentaries

Hersey compares the Intervention program with other television programs or films, which feature people recovering from addictions and conclude that the depictions have created a cultural understanding of how people suffering from addiction should look and behave (467).

The author however notes that compared to Intervention and other reality shows, films such as Clean and Sober, 28 days and when a man loves a woman are surprisingly univocal and unrealistic. The films also limit their recovery representation to the white upper class persons thus basing their addiction conceptual framework on only one group of people (468).

Works Cited

Hersey, Curt. Scrip (ting) treatment: representations of recovery from addiction in Hollywood Film. Contemporary Drug problems 32.4 (2005): 467-480.

Scheck, Anne. Brief ED interventions Lower Drug and Alcohol Abuse. Emergency medicine News 28.1 (2006): 36-37.

Van Over, Brion. The self as a culturally constituted Linguistic resource in Interventions. Research on Language and social interactions 28.4 (2008): 1-22.

Conceptual Definition

The construct I am interested in and which will be presented in the study is self-confidence. Self-confidence is the self-perception of oneself, ones capabilities, and level of professionalism. It is expressed as a positive assessment of ones skills, abilities, and strengths to achieve meaningful goals. Self-confidence can likewise be defined as a persons correct assessment of skills and abilities to achieve goals or meet the needs.

Research Question

Did self-confidence often arise in the participant during the qualifying round of a reality show?

Operational Definitions

Self-confidence manifests itself differently in each person, but the crucial thing is that only someone who recognizes their flaws and accepts them as part of themselves can admit mistakes. It is necessary to remember that body language is much more eloquent than words. One can make ranting speeches, but if the pose, facial expressions, and gestures express insecurity, the content of these speeches will have no meaning. A successful, confident person takes up as much space as one needs. Insecurity manifests itself primarily in an attempt to shrink, hide, and not draw attention to oneself. Playing with fingers/fingernails, hair rubbing, fidgeting, and other small fidgety movements correspondingly give away a nervous state. A calm and confident person does not avoid eye contact and looks boldly into the other persons eyes. It is one of the oldest codes of communication, which we read as a sign of the sincerity of the speakers intentions and the truth of his words.

Measurement Development: Checklist

• Registers the occurrence of the behavior, as well as its frequency.
• All behaviors that demonstrate confidence (e.g., eye contact with the jury, expressive and loud speech, open posture) may occur throughout the shows qualifying round.
• Behavior is considered complete after the camera focuses on another interaction with at least one person.

Table 1. Checklist Items

Development of Measurement: Rating Scale

The rating scale for confidence demonstrated in the reality show qualifying round

• The number of participants depends on the TV show and episode chosen.
• Behavior qualifying as confident will be the same as the behavior qualifying as confident on the checklist above.
• Behavior will match the same parameters (reaction conditions and end time) as in the checklist above.

Table 2. Observed Contestants

Validity

Ensuring validity is often considered a significant problem associated with a measurement. One cannot validate a size by comparing the scores in that measurement with the same variables scores in another valid measure. However, it is possible to judge validity by the extent to which a given measurement as an indicator of a variable creates the same types of relationships between that variable and other variables that we would expect. Using surface validity, one can prove that the items on the list and scale measure the construct of confidence (ResearchSampleOne, 2022). Face and congruent values will be operated to confirm the validity in order to assess their relationship to other constructs.

Possible Television Shows

Iron Chef, Dancing with Myself, Americas Next Top Model.

References

ResearchLabSample, 2022.

Introduction

The “Intervention” is a reality show program that airs on A&E network. In any given episode of the reality show, the program features two unsuspecting people who suffer drug addiction. Usually, this happens with the explicit permission of the family of the person being featured.

The television cameras document whatever the family member see as problematic behaviour done by the person as a result of the drug addiction. This television show has been analysed by different academicians. Van Over is one such few researchers who analysed data as evident over a series of 15 Intervention episodes. His aim was to look at the “self as a culturally constituted linguistic resource in interventions” (1).

This was analysed on the cultural practice of the intervention, whose aim was to tell the person features that “his or her current status (under drug influence) was inappropriate, inadequate, harmful or/and illegitimate to self and others” (Van Over 8). The assumption of the Intervention is that hearing such words from the interveners would motivate him or her to take the requisite corrective actions, which would include accepting to take up treatment as the first step.

Likely Outcomes

At any one episode, the Intervention has four likely outcomes: first, the drug addict would question the legitimacy of the intervention and refuse to participate; secondly, the addict could accept the assertions made by the group and take up the recommended course of action; third, the addict may disagree with the assertion made by the group, but decide to take up remedial proposals; and finally, there is a possibility that an addict could accept the groups assertion but refuse to accept treatment.

While acknowledging all these four possibilities, Van Over claims that in all the 15 episodes he collected data from, the fourth scenario never occurred.

His hypothesis regarding this outcome is that the Intervention deliberately avoided airing shows where the intervention failed or the Intervention is such a convincing persuasion strategy that none of the people who go through cannot help but resonate with the assertions of the interveners and other participants (9).

Van Over’s review concludes that the intervention brings out the elements of identity, the self and the personhood whereby the “true” and “real” self seems lost when an addiction takes over.

Tough love

Scheck argues that the Intervention show shows how “tough love” can work wonders in enabling people suffering from drug addiction to take up treatment (37). The author compares the television show to an era when young people would be taken to emergency rooms in hospitals where they would see some of the injuries that resulted from drug use.

In a similar manner, Scheck argues that the family members in the reality show as well as the general audience serve to open an addict’s eyes to the realities of drug abuse. Scheck calls this confrontational counselling (37).

Comparisons with films and documentaries

Hersey compares the Intervention program with other television programs or films, which feature people recovering from addictions and conclude that the depictions have created a cultural understanding of how people suffering from addiction should look and behave (467).

The author however notes that compared to Intervention and other reality shows, films such as “Clean and Sober”, “28 days” and “when a man loves a woman” are surprisingly univocal and unrealistic. The films also limit their recovery representation to “the white upper class” persons thus basing their addiction conceptual framework on only one group of people (468).

Works Cited

Hersey, Curt. “Scrip (ting) treatment: representations of recovery from addiction in Hollywood Film.” Contemporary Drug problems 32.4 (2005): 467-480.

Scheck, Anne. “Brief ED interventions Lower Drug and Alcohol Abuse.” Emergency medicine News 28.1 (2006): 36-37.

Van Over, Brion. “The self as a culturally constituted Linguistic resource in Interventions.” Research on Language and social interactions 28.4 (2008): 1-22.

Introduction

The broadcast media, particularly, television and its varied programs, is now considered a big part of everybody’s life. Everyday, almost every hour, people of all ages, sizes and/or gender can be seen glued to the TV watching their favorite program. Indeed, TV has become a detrimental part of everybody’s life which is why TV producers and/or networks make sure that they will be providing some thing new or something different to the viewers.

It is in this aspect why reality shows came into prominence. Reality TV shows, as the name implies, are TV programs which highlight real life dramas. The characters or the ‘stars’ of such programs are common individuals (ordinary members of the society) who are either invited or auditioned themselves for the said programs. Reality programs/shows are normally aired everyday, or of not, every particular day of the week.

Some of the highly known reality shows we have nowadays are Big Brother, Survivor, Amazing Race, Top Chef, among others. This paper will focus on one particular reality show, Big Brother, as this has been a very famous program which various countries around the world (such as the US, UK, and in some parts of Asia) had their own version.

Results from an Interview Conducted

A family (who wished their named to be kept in private) was chosen to participate in an interview concerning reality TV programs. this study. They are a family of five (with a 35 year old father, 33 year-old mom, 16 year-old daughter and 11 and 6 year-old sons). This particular family may look like the ordinary families we have around the community, but what’s so special about this family is the fact that they are so engrossed in watching reality shows, especially the Big Brother, that they could not go out at nights unless the place where they going to would have a TV set (where they could watch Big Brother).

It should be noted that in reality shows like the Big brother, there really is no script to follow. The director and the program producers totally rely on the characters on how the ‘story’ will evolve. What they need to do is to find certain display of various humanistic emotions in which they think the viewers can certainly relate to. Directors and program producers will also need to think day-to-day activities that they will be asking the ‘characters’ to do so that every night of every show, there is something new to watch for by the viewers. Such activities also serve as tests or challenges for the ‘characters’ which will, sometimes, in turn push them to their limits forcing them to be evicted out of the Big Brother house or of whatever reality show it is.

Below is the summarized version of their responses to interview questions:

1. How long have you been watching reality shows like Big Brother?

The members of the family are one in saying that they have been watching Big Brother since it was introduced in TV. In fact, they subscribed to cable so that they will be able to watch other country’s version of Big Brother too.

2. Are you giving enough attention to the way the show is aired: the characterization, the script, and the message it imparts to viewers like you? What do you notice?

The older members of the family (both parents and the 16-year old daughter) revealed that they are very particular with the characters and how the directors and program producers conceptualize activities for such characters. They would find it amusing if in some parts, the ‘characters’ could not perform in the activities (and they personally feel that those activities are nothing but an easy task). Sometimes, they empathized with the characters when they miss their families and would want to go out of the Big Brother house. The teenage-daughter even disclosed that she feels that she could not live 45 long days in a house full of strangers and without her family to hang on to, much worst, without any contact to the outside world.

Meanwhile, the two youngsters (the 11 and 6 year-old boys) said that they do not care much about the ‘characters’ or of the directors and the program producers. They watch it because their parents and older sister watch it. they laugh with them when the ‘character’s did funny things or when they failed at some easy-looking challenges.

3. Are you bothered by the presence of ‘stars’ or characters’ which are not really from showbiz, and are just, in fact, part of your ordinary circle of people? What about the twists in the ‘story’ which are very unpredictable that even the producers have not thought coming, what do you feel about it?

The parents, especially the mom, stressed that what she loved about the Big Brother house is the fact that the ‘characters’ are just ordinary people. They come from various walks of life. They represent the majority of the populace that s why she can easily relate to the characters’ thoughts and feelings.

The father further added that when certain national issue is raised in the Big Brother house, and the characters commented on it, he would always find himself agreeing or disagreeing with the characters because they have raised a point which represents him, as a commoner, or as an ordinary citizen. And he personally think that if big personalities (either from showbiz or politics) are the characters in the said Big Brother house, he would not feel the same.

The teenager and the two youngsters have different views from the parents. They said that it is nice to have those ‘unknown’ characters in the reality shows, but if known teenagers from the showbiz circle are to be included, it would be more exciting for them.

4. Have you been affected emotionally, physically and/or psychologically by what you have seen from Big Brother? In what ways?

“Definitely!” This the common answer from all the members of the family.

The parents are affected emotionally and psychologically. In this reality show, they have seen how youngsters act when they are out of their parents’ sights. And that’s what bothered them the mot. They now worry about their kids. They tend to be paranoid sometimes, especially when their 16-year old daughter will go out with friends. The father would worry about what his daughter would be doing. The mother will even think that their daughter might be acting differently when not in front of the family.

The 16 year-old teenager revealed that because Big Brother house is a very famous reality show in the country, she sometimes pattern the way she dresses herself to her favorite ‘character’ in the said reality show.

The boys said that they are affected but could not easily pinpoint how. They said that all of the characters in the Big Brother house are much older than them. But their opinions towards certain things and their style of expressing themselves affects how them.

5. Do you pattern your way of living as how you’ve seen it done characters in the reality show you’re watching? (Y/N)

Both the mother and father said no. They said that because they are old enough, they know what they want and how to do it better. At most times they would comment ‘been there, done that’ at some of the experiences highlighted in the Big Brother house.

The teenager re-stated that she normally patterns her style of clothing with her favorite character in the Big Brother house. While the two youngsters said that no, they cannot do that as they always ask their mom and dad what to do or what to get, etc.

Conclusion

TV programs are forms of media that create a big impact to the society. It may affect the whole being of the viewers. Because of the tremendous success of various TV programs, TV producers have thought of something new and something different to present to their avid viewers, thus the birth of reality shows.

Big Brother is one of the famous reality shows being aired in many countries around the globe today. A lot of versions have been used but the concept remains the same – the people who will act as the ‘characters’ are mostly ordinary citizens representing people from all ages, gender, and/or cultural background; unlike any other TV program, there will be script to memorize and/follow and there’s even no director to cut or edit if the characters did something wrong. It is a reality show and it certainly shows real life dramas, event and emotions.

Based on the literature reviewed and the responses given by the participants of this study, it can be concluded that TV programs like the reality shows do affect the viewers. They give profound impact in the people’s psychological, emotional and physical state. And this is exactly how reality shows, like the Big Brother house, construct meanings for its viewers.

Reality shows, like the Big Brother house, is meant to show to its viewers the other side of life. These reality shows really intend to reveal what people can do and cannot do when they are confined in a place with no outside communication. They exist and become famous because they are able to impart to their viewers that life in TV is exactly like the life in the outside world – real, challenging and unpredictable.

References

1. Barwise P., & Ehrenberg, A. S. C. 1988. Television and its audience. London: Sage.
2. Horgan, K.B. et al. 2001. “Television Food Advertising: Targeting Children in a Toxic Environment,” The handbook of Children and the Media.
3. Lincoln, Y. S. and Guba, E. G. 1985. Naturalistic Inquiry, Sage Publications, Beverly Hills, CA.
4. McKoon, Gail and Ratcliff, Roger. 1992. Spreading Activation Versus Compound Cue Accounts of Priming: Mediated Priming Revisited. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory; and Cognition, 18, pp. 1155-1172
5. Seels, Barbara, Berry, Louis H. and Fullerton Karen. 1996. Research on Learning from Television, in Handbook for Research on Educational Communications and Technology, David H. Jonassen (ed.), pp. 299-377, Simon & Schuster Macmillan, New York
6. Webster, J. G., & Lichty, L. W. 1991. Ratings analysis: Theory and practice. Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum

Introduction

Reality shows are symptomatic of deteriorating entertainment standards on television. The prevalence of superficiality, fabrication and exaggeration in the programs testify to this fact. Numerous viewers indulge in this obsession, but few will admit to it. It is necessary to analyze the controversy surrounding this genre of shows. Such a process will allow one order to understand why reality programs harm the American public.

How reality television is a step down

Few Americans will openly reveal their addiction to reality shows. Those that do will never justify their choices on the basis of content; they often give other reasons. Some claim that the programs give them a glimpse into the privileged life; they get to learn and borrow ideas on how they would like to live in the future. Others claim that watching these shows allows them to escape into another world (Hirschorn, 2007).

A show such as “Keeping up with the Kardashians” allowed many people to see what being a celebrity meant. They can also daydream about something other than their uneventful lives. For instance, they get to watch an amateur singer rise to stardom in “American Idol”, or see how an overweight individual becomes a size 8 on “The Biggest looser”. Many viewers are embarrassed about engaging in this past-time activity despite having these reasons. Reality shows have a negative reputation, but people still keep watching them.

This perspective stems from the impracticable nature of some of the events in the shows. As a result, the shows no longer become true reflections of reality. Viewers are also aware of the immense amount of editing that takes place before airing the shows. What viewers see becomes this large distortion of the events that took place during shooting thus explaining why some people classify the shows as fictional entertainment.

In order to understand why reality shows have garnered such a negative reputation, it is necessary to understand the dynamics of communication, authenticity and performance. In communication, authenticity is the process by which audiences assess the truth on the basis of how people behave in entertainment pieces (Piper, 2006). The process of watching popular entertainment shows is rather complex and difficult to generalize. However, these shows have a few commonalities such as people’s perception of their authenticity.

Audiences tend to assume that highly entertaining factual shows are not authentic or real. Conversely, fictional shows should have first-class drama, so when they are entertaining they are more likely to attract audiences. Reality shows are not fictional shows; as the name suggests, the shows should reflect reality, or should be factual. These programs are an amalgamation of documentary-like work and scripted effort.

One can observe the documentary component through the numerous hours of footage that are common in almost all reality shows. However, the themes and characters selected in the stories reflect the scripted components. Their producers and directors tend to focus on the entertainment aspect thus explaining why viewers think reality shows are not authentic. Perhaps this is a concept that these stakeholders need to realize before they intensify the tears, rejection, and excitement prevalent in their shows nowadays.

A number of economic reasons can explain the reality show craze too. Many producers are under pressure to deliver neatly packaged stories, in the shortest time possible (Sayed, 2009). Television networks have signed contracts with these individuals to produce items within the set deadlines. Sometimes uneventful things may have taken place within the concerned time frame.

As a result, editing boards and other stakeholders have to alter a few things before airing them. Poniewozik (2006) adds that they frequently construct crushes and create feuds in order to make these shows more appealing to the masses. For instance, producers can put footage together that they shot days apart.

Many viewers know that people edit reality shows, but few of them understand the full extent of the habit. The riveting details involved in carrying out these exercises have started coming out when network owners, production companies and story line creators get into disagreements. These individuals edit videos, coach interviewees and compose story lines that can make the shows more appealing.

As a result, many of them believe that their work is just like a writer’s job, so they are demanding writers’ incentives like the freedom to unionize. It is true that these employees do not write long scripts; however, a number of them shape the story, and can turn a dull and lukewarm story into something juicy and captivating. The editors can use several tricks to achieve this. Sometimes, if two people are on a date, an editor can wait for moments when one of the dates has left for the restroom, and the other person looks bored.

If they capture this footage, they can paint the date as boring even when it was captivating. On reality shows, stakeholders face a lot of pressure to create pulsating drama. Furthermore, the standards for altering these stories are less clear than they are in other genres. In some shows, editors can alter audience’s perceptions quite dramatically depending on what they want. They can develop villainy inside an editing room. Nonetheless in defense of their actions, some producers claim that these edits are not outright lies.

They believe that if a fight did not happen, it would almost be impossible for one to make it up. They claim that nitpicking scenes helps to capture the essence of the story. While some of this information is true, one cannot ignore the fact that immense distortions do occur about real people.

For instance, in the reality show “Joe Millionaire”, the producers made two dates appear as if they were engaging in an intimate act, and added a line that one of them said earlier. This totally misrepresented the events and the characters at the time. Furthermore, the participants had to carry these false images into their real lives (Poniewozik, 2006). This was utterly unfair on the TV channel’s part.

Having learnt about all the fabrication that goes on in production, then one needs to understand why these programs flood American television networks. Reality shows reflect America’s culture; celebrities have obsessed many individuals from way back. History reflects this obsession as seen through Marilyn Munroe and Elizabeth Taylor’s lifestyles.

The public regards Hollywood as a doorway to fame and success, but only the select few can make it. Reality television is a revenge mission against Hollywood’s bureaucracy because ordinary people can become overnight stars. Cases in point include Kim Kardashian and Paris Hilton. The former individual was the highest paid reality show star in 2010, having earned 6 million dollars in that year alone (Dorian, 2010). Reality TV characters engage in their roles, in the hope of becoming just as rich as Kim.

As reality television continues to gain popularity, more scholars and analysts will keep analyzing these trends. Socialists who study the topic affirm that Americans have a universal desire to see themselves on television. When this happens, it gives the participants a sense of superiority that they would never have experienced if these programs did not exist. Reality shows satisfy people’s need to gossip (albeit in a sanitized manner).

Other analysts claim that reality shows are a socially acceptable form of ‘Peeping Tomism’, so they meet that need without requiring the subjects to indulge in unacceptable behavior. Another category of observers believes that reality shows are so addictive because they reflect what American society is about.

Shows such as “Cheaters” or “The Jerry Springer Show” reveal how endemic infidelity is in the country has become. Shows such as “The Apprentice” epitomize the American dream, which represents entrepreneurship and self-made wealth. If reality shows appear to be superficial, then that simply reflects the values that are inherent in the American society; otherwise, few would watch the shows (Conlin, 2003).

Critics believe that reality shows are terrible for viewers because these audiences tend to become disengaged from their society and others. The need to make these shows more appealing causes more producers to disconnect the shows from reality. Children who grow up watching these shows tend to have a distorted view of reality. If a program entails performance of stunts, then their directors will increase the danger inherent in the stunts.

If a show entails some match-making or relationship ordeals, then directors will make the rejections even more brutal. In shows such as “America’s next top model” and “Project Runway”, almost all participants want to land an agent or build their own empire. More shows keep intensifying their displays, as new ones keep surfacing. With time, the genre will experience saturation, and this will harm the public. Shouting matches will replace intelligent conversations between interviewers and interviewees.

If the trend continues, it is likely that this will sideline the real issues. For instance, the country’s economy is still in peril. Furthermore, the US is spending millions of dollars in two Middle Eastern wars. Not many citizens are engaging in these conversations because they have something that is dramatic to watch. An addiction to reality shows comes at the expense of other crucial matters that should be taking centre stage in television programming.

Television channels prefer reality shows because they are cheaper to produce than other programs. Since the shows do not involve award-wining actors such as Julia Robert and Brad Pit, then producers will not have to spend millions on actors’ payroll (Sayed, 2009). The exposure, fame, and opportunities that come with their roles satisfy the participants, so they do not ask for monetary compensations. Furthermore, these shows may require writers, but they do not belong to the same category as other conventional script writers.

That implies that they will demand less in terms of compensation. Lastly, reality shows have already been tried and tasted. The public has an appetite for the shows as seen through their high ratings. Consequently, television network owners will keep delivering the material as it brings a significant return on their investment. The only problem is that cheap productions rarely become high quality shows, so elevated profit margins may come at a price for the consumer.

Conclusion

Reality TV signifies a drop in American entertainment standards owing to its distortion of facts and excessive emphasis on entertainment over fiction. Furthermore, the obsession causes many individuals to shift focus away from crucial world or country events in order to follow their celebrity. It is symptomatic of America’s fascination with fame, appearance on television, and wealth. This may continue to delineate people from their society.

References

Conlin, M. (2003). America’s reality TV addiction. Business Week. Web.

Dorian, J. (2010). Kim Kardashian top earning reality star for year 2010. International Business Times. Web.

Hirschorn, M. (2007). The case for reality TV. The Atlantic. Web.

Piper, H. (2006). Understanding reality television. Oxford: OUP. Web.

Poniewozik, J. (2006). How reality TV fakes it. Time. Web.

Sayed, D. (2009). Paranormal obsession: America’s fascination with Ghosts and Hauntings. NY: Lewellyn. Web.

Nowadays people are coming up with a wide range of TV shows which may be influential, entertaining, or educative. Bearing this in mind, people will always have diverse opinions on what type of TV show they watch.

In America, there are several TV shows that are normally aired on TV channels and DSTV. RuPaul’s Drag Race is not left out of the long list of TV shows as it has gained popularity among many viewers. Primarily, the TV show is about a reality competition that aims at exploring drag stars in the world today. Watching the show is so amazing because it portrays how the participants can behave like women without noticing their male features (Stanley, 2009 Par.6).

To begin with, the host, RuPaul is an elegant man who impersonates himself like a woman. Particularly, RuPaul imitates Tyra who is also a TV host in America. Bravo to RuPaul because he really knows how to entertain his audience as he goes about his performances. His show mainly involves lip-synching, cross-dressing, and imitation of women. The show is well organized as participants are active and well-dressed in their nice drags (Stanley, 2009 Par.7).

Coming up with such a show was a brilliant idea because it creates an opportunity for homosexuals to express themselves. Other than this, it also gives them a sense of belonging since they feel represented like other minority groups. RuPaul’s show is an eye-opener to people who often discriminate against those who dress in drags. Thus, the show is organized in such a way that people can be able to appreciate those who dress in drags. With its hilarious nature, RuPaul’s show is one that amuses an audience as participants perform in their drags.

Reference

Stanley A. (2009). Television Review: RuPaul’s Drag Race. Web.

Introduction

Today’s technological advancements have made it possible for TV reality shows to grow exponentially and to be viewed by millions of people across the globe. People are in need of entertainment and information, and reality shows have been used to achieve these purposes. As opposed to films and documentaries, reality shows present to the audience unscripted remarkable or entertaining situations. Most reality shows documents real proceedings, and features regular people instead of expert actors. There are many reality shows screened on our television sets today but perhaps the most striking are the Survival series, Big brother, Oprah Winfrey, and Tyra Banks shows.

For the purposes of this discussion, I will use the Survivor reality show. It is a game show which has been produced in numerous countries around the world. The show basically involves contestants being secluded in the wilderness to battle for cash and other prizes. Progressive elimination is used in the show, whereby contestants are allowed to vote off a tribe member. This is continuously repeated until the winner- the “sole Survivor” is known. Below I attempt to describe the Survivor reality show using four major theoretical theories of Conflict, Functionalism, Symbolic Interaction, and Post Modernist (“Survival TV series”, 2008).

Conflict theory

Conflict theory views society as a cluster of units which comprise the upper, middle, and lower classes of people. These units have varied and differing interests and thus are always in continued conflict with one another. This conflict is only suppressed, temporarily, through the domination of an elite, oppressive and exploitive cluster of people. According to this perspective, change in society, comes about due to this conflict. Change is sudden. The perspective also view social systems as unjust and often cruel upon the “have-nots” of the social order as the systems are repeatedly used by the “powerful” in society to promote their views and defend their assets. Such social systems include the family unit, the education system as well as the political system. Conflict theory proponents believe that power and wealth must be redistributed again through either a revolution or a reform (Ratcliff, 2008).

In survival series, the game often involves 16-20 strangers that are then divided to 4 groups, called tribes. The groups are then given minimum survival kits to use in the wilderness. The tribes have different interests and are in continued conflict with one another, as the dominant make a kill, and the weak suffers. The tough rules and regulations are often seen as unjust to the weak as the dominant knows their way around the rules. There is a lot of endurance, willpower, problem-solving skills and teamwork involved. The dominant always use their strength to guard against their interest – the coveted prize money (Survival TV series).

Functionalist theory

Functionalists view society as comprised of interrelated parts, which are normally in equilibrium. Every part of the social system adds in some means to the smooth performance of society. A system or part changes or becomes extinct when it is found to be unnecessary. Adjustments of the social systems to difficulties and innovations bring about gradual change in society (Ratcliff, 2008).

This is true in the survival TV series. One tribe is composed of around four individuals, assigned different responsibilities. All the responsibilities must be shared out equally to maintain the perfect balance. The individuals must perform all their assignments harmoniously if they are to avoid elimination in the elimination ceremony, often called the tribal council. A tribe must keep on adjusting and changing the roles assigned to the participants so that tough roles are done by tough participants and vice-versa. Those who are unable to perform their roles fall on the way. The aim of working in harmony with one another is to win the highest prize in the game – cash (“Survival TV SerieS”, 2008).

Symbolic Interaction

This theory holds that people always make social constructions of reality depending on the interpretations of our daily experiences. It holds that all social situations have shared definitions. People always confer meaning to daily situations as they interpret events and contexts. Reaction is based in the interpretation. People always base their interpretation on vocal and non-vocal symbols, which comprise the mechanisms of communication within interactions (Ratcliff, 2008).

This theory has been used extensively in the survival TV series reality show. The participants always make social constructions of their actions depending on how they interpret a challenge they are supposed to accomplish. Contestants may be required to race through a string of barriers to gather puzzle pieces which then must be assembled after all puzzle pieces have been gathered. To proponents of symbolic interaction, such an exercise will require the contestants to make a social construction of the exercise and interpret it on account of their daily experiences. The definition of the exercise is shared amongst the tribe. In such an exercise, verbal as well as non-verbal communication has always proved important if the tribe is to finish ahead of its competitors (“Survival TV series”, 2008).

Post Modernist theory

Proponents of Post-Modernism argue that, either there is something essentially dissimilar concerning the communication of meaning, or that modernism has basic flaws in its scheme of information. Due to rapid economic and technological advancements, a decentralized and media-dominated society have been created whereby ideas are only copies of each other and thus society lacks originality, stability, and objectivity in their sources of communication and meaning (Social theory, 2008).

This theory explains what is happening today in our society. We have been so media-dominated and ideas we hold common are only inter-referential illustrations and duplicates of other ideas before them. Look at the survival reality show! After its inception, TV stations have been airing many other duplicates of the Survival series such that it’s always hard to distinguish the original from the clones (“Survival TV series”, 2008).

Works cited

Ratcliff, Donald. Creation, Redemption and Sociological Theory. 2008. Web.

Social Theory. 2008. Web.

Survival TV Series. 2008. Web.

Introduction

Reality Television World covers a great row of independent reality shows which involve and describe typical situations of ordinary people. It is considered to be a kind of television genre disclosing different actual events, funny or dramatic situations without participation of professional actors. Reality television is one of the most widely spread genres of television aspects and it includes different kinds of TV formats without any strict limitations or prohibitions. It gives an opportunity to express a kind of programming freedom in order to show real situations of our life with its difficulties and puzzles.

Television reality shows covers thousands of different life episodes with the usage of creative editing in order to make shows more emotional and bright. Reality shows can be devoted to different subjects but the main fact is that they should provide the participants of the shows with the freedom to play and react in the most real and typical way. It is important to stress that one should not confuse reality shows with all others types of TV programs in which the participants are to ignore the cameras and are asked to behave in a natural way. The main task of producers is to encourage their participants and in some cases private conversations are used which are typed and play the role of narration.

Background Information

Television reality shows have been developing for a long period of time and covered many periods of television progressing. But it is necessary to stress that the peak in the development of this television type was in 2000 when the majority types of shows were produced. In the period between 1960s-1970s TV shows were scripted with the involvement of professional actors who were to create and play the characters.

People thought that reality shows were not thoroughly planned and actors were not normally trained though they were involved and played their roles according to the program. Producers could not meet the requirements of the public and create an interesting storyline. The first real TV show was created only in 1970 and was called An American Family. The author and creator of the show was Public Broadcasting System. This reality show disclosed the real life of different families which were about to face divorce. It had success while it showed some typical situations from the real life of people and highlighted life mistakes which should be avoided in ordinary families. (Pollick, 2006)

The next period in the development of reality shows was in 1980 when the next show COPS was introduced to the public. This type of reality shows was aimed at presentation of policemen’s work to the audience through the hand-held cameras. This reality show was really recognized and generally accepted. It considered to be the impact in the sphere of reality television, because this show gave a start to the plenty of others and production companies began their activities striving to create new exciting reality shows involving professional photographers, police cameras and news organizations. This period in the reality television development was very important and it brought real success to the sphere being very popular especially among the youth.

Meanwhile another type of reality shows appeared and was spread among the public. It was called The Real World and disclosed different unusual situations experiences by ordinary people. The audience enjoyed this show as it was really true to life and gave an opportunity to evaluate their actions watching ordinary people. This period left a print in the history of reality television development. (Keveney, 2007)

One of the most outstanding reality shows in the USA was considered to be CBS’s Survivor. This reality show was produced in 1999 and resulted in strong objections on the part of professional directors and actors. Nevertheless Survivor met the requirements of the public and found its audience in spite of all prohibitions and objections. This show was mostly concentrated on the play of non-professional actors and did not require a lot of cost for production, but all the same it was professionally done and satisfied the audience of that period. The success of this show was really vivid from the very beginning and that is why it caused an increase of competitiveness in the sphere of television activities.

Types of Reality Shows

Reality television has undergone a wide range of changes and periods of development. It was the reason for the creation of different sub-types of reality shows. The most popular are the following:

Documentary TV shows

This type of reality shows means that cameras are only passive observers watching usual activities of our every day life. This type includes the following sub-categories: celebrities, special living environment and professional activities. Such shows as Big Brother, The Simple Life, American Chopper, Temptation Island are considered to be the most prominent reality shows of this type.

Game Shows

This type of reality shows discloses the real competitions for some prize being isolated in a particular environment and showing team forces in different competitions. The participants are usually judged by the audience with the involvement of the voting or by the decision of the players themselves. Dating-based competitions, fear-centric, job search and sports are the main sub-categories of this type. The most famous reality shows of this sub-category are Flavor of Love, Making the Band, Top Design, Fear Factor and many others. (Dollar, 2008)

Self-Improvement

It is a special and very important type of reality shows because it brings positive changes to the life of the society and influences the audience. It is important to stress that this type of reality television format is aimed at the improvement of the ordinary people’s life with the involvement of the television. The most popular shows are the following: Extreme Makeover, The Biggest Loser, The Bad Girls Club and some others. One should note that this type is not only a kind of television entertainment but also a kind of aid to those who need support and look for different ways out of their difficult life situations and misunderstanding on the part of surrounding people… (Macartney, 2005)

Renovation

Renovation reality shows describe the peculiarities of a person’s work or living space. It includes While You Were Out, This Old House, Changing Rooms and some others. The purpose of these reality shows is to describe the experience of the society in life and work, to show some mistakes and achievements in order to bring some improvements to the publicity.

Dating Shows

Reality shows which are devoted to the dating and romantic meetings are the mostly spread among the youth. They are considered to be rather close to real life as they show the most typical situations faced by modern couples. Such shows as Parental Control, Blind Date etc. are the most popular in the USA. Dating reality shows are very spread not only in America but on the international level, because they are of high demand among the modern population and their audience if large enough to produce them again and again. They are very entertaining and involving and usually they lead to their complete imitation in life on the part of teenagers.

Talk Shows

Different types of discussions and interviewing belong to this type of reality shows. The main purpose of this show is to promote some useful information; these shows are very informative and strict in rules. They are created according to the traditional standards of news and broadcasting without any interference of other styles. To this type the following reality shows belong as The Jerry Springer, Ricki Lake and some others.

Hidden Cameras

It is one of the most interesting and relaxing reality shows which exist on the television. The purpose of these shows is just entertain and teach to laugh at each other and at typical life situations we face almost every day. Candid Camera and Scare Tactics are aimed at entertaining of the audience focusing on jokes and different funny situations of life.

The Role of Reality TV Show

The role of reality shows is very significant in our life, especially for those who prefer to devote their time to the television programs. Nowadays, at the period of globalization, our vision on life has changed a lot in comparison with previous generations. People try to imitate each others and demonstrate their life to the publicity. The youth tries to avoid quite and peaceful life somewhere apart from peers; and that is why modern reality shows are so popular in the society.

Sometimes TV programs may seem to be so real that we forget that it is only show not a real life. The demand on the reality shows production is very high and that is why they are so widely spread among the population. There is a type of people who are called reality TV junkies; these people cannot imagine their life without television and reality shows are their life with real actors and events. (Lynch, 2006)

The role of reality shows is quite vivid in our modern life. It is important to stress the main functions of reality shows:

• Informative;
• Entertaining;
• Instructive;
• Magistral.

The basic purpose of all kinds of reality shows is to reflect the real life events in order to evaluate them on the examples of other people’s actions and understand your own mistakes or life happiness. Reality shows make our life not so boring and dramatic providing the audience with different funny cases and situations and demonstrating our natural reaction on them. (Kurtz, 2007)

Conclusion

To sum everything up it important to state that reality TV shows became an integral part of our modern life with their competitions, funny situations and useful interviews. Inmost cases reality shows are very Magistral and instructive; they can even change our opinion of bring some changes. But one should remember that they can also influence our life negatively, so it is just a show and we should not care about the flow of events or take close to heart the fate of the actors.

References

Michael, Pollick. What is a Reality Show? Informational Paper. NY. 2006.

Keveney, Bill. Real World Launched a Revolution. USA Today, 2007.

Dollar, Steve. Reality Never Looked So… Real. The New York Sun, 2008.

Lynch, Mark. Reality is not Enough. The politics of Reality. 2006.

Kurtz, Howard. Reality Show. Free Press, pp. 480. 2007.

Macartney, Jane. TV Talent Contest. The Times. 2005.