This week I will not be talking about social media, although I feel like I could talk about social media every single day and be satisfied. I am going to talk about my other true love, Reality TV.
I have a confession to make; I am obsessed with Reality TV. I love it, I consume it, and it consumes me. Currently I am watching “Jersey Shore” and am facing extreme difficulty in writing this due to my captivation.
I love watching uneducated people poorly represent New Jersey through their slurred drunken debauchery. I love watching women with offensive amounts of plastic surgery spend $25,000 on a pair of sunglasses. I love watching seven strangers picked to live in a house. I love watching all of these shows because I love to be entertained!
I am well aware of the criticisms of Reality TV. It’s not even real, there is no substance or depth, etc. However, I choose to ignore this because I absolutely love being entertained by it. Maybe it is because it makes me feel good to compare myself to the train wrecks I see on TV, maybe it is because I think Snooki and I would be really good friends in real life, I don’t know the exact reason, I just know I love it.
I think one of the most appealing qualities about reality TV is that it is meant to represent reality. I can watch an episode of “The OC” about actors acting like rich snobby upper class California kids, or I can watch “real” people who are rich snobby upper class California kids. Whether or not it is actually real is besides the point or the purpose of Reality TV, it successfully entertains.
So, you can judge me for my choice in entertainment lacking substance or reality. I am aware of the judgments, however, I will watch and enjoy it every day it is offered to me.
Now please watch and enjoy... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8FjCZoq_MX8
I am also a huge fan of Reality TV. In fact, the only two channels that I watch seem to be E! and Bravo, both of which only show reality stars living their lives. For whatever reason, watching someone else's drama proves to be incredibly entertaining. I also really enjoyed the YouTube video that accompanied this post.
ReplyDeleteI don’t watch reality television too often, but I don’t object to it as a whole. I think what our society finds so intriguing about reality television shows is the shock value. Television standards are relaxing, and in turn, television viewers today are exposed to much more graphic imagery and subject matter than in years before. What used to be risque is no longer risque, and what used to be gruesome is no longer gruesome. It’s much more interesting to many of today’s viewers to watch the Situation “get it in” with some random girl, than to watch an actor and actress pretend to have sex in a show. I don’t really care to watch shocking sexual or violent content, but I understand why many people do. I find it more interesting to watch shows like “Hoarders” or “Intervention,” that document real problems that individuals face. The content in these shows is more shocking to me because it is so rare and exaggerated. I wouldn’t want to experience what those people go through, but I am transfixed by their situations.
ReplyDeleteOur generation is definitely fixated on Reality TV. We are obsessed. How else could a bunch of former nobodies from NJ become instantly famous, multimillionaires with household names? Like Hannah, I don't care for the more obscene shows, but when I want a good TV fix I default to E!, particularly "Keeping Up with the Kardashians." I've never really thought about why Reality TV is so popular, or why different people are attracted to different shows. Maybe it's because we enjoy to see our personalities and preferences magnified? Or maybe it's because it's just sinfully entertaining to watch something so far-fetched. In either case, I think the ironic thing is that we watch Reality TV to take us away from our own, duller realities.
ReplyDeleteI also watch too much reality TV, but I just cannot get enough of it. Bravo is a channel that I watch practically all the time with their reality TV shows, especially The Real Housewives. I think people are just interested to see how other people live and the drama. I watch the Real Housewives and Keeping up with the Kardashians because it is entertaining to watch the drama. I feel that some people watch it because in some ways they wish they could trade places with them for a day just to see what it is like.
ReplyDelete"Whether or not it is actually real is besides the point or the purpose of Reality TV, it successfully entertains."
ReplyDeleteI think that is so true, and explains one of the reasons why our society is so fascinated by reality TV. We know that it's pretty unrealistic, but it's entertaining. When the characters are train wrecks and have tons of drama, it makes us feel better about our own lives. Or when their dreams come true (whether that's in something like The Bachelor, or a competition show), we imagine that it's happening to us. I think we feel closer to reality TV stars than to "real" actors/celebrities: these people claim to be normal, like us, and they certainly have their share of "normal people" problems. I think we love the idea that someone just like us could be famous.
But even though we know it's not an accurate portrayal of real life - I feel like the more we watch such shows, the more we subtly begin to believe that such behaviors/circumstances are quite normal and accepted. This could have a pretty negative impact on our society as a whole, depending on how far people take this. What do you think?
As much as reality TV often gets a bad reputation, I say that everything is okay in moderation. I must admit that Jersey Shore is a guilty pleasure of mine and I have been known to watch other reality shows on occasion. The bottom line is that they are entertaining and that is what TV is supposed to be. I do think some reality shows have gone too far such as "Toddlers and Tiaras" and "The Virgin Diaries" but other like Jersey Shore are pure entertainment.
ReplyDeleteI can completely understand your infatuation with reality TV. I am the same way. I was a sucker for MTV's "The Hills." I was devastated to learn it was so made up and fake. I knew parts of it were scripted but pretty much the whole show was. I get really involved in shows or movies I watch. I relate them to my own life and will cry during any movie. Reality TV is too entertaining to ignore!
ReplyDeleteI read this post and I feel as though we should be best friends because reality tv is my BIGGEST guilty pleasure. I am obsessed with all of it from the kardashians to jersey shore to the real world and the hills. All of my favorite tv shows are always bad reality tv shows. I've always been a little unsure why I have never been able to throw myself into Lost per say or a more intelligent TV show, but I think you do a great job of explaining the appeal of reality TV and why so many people are so in love with it. I love the entertainment it provides, without having to think at all. We as college students spend our days in class, our nights doing homework, studying for tests and working on projects, sometimes its just great to be able to watch purely entertaining TV and not have to think or be confused by it. I'm glad someone finally understands!
ReplyDeleteReality television is truly captivating. Although I would much rather watch Law & Order SVU than Teen Mom, I can definitely appreciate to kick back and giggle at Snooki falling off the boardwalk. Reality television truly changed TV forever. It's crazy to think The Real World was on for so many years, and it took THIS long for the reality tv craze to begin.
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