Reality TV has had high rating since the beginning because of the entertainment it provides for all viewers. Numerous people compare their lives to the ones on reality TV, because many wish to be them or many just choose to judge their way of living since it is on aired nationwide. In “The ‘normal’ Narcissism of Reality TV” by Jean M. Twenge she explain how narcissism shown in reality TV affects the younger generation’s view of the world, by making narcissism seem normal. Narcissistic people on reality TV have affected the younger generation and the obsession they have of themselves. Twenge states, “To many older people, it’s funny.
Steven Reiss’s article, “why America loves reality TV”, explains that Americans fantasize about being famous. Many Americans believe that if others can achieve fame, so can they. Reiss clarified that contestants from different television shows compete everyday to get the highest ratings out of viewers. Reiss stated: “what seems real about reality TV is that it allows Americans to fantasize about gaining status through instant fame”. According to Reiss reality TV educates viewers its shameless behaviors that are shown by the contestants.
The younger generation think that is what they should do since that is what they see on TV and the internet. Divinecaroline.com state “Reality shows have become very popular and teens have begun to realize that you can become famous just by being a bad girl, teen mom, or a crazy party animal who likes to do nothing but drink and “smush,” like the cast members on Jersey Shore.” Shows like this are giving teens the wrong idea. Why should the cast be paid so much for setting a bad example? This country is supposed to be looked up to as a great clean country. With shows like this on air for the world to see it is a disgrace.
(289~291) I agree with Johnson’s claim of, Sleeper Curve makes the viewers improve so they Liu 2 can and will want to watch more TV shows. However, watching TV have more factors that make you more stupid than make you smarter. This skill ends up letting people watch more and more TVs, which already is a bad thing, and they become more stupid. First of all, TV shows’ content also is a great factor of being smart which Johnson never talks about. In “Watching TV Makes You Smarter” when he talked about the show 24, he ignored the content of the show like the torture scenes, and go straight to the Sleeper Curve.
That is where the person either thinks that they already look like someone on TV or they believe they don’t need to. Deep down on some level they are envious and it is not their fault. They have been programmed since young that they are supposed to look a certain way because of what they have seen in movies. Women are supposed to be skinny with perfect bodies and the men are supposed to be chiseled and muscular, and that’s not how everyone is. This is the biggest type of persuasion and the most dangerous, the reason I say this because not only do people judge themselves on how they look but they judge everyone else.
Sociologically, reality television offers several reasons as to why we thoroughly enjoy reality programming and why makes us want to integrate what we see on TV into our lives. Symbolic interactionism is the study of how people use things to which they attach meaning to develop their views of the world and to connect with one another. This idea is used to understand cultures and how different actions depict several meanings around the world. In the case of reality television, it has become so popular that people who watch reality programming link themselves and their actions with that of the people they see on these programs. The reason why people are so crazy for reality television is is because there is that possibility that they could be on it.
Young children can be self conscious they can think, but they don’t think about thinking. Self consciousness is exacerbated by the Imaginary Audience. Teens feel that a group of people are always watching and judging them on everything that they do. When a teen feels like they are getting judge by an audience that doesn’t exist this is called Imaginary audience. Imaginary audience arises from the larger concept of adolescent egocentrism.
In “The Merchants of Cool,” the author investigates the rising fascination with teen pop culture. Teenagers are constantly vying for attention, causing them to imitate popular celebrities. Major corporations try to capitalize off this, showing productions and advertisements to influence them further. The era of family friendly programming has no longer any place in primetime television; shows such as Dawson’s Creek and Cruel Intentions have completely infiltrated the TV schedule to reflect teens’ all-consuming fascination with sexuality. One of the major networks responsible for influencing pop culture is MTV, telling kids what’s cool.
Television shows like the cartoon “Static Shock” taught its young viewers about things like peer pressure and gangs. While shows like the “Jersey shore” and “Teen Mom” create stereotypes and bias towards the people the supposedly represent. “…will he not have a pain in his eyes which will make him turn away to take refuge in the objects of vision which he can see, and which he will conceive to be in reality clearer than the things which are now being shown to him. ?” (Socrates 1) This quote is basically saying that people are afraid to go against the mold and be like everyone else and sacrifice their beliefs and quiet the voice than to
Media is the backbone of American society today. People thrive on the drama of knowing what celebrity did what with who, or what stocks crashed this week, or even what the next act of congress might be. Every individual will have their own opinion on how important all of these topics are, but the fact still remains that without media, the large majority of people in today’s American society would be lost. One of the most common forms of media that is accessible by every American today is television. Television allows people to know what’s going on in the world, it gives people endless hours of entertainment, and it even has a certain value in advancing people’s knowledge on certain topics.