What Reality Television Says About Modern Culture: Essay One

The Merriam-Webster online dictionary defines reality television as “programming that features videos of actual occurrences.” Reality television has become an increasingly favorable genre of television shows, but society often fails to recognize how unrealistic these superficial shows have become. Many people enjoy reality television due to its ability of making viewers laugh, and step back from their own lives for a period of time. This television craze proves that modern culture has an altered view of reality, and has become progressively superficial due to the lack of education on the topic. Society claims that these shows are realistic, however they are often a scripted dramatization thriving to imitate real scenarios. Reality television allows viewers to escape the reality of their own lives because it is a removed way to experience emotions, and these shows that are supposedly “reality-based” are never filmed in a realistic setting. When viewers watch reality television, it offers them time to escape from the reality of their own lives. Producers carefully choose cast members that are diverse and represent a large population of society, to avoid criticism, but to also allow viewers to relate to at least one specific cast member. The average Canadian watches a show such as “Survivor” (which offers a one million dollar grand prize to the winner) and envies the superficial status that is temporarily given to specific cast members that receives significant attention. By doing so, the viewers draw parallels to the specific cast member that is most similar to themselves, and envisions themselves on that show, receiving that same attention, and essentially becoming famous. Reality television today strongly revolves around unrealistic drama between cast members, which viewers are often quick to pass