Chris Wilburn

Adam Padgett
ENGL 102
November 22, 2016
Separating Real from Reality
Reality television is a new craze taking the world by storm. Its ability to draw high

Kommentar [PA1]: Is it new?

viewership and its low production costs make it the go to show for a network to make money, so
naturally, there are many out there. My first experience with reality television was when I was
very young. My sisters and mother were enamored with MTV classics, such as The Real World
and Runs House. I did not think much of them at the time, but jumping ahead a few years, I
noticed a strange resurgence of the unscripted drama. The first show that made me question this
mode of entertainment was The Jersey Shore. A bunch of extremely hate-able people making
bad life choices, is this what entertainment has become? Whether a group of dysfunctional
pseudo-celebrities or a collection of make-up clad toddlers, these shows have become engrained
in popular culture. Therein lies the problem. Watching these shows or not only good for your
mental health, but they may be able to permeate your life more than you might think. I propose
that unscripted, documentary like television shows are associated with adverse effects on the
mental well-being, perception of reality, and general disposition of the viewer.
Reality television is a huge risk for young people, as it presents a fictional reality that
some children may try to emulate. Psychiatrist Holly Peak sums up the main negatives of reality
television viewing into four points. The first is a focus on physical beauty and sex appeal. Her
example is, Keeping Up with the Kardashians features the life of a family that spends a great
deal of time and money on appearanceTheir Instagram pages, often followed by young fans of
the show, are full of selfies, bikini and modeling photos. Photos that feature their ordinary
everyday lives are highly sexualized, including the pages of the youngest teenage members of
the family. This practice perpetuates the notion that real people gain popularity and happiness

Kommentar [PA2]: If you havent,

you should watch Gladiator.
Thematically, this is what the movie is
about: people watching the pain of
others for entertainment.

Chris Wilburn
Adam Padgett
ENGL 102
November 22, 2016
by focusing on their appearance (Peak). The second being materialism and excessive
partying. She points to The Jersey Shore as an example, The cast of The Jersey Shore spends
an entire summer binge drinking to excess, participating in risky sexual behavior, engaging in
physical altercations, and even being arrested. Despite their obvious poor behavior and decisionmaking, their popularity continues to grow. (Peak). The third major problem with reality
programs is the rampant bullying. She raises an interesting point that, As we try to discourage
bullying, gossiping and other forms of interpersonal aggression between young girls, its
unfortunate that reality shows often feature adults behaving in exactly this manner (Peak).
Her final point is that these shows are not showing the real-world success of the stars, and it sets
a bad example for young people. Reality television shows are a mine field of bad influence, and
it is not just children at risk. People of all ages are susceptible to the negative fantasies that are
presented as reality.
These problems effect many television viewers, but reality television programs are very
popular among college students and they are just as capable of harming them as well. A study
was conducted that interviewed college students on their television watching habits and there
were some interesting occurrences. Initially, participants denied watching much [reality
television]; in fact, [reality television] was rarely mentioned when participants were asked to
describe the type of television shows that they typically watched However, over the course of
the focus group discussions, it was evident that participants watched (or were at least familiar
with) more [reality television] shows than first indicated... at least 25 different [reality television]
shows were discussed throughout the focus groups as shows that were watched on a regular
basis. (Lundy 213). I bring this up because it shows that reality television may be more popular

Chris Wilburn
Adam Padgett
ENGL 102
November 22, 2016
than even the viewer believes. I do not believe that the participants were lying about their
viewing habits, but they just did not realize how far reality TV has permeated mainstream
culture. One participant even commented that I didnt think I watched this much or knew this
much about reality television but apparently, I was wrong. (Lundy 213). The fact that even
people who think they are beyond the grasp of reality television shows could be feeling their
effects is extremely worrying to me. There is one specific suggested effect on college students
specifically due to reality television. A study performed at Brooklyn College found a correlation
between Reality television viewership and one night stands. College students were surveyed
about their reality television watching habits and also their connection and interest with media
characters. Those who watched reality television sexual relationship shows as compared to those
who did not had greater odds to engage in one-night stands. (Fogel 328). Some people may feel
that there is nothing inherently wrong with one-night stands but, morals aside, it cannot be
overlooked at a possible effect of reality television and indulging in the act could be dangerous to
ones health. Another side note of this article was a survey that asked about perceived realism.
increased perceived realism associated with having one-night stands. It is reported that those
who perceive reality television as more real and also have a greater interest for the reality
television content are associated with using reality television for entertainment, relaxation, social
interaction, and companionship. (Fogel 329). Not only are people who perceive these shows
more likely to watch reality television programs, but they also are more likely to emulate that
behavior.
It is known that these shows are propagating a lifestyle that is very unrealistic, and that
people are watching reality programming, maybe even more than they think. The next question

Kommentar [PA3]: You do a good

job discussing your sources and
engaging the discussion. Nice work.

Chris Wilburn
Adam Padgett
ENGL 102
November 22, 2016
is, why? Why are people tuning in to see someone have fun or make poor life choices? Lundys
study found that most participants use it as an escape, but many others enjoy the voyeuristic
qualities. Sometimes people want to watch other people make mistakes to ease their own
worries. Another study used a different method of survey and found some slightly more
worrying results. They had people fill out a survey asking them about the importance of 16 basic
needs, one of these being status. They found The more status-oriented people are, the more
likely they are to view reality television and report pleasure and enjoyment people who are
motivated by status have an above-average need to feel self-important. Reality television may
gratify this psychological need in two ways. One possibility is that viewers feel they are more
important (have higher status) than the ordinary people portrayed on reality television shows
Further, the message of reality television- that millions of people are interested in watching real
life experiences of ordinary people - that ordinary people are important. Ordinary people can
watch the shows, see people like themselves, and fantasize that they could gain celebrity status
by being on television. (Riess 373). Now, these results seem unhealthy. By thinking that the
people on these shows are not characterized versions of themselves, they admit not having a
warped view of reality. The viewer believing that the people on reality programs are like them
would make them want to emulate the stars of the show to gain the high status that the viewer
desires. The following chart shows the mean scores of how many people from each motive group
enjoyed watching 0, 1, or 2 reality television shows.

Chris Wilburn
Adam Padgett
ENGL 102
November 22, 2016
Kommentar [PA4]: Could you
visualize this data in some way?

Now that its clear why people watch reality TV, it needs to be clear what type of person
looks to these shows. There was a study done that looked at a personality inventory of reality
television viewers and non-viewers. Results from a survey of 592 undergraduates showed that
extroversion negatively predicted reality television exposure, whereas neuroticism was not
associated with it. (Aubrey 80). With less extroverted viewers, one can assume that primarily
the viewers are introverted. It may be that introverts are watching as a proxy for real social
interaction. This is alluded to in Aubreys article, ...instrumental (social interaction,
information, and arousal) positively predicted exposure to reality television. (Aubrey 80).
This can be unhealthy for such people because social interaction is important to psychological
wellbeing. Not only is it not good for mental health, but it attributes to the problem of a twisted
worldview due to the false realty advertised in these shows.
MTV is a major player in this reality television renaissance. They were one of the first
networks to popularize partying, drinking, and casual sex on unscripted drama programs. The
promotion of these risk factors is evident in the 2015 study, Lets Get This Party Started!:

Chris Wilburn
Adam Padgett
ENGL 102
November 22, 2016
An Analysis of Health Risk Behavior on MTV Reality Television Shows. The article found
that, Results demonstrated that drinking and casual sexual behaviors were pervasive among cast
members. Smoking and more intense sexual behaviors were also present, but to a smaller
degree. (Flynn 1382). This study was conducted from 2004 to 2011, and they considered the
popularity of these shows. Now these behaviors are not necessarily morally wrong for people of
age, but these shows are very popular among adolescent viewers. This is the so-called reality
that we are subjecting to young viewers who might think this is how everyone lives their life.
This study showed that, More cast members were shown while drinking at least once than not at
all. (Flynn 1385). Thinking back to my early years, this would make me think that choosing not
to drink would not be a viable option when I become an adult, but I found the opposite to be true,
no one cares if you drink or not. The new generation should not think the situations in shows
like The Jersey Shore are how things happen in real life.
A 2013 study looked at the physical and social aggression by adolescents after watch
particularly aggressive reality television programs. They surveyed young students on their
amount of media consumption, focusing on reality television specifically. They found, as
expected, significant associations emerged, with more frequent viewing of reality TV linking
with higher levels of social aggression. (Ward 380). This mirrors a past psychological study
that basically determined that when children see aggression they act on it. If that is true, would
these children think reality programming is realistic, well, [our hypothesis] predicted that
greater consumption of reality programming would be associated with attributing more realism
to reality programs. We tested this notion by conducting zero-order correlations between the two
reality programming variables and the perceived realism variable. Findings confirmed our

Kommentar [PA5]: Yes, there is

certainly a reality distortion. I agree.

Chris Wilburn
Adam Padgett
ENGL 102
November 22, 2016
expectations. Higher levels of perceived realism were associated with more frequent
consumption of reality programming, in general (Ward 381). This is strong evidence for
reality programming having negative effects on young people. Not only is reality television
negatively affecting youth, but it seems that people of all ages are more likely to watch
unscripted dramas when they see it as being real.
This may seem grim, but there is a glimmer of hope to hold on to. The chart below
shows cable television news viewership over the past few years. I realize news is a little
specific, but it still shows a downward trend in television viewership. Less people watching
television, the less people who are watching reality television programs. Television can be a
wonderful thing, but like with everything, moderation is key.

Kommentar [PA6]: Sure, but my

suspicion is that this has more to do
with the rise of internet usage, social
media, and video sharing than a sign
that we are watching less television
(or that we are watching less reality
tv ).

Chris Wilburn
Adam Padgett
ENGL 102
November 22, 2016
Reality television may be the new darling of pop culture, but it might not be the harmless
bit of boob tube we once thought it to be. The evidence is stacking up against it, and there
comes a time when the people need to take a stand against a popular trend. Remember disco?
Remember how everyone decided that we have had enough and killed disco forever? Maybe
that should be how reality television is handled. Now, if you enjoy these programs and do not
want to follow the advice of me and many academics, then just keep in mind that it is all fake.
All those faithful reality television viewers must come to understand that their life will never
work at like those on the television, and they should just enjoy it as a work of fiction like any
other popular television program.

Chris,
I think you've done a really great job here tackling a tough issue. You do a good job
synthesizing these sources with your ideas, and your visualizations accompany your argument
well too. I find much of your discussion points to be persuasive and engaging. It seems to me
that you are largely making a value claim, which is great. With respect to your visualizations, I
would like to see this specific value claim more clearly expressed. I get that the last chart is
tangentially related, which is fine, but can you tie it more persuasively to your value claim? Im
wondering if you could find data on other ways we consume media. So, say, social media and
online content we are watching? Anyway, good work here. Youve done a great job developing
this project. Nice work!

Chris Wilburn
Adam Padgett
ENGL 102
November 22, 2016

Works Cited
Aubrey, Jennifer Stevens, et al. "Investigating Personality And Viewing-Motivation Correlates
Of Reality Television Exposure." Communication Quarterly 60.1 (2012): 80-102.
Academic Search Complete. Web. 17 Oct. 2016.
Barthel, Michael. "Cable TV: Prime-time Viewership." Pew Research Center's Journalism
Project. Pew Research Center, 10 June 2016. Web. 21 Nov. 2016.
Flynn, Mark A., et al. "Let's Get This Party Started!": An Analysis Of Health Risk Behavior On
MTV Reality Television Shows." Journal Of Health Communication 20.12 (2015): 13821390. Academic Search Complete. Web. 17 Oct. 2016.
Fogel, Joshua, and Lyudmila Kovalenko. "Reality Television Shows Focusing On Sexual
Relationships Are Associated With College Students Engaging In One-Night Stands."

Chris Wilburn
Adam Padgett
ENGL 102
November 22, 2016
Journal Of Cognitive & Behavioral Psychotherapies 13.2 (2013): 321-331. Academic
Search Complete. Web. 17 Oct. 2016.
Lundy, Lisa K., Amanda M. Ruth, and Travis D. Park. "Simply Irresistible: Reality TV
Consumption Patterns." Communication Quarterly 56.2 (2008): 208-225. Academic
Search Complete. Web. 17 Oct. 2016.
Peak, Holly. "Reality TV & Impacts on Teen: What Can Parents Do?" The MGH Clay Center for
Young Healthy Minds. The MGH Clay Center for Young Healthy Minds, 11 Mar. 2016.
Web. 14 Nov. 2016.
Reiss, Steven, and James Wiltz. "Why People Watch Reality TV." Media Psychology 6.4 (2004):
363-379. Academic Search Complete. Web. 17 Oct. 2016.
Ward, L. Monique, and Corissa Carlson. "Modeling Meanness: Associations Between Reality
TV Consumption, Perceived Realism, And Adolescents' Social Aggression." Media
Psychology 16.4 (2013): 371-389. Academic Search Complete. Web. 17 Oct. 2016.