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RoDreka Linebarger

Instructor: Malcolm Campbell

UWRT 1104

October 26, 2017

Reality TV: Do Reality TV Call for a Reality Check? Friend or Foe?

So, Do Reality Tv call for a reality check do you consider Reality Tv a friend or Foe?

Good question, the world including myself are wondering the same question not everyone is a

fan of reality TV, but I know a group of adolescents who love it teen girls. Have you ever

wondered if watching shows like Jersey Shore, The Real World, and Kyles Life influence you

in real life? Well for my end of the semester project I choosechose this interesting topic to argue

my opinion that reality TV do does not impact young adults like myself, and most definitely in

teen girlsmore relatively to teen girls. If you google the definition of reality TV you would most

likely get websites defining reality TV as ordinary people are continuously filmed, designed to

be more entertaining than informative. Reality TV is defined in many ways, many older adults

and parents believe reality TV is bad and can be manipulative. The definition of adolescents is a

young person in the process of developing from a child into an adult, so these young adults are

old enough and should be able to make to decision whether to watch such a show that would

deceit and manipulate them. There are many different opposite opinions out there where studies

were conducted to prove reality TV doesdo have some type of negative effect on adolescents.

My main point is to identify the negative and positive impacts reality TV reflects on young

adults and simply argue my belief that reality TV is not all harmful but can be used as a learning

tool. I started off by researching all information on the influences reality TV have on teens.
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First, I will be discussing the negative impacts the world see reality TV have on teens.

Then I will be going back and forth arguing the negative and positive views of reality TV. To get

started I have many reliable websites from published authors but this one website that may not be

a reliable source caught my eye, according to Penn state University PSYCH 424 class blog, an

article titled, Effects of Reality Television written by a future psychologist graduate from Penn

State discuss the effects of reality television. Is violence in reality television okay and is just

entertainment? Psych 424 class blog argues violence actions taken place on TV may be fake but

young adolescents take that action very seriously. Of course, these reality tv shows are fun and

entertaining with lots of drama and fighting. But what are these reality TV shows everyone is

talking about? Shows like The Real World, Teen Mom, Keeping up with the Kardashians, and

Duck Dynasty are only a few examples of the portrayed tv shows. Most of the reality shows are Formatted: Font: Italic

viewed by young teen girls. Like myself I am 20 years old and a junior in college and I still love

a good episode of theof The Real World, and personally Jersey Shore's was one of my favorite tv

shows. I believedthink I turned out pretty good, and I did not let a any show define me or impact

me in any way.

Reality TV is very popular and is talked about a lot. There are more reality television

programs than ever before. Some of these programs have emerged as a constant hit. So, why

would anyone agree that reality is harmful to young teens? There are two articles that I will be

discussing that both authors have opposite views on reality programming. The first article is by

the author, Michael Hirschorn titled, The case for Reality TV and he explains all the cases for

reality TV and so many people love watching it. The Case for Reality TV, is a reliable source

that can help get across to my point a little clearer. The second article written by Elizabeth

Larkin, Reality TV: Should we Really Watch? She challenges that watching reality
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programming is a terrible, she believes not watching a show just because it is entertaining, and

that the show should have other factors besides being entertaining and interesting.

The case for Reality TV is a great article I could not have said anything he stated any

better. Hirschorn had plenty of say about reality TV as he and I are both arguing the same point.

Even though he is a bias to the fact because he is an unapologetic producer of reality shows. He

and I do not believe it is inappropriate or irrelevant nor do we believe that reality tv shows not

always set up a good example on every reality TV program made. Reality TV programs are what

supposed to be a cause of bullying but if you really look at it reality TV is bullied by the society.

Entertainment and news is a big issue in the world, everyone is always trying to point fingers at

whats wrong or right or whats good or bad. When it comes down to it who is the judge? Our

self not others? Even television programmers see the genre as a kind of visual Hamburger

Helper: cheap filler that saves them money they can us elsewhere for more worthy programming

(Hirschorn). Reality TV is not getting a fair trial for one is it being used and exploded so it can

make other shows and movies look better. Do the society really care about the adolescents and

how they are impacted or do they care about news, media, and/or money? Considering all the

fuse going on reality TV still is the liveliest genre on the set right now.

Is Reality TV all bad? Reality TV can do things to people that other people cannot do.

Reality TV can bring out different sides and emotions of people that can help benefit them or just

help them find out deep inside them. Not all impacts can be effected badly, scripted television

can show ambition, growth and aspiration. Also reality TV can present some of the most vital

political debate in America, particularly about class and race. ABCs Extreme Makeover: Home

Edition features intensely emotional tales of people who have fallen through the cracks of Bush-

era America- often blue-collar families ravaged by disease, health-care costs, insurance
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loopholes (Hirschorn). I agree with Hirschorn when he talks about how reality TV programs can

call on a debate about class and race and how he used the example of The White Rapper Show

clarifying that the society has turned the show into a running debate among the aspiring white

MC. Making a hit show more about politics and whether it is more bestowed by class or race and

not about the importance of his talent and gift.

Some of these reality TV programs means more then it seems. Taking on the show, The

Real Housewives of Orange County, but with its lack of budgets still finds a way to chart a deep

and spiritual decay of life in a gated community. Where these women experiences are not always

great and some fear of anxiety, family issues and happiness. Shows like this do things to the

viewers especially viewers who are in the same predicament, enlightening them and letting them

know they are not the only ones having problems and stressors in their life. For married couples

who are having marriage problems and do not have the extra money to get counseling can turn to

reality shows like ABCs Wife Swap. Where they are taught the value of love and can remind

those couples to have faith I their self and their partner and that you can get through anything.

These reality TV shows that some people hate, just cannot admit to themselves or others that

these shows can be and sometimes in a certain situation resourceful. Post-9/11, Survivor became

less a fantasy and more a metaphor for an imagined post-apocalyptic future. The best moments

found on reality TV are un-scriptable, or beyond the grasp of most scriptwriters (Hirschorn).

Hirschorn and I can both agree that the resistance of reality programing ultimately comes down

to generational variety, people over 40.

Can reality TV lead to domestic problems? Or Anger issues? We watch and see what

these reality stars are going through and I feel sympathetic. On shows like Teen Mom most of

those reality stars has been a victim of domestic violence and its sad because some young teens
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are watching it and see how the reality stars react back to it and sometimes its not in a positive

light. For example, in Teen Mom reality star Kailyn Lowry was once involved in a physical

altercation with her boyfriend at the time (PSYCH 424). Even though the actress admitted her

wrongs and changed for the better, this example proves there still a problem with society and

showing the viewers that this kind of behavior is acceptable and just entertaining to watch. Does

this happen in real life? The author discusses they knew a girl from high school who had been in

a similar situation and because she watched Teen Mom and was believed that it was okay and

had basically justified the reality star actions, by saying she was under a bit of stress from taking

care of her child, where she just got to her breaking point. People who are against reality tv

watching would totally agree that this is a perfect example of how easy reality TV can

manipulate young teens.

Does reality TV compare to the social cognitive theory? Penn State PYSCH 424 class

blog thinks so they clarify that social cognitive theory gives an understanding of why actions

may be imitated. The media portrays these outrageous actions as being acceptable in the world

but sometimes the actions are imitated because theyre seen as realistic. Both sides can agree that

the safety of the viewers is most important issue and how they may react after viewing these

shows for the safety of themselves and others. One of the main points in this article the author

stating, If the media is showing domestic violence to be acceptable, then many viewers are

going to view domestic violence as acceptable behavior. I take on the impression the author is a

female because she writes, just like many other women, I get interested in reality television

shows as well. She talks about how she too enjoys the drama but does not justify behavior that

should not be acceptable. Making this an okay situation can cause results in a lifetime of harmful

behaviors.
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Elizabeth Larkin author of Reality TV: Should We Really Watch? To me she seem as if

she writes about how she feels, and how she view these reality shows. Larkin is more on the

negative impact reality TV have on people. But we do have some similar thoughts on the society

and how they perceive these shows. She strongly feels that even though these shows are popular

and entertaining, that it does not mean they are good for society or that they should aired. You all

know that I dont entirely agree with her, but as I continue to argue my main point I will too

liberate on others views as well. For example, these reality TV shows wouldnt be made if we

didnt watch them, so why we watch them? (Larkin). There is no right or wrong answer to this

question because not everyone watches the same reality show and not everyone watch it for the

same reason. Reasons like, entertainment, advice, help, aspiration, interest can be some options

of why people like reality TV and decide to watch it. To Larkin her reasons can totally

misstructured, she thinks people watch these shows to laugh at others and to derive entertainment

from watching others hurt, which is totally not true speaking for those who watch reality TV

such as myself.

According to Barry B. Langberg, a Los Angeles lawyer, something like this is done for

no other reason than to embarrass people or humiliate them or scare them. The producers dont

care about human feelings. They dont care about being decent. They only care about money

(Larkin). In other words, all shows are different they all hit on different aspects, some fulfil their

purpose, and some dont. They shows that dont are the shows that producers care less about and

is just doing it for the money. To be successful you must put in work and do what it takes to gain

that success. Some of these producers are just throwing these reality shows together and because

its cheaper than drama and crime shows that can go through with it. Larkin also ponder upon the

question wheres the Reality? One of the ethical problems of reality television is the fact that is
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isnt as real as it pretends to be (Larkin). Again, all her questions come down to a million

viewers, not all shows are the like same or are perceiving to be the same, of course reality tv

shows are not able to have every little bit of the show to be real, its impossible. Of course, I

agree when it comes to racial stereotypes and assumptions. I guess it all depends on what the

show main purpose it and what they are trying to interpret. In a few shows theres always a

similar black female character: aggressive, finger pointing, and always lecturing others on how

to behave supposedly taking on the impression of a modern day black women. MSNBC has

reported on the matter, noting that after so many reality programs, we can discern a pattern of

characters that isnt very far different from the stock characters found in fictional

programming (Larkin).

Elizabeth Larkin came at the viewers and society on why these shows are so terrible and

brings nothing but hurt and humiliation. She is so curious on why we watch the shows we watch,

she basically think if we watch reality shows and enjoy it then we have a problem. We are not all

the same and it is okay to like different things and watch different genres of television because

its not a crime. According to Larkin, I suspect that peoples ability and willingness to take

pleasure in such things may stem from the increasing separation we experience from others

around us. She believes that we should take some time to reflect on why such programming is

made and why we feel attracted to it. Shes right thats why we as young adults must right to

choose what we think is good to watch and not what others think is right for us.

According to ScienceDaily, a new study finds MTVs reality TV programs, 16 and

Pregnant and Teen Mom help decrease in U.S teen childbearing rate and teen pregnancies.

This is great news; teen birth rate fell a great bit between the years 2008 and 2012. See not only
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do reality TV impact teens in a good way but help decrease unwanted teen pregnancies and

educate young teens on the safety and consequences of unprotected sex. Despite the negativity

and concerns of others that shows like 16 and Pregnant and Teen Mom are turning teen moms

into reality stars is now glamorizing teen pregnancy, a new study shows a humongous impact in

a more positive direction. The research finds that MTVs 16 and Pregnant and Teen Mom led to

a 5.7 percent reduction in teen births, which accounts for around one-third of the overall decline

in teen births in the year and a half following the shows introduction in 2009 (Levine, Kearney).

The statistics shows that these programs are wonderful ways to educate the youth and even my

15-year-old sister and I watch these shows and view how hard teen pregnancy looks and how it

would change our livesour lives forever, honestly this is one of the best show ideas MTV has

had in a while. I would recommend this show to all young teen girls. This study was obviously a

big deal because it was published by the National Bureau of Economic Research on January

13th, 2014.

What made teen birth rate rank decline dramatically over the past 20 years? Researchers

showed that the Great Recession played the biggest role, but coming in second is the introduction

of MTVs teen pregnancy shows, my theory is that these young teens are watching these shows

and are terrified of getting in the same situation at a young age and having to either deal with it

one way or another. Two ways are growing up early and taking on full responsibilities of taking

care of a baby when you yourself are still a baby, or sadly having an abortion, or a third option

having a baby and giving it up for adoption. Really to me comparing the girls on the show to

myself, that is a big decision to make and sometimes we make mistakes, but I know as a viewer

of those teen pregnancy shows that those girls went through a lot and either way they had to

grow up a lot faster than girls who are abstinent. To determine how much of an impact the shows
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have on teens, researchers Kearney and Levine conducted an empirical study, analyzing several

measures of exposure, including Nielsen ratings data and metrics from google and the social

media site Twitter. I really enjoyed reading this article because adolescents can relate to the topic

and the study since we all love our social media sites. and who doesnt love to tweet?

After conducted conducting their research they found that searches and tweets about birth

control and abortion happened exactly around the time the show is on and in locations where it is

more popular.

According to Professor Levine, Our use of data from Google Trends and Twitter

enable us to provide some gauge of what viewers are thinking about when they

watch the show. We conclude that exposure to 16 and Pregnant and Teen Mom

was high and that it had an influence on teens thinking regarding birth control

and abortion.

They of course hypothesized correctly, their findings were as to be expected 16 and pregnant,

teen mom & teen mom 2 led teens to prohibit sexual activities at a young age that can lead to teen

pregnancies. They estimated that these shows led to a 5.7 percent reduction in teen births.

Speaking for the teen births that would have been conceived between June 2009, when the show

began and the end of 2010. Studies like theirs show that reality TV is not all terrible and have no

purpose because unlike drama, crime shows or any other genre, reality TV is the one who helped

and made a difference by lowering sexual activities from young teens that can lead to teen

pregnancies.

As I quote, Sarah Brown, CEO of the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned

Pregnancy, TheThe entertainment media can be, and often is, a force for good. She is right, I
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believe that it only affects you if you let it. Everyone can agree on that MTV drew in these teens

who were at risk of teen pregnancies and educated them and fed them important information that

changed their behavior and preventing them from making the wrong mistakes and alsoand

dodging the bullet of giving birth at such a young age. I very appreciated this article because it

helps prove to the public who only concern to speak on negative influences of media exposure,

but with the help of this article and their conducted study, which shows positive influences of

reality tv can be shown as well. I am very appreciative of this article because it helped prove to

society; whos only concern is to negatively expose terrible accusation about reality TV, but with

the information from their study helped some realize reality TV is not set out to harm or

manipulate anyone but to help inspire others, entertain them, and teach to live life to the fullest.

Back on the other hand, everyone is dying to know how real is the Real World? according

to thepsychreport and the author, Mark Flynn of this article, Reality TV and Body Image: The

Not So Real World, point of how perfectly fitted the actors were. A world full of lean bodies,

large breasts, and six packs. Basically, stating it was more a world based more in a fantasy than

fact. Knowing that many viewers, that are on the heavier side, and especially teens idealizing

theses cast members believing that theyre reflection of normal. These misperceptions can

correlate with loads of problems, low self-esteem to eating disorders and/or depression/anxiety.

To prove a point, Flynn colleagues and he proposed their own study. By analyzing the most

popular MTV shows from the years 2004-2011, which including reality shows like the Real

World, The Hills, and Jersey Shore. Their methods were that they watched more than 90

episodes, 47 hours of MTV. Taking notes on each cast member body types and how often they

were on display. Their findings were that there was an ideal image these producers were looking

for, women were to be slender with only 69 percent having low body fat and median to large
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bust sizes. Male cast members were lean men with 74 percent have low body fat, these men were

the opposite they were big muscular, v shape body. I dont totally disagree with this part I

believe that there is always a type of actor or actress that there they are looking for to play that

perfect part, with the perfect little body. and for the guy being all chiseled.

Lastly, newswise.com has an article on how reality TV has positive impact on viewers.

This is the last article which will help sum up my thoughts of how I think reality TV is not all

bad and is not as bad as of an influence on young adults as many nonviewers and parents may

think. According to recent Nielsen ratings, shows such as Survivor, American Idol, Fear Factor,

Big Brother and The Bachelor are attracting more than 18 million viewers per episode

(newswise). As I have been explaining many people believe theses shows posses no redeeming

value, however Cynthia Frisby, a researcher at the University of Missouri Columbia discovered

other wise and that these shows have a positive impact on viewers. Entertainment needs are met

through reality television because these shows allow people to make comparisons with media

images; comparisons that ultimately help them feel better about themselves and their personal

circumstances (Frisby).

Frisby study was conducted of participants ranging in age from 19 to 29 years old, which

is like the 18 to 34 age group who are most attracted to reality television. She asked of them to

complete a survey to measure their moods and thoughts regarding reality TV, which 78 percent

were regular viewers. Then they watched a 40-minute segment of Joe Millionaire while

recording their reactions to it, follow by another survey. Results were that the participants

exposure to reality television resulted in a positive increase in mood state, showing no difference

between genders. Results like this can be used to provide new insights concerning psychological,

cognitive and behavioral processes that motivate television viewing preferences and program
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choices. She believes that television and other media provide the thrill of observing danger

without allowing people to suffer consequences, which I agree with. Audiences know that when

the curtain comes down and the lights come on in the theater, everything is back to the way it is.

Thats what reality television does for the regular viewer (Frisby).

In conclusion, everyone has their own opinions about reality television programs and

what kind of impact they believe it leaves on people. I simply argued my opinion and thoughts

toward the outcome of watching reality TV against people who believe reality TV have negative

influences against those who view these shows, especially adolescents aging from 15-30 and

mostly girls than boys. I still believe these shows are another more than just a distraction from

todays tragic events and give viewers an outlet for watching others overcome hardships, escape

danger, live in a rainforest, seek success, following their dreams, learn to survive under the

roughest conditions and find love.

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Works cited
PSYCH 424 blog. Powered by Sites at Penn State WordPress

sites.psu.edu/aspsy/2014/03/24/effects-of-reality-television/.

Hirschorn, Michael. The Case for Reality TV. The Contemporary Reader. Ed. Gary Goshgarian.

Tenth Edition. Upper Saddle River: Pearson, 2011. 284-288. Print.

Larkin, Elizabeth Reality TV: Should We Really Watch. The Contemporary Reader. Ed. Gary

Goshgarian. Tenth Edition. Upper Saddle River: Pearson 2011. 288-292. Print.

Reality TV and Body Image: The Not So Real World. Behavioral Scientist, 24 June 2015,

thepsychreport.com/science/reality-tv-and-body-image-the-not-so-real-world/.

Reality TV Has Positive Impact on Viewers. Newswise = Smart News Connection,

www.newswise.com/articles/reality-tv-has-positive-impact-on-viewers.

Wellesley College. "New study finds MTVs '16 and Pregnant,' 'Teen Mom' contributed to

record decline in U.S. teen childbearing rate." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 13 January

2014. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/01/140113095145.htm/