Reality TVMichael Fleming

Which is real?

• Show One: Students at a state university are filmed about their everyday lives. For the most part the show is fairly uneventful.

• Show Two: Takes place in a trailer park following the residents around. Most episodes end in police arrests or physical altercations

• Show three: Hidden camera that follows people cheating. One episode the host is stabbed during a fight.

This is real

• Show # 3• The show was

called “Cheaters” • Episodes may be

fabricated including stabbing.

• http://www.realityblurred.com/realitytv/archives/other_shows/2009_Nov_03_cheaters_staged

Reality TV

• What’s the fascination?

• Where do we draw the line?

Reality History

• An American Family. Followed the Loud family in 1973

• 12 hour documentary

• Aimed to depict the perfect American family

• http://www.pbs.org/lanceloud/american/

Crème de la Crème

• Jersey Shore• Toddlers and Tiaras • The Real World • Anything

Kardashian

Engaging Audiences• Reality TV is about engaging the audiences• Content of the shows• The less privacy the better• Less Privacy > More entertainment

• Reality TV: audiences and popular factual television By Annette Hill

Postmodern Approach

• Argue it promotes anarchy

• Recycling shows • Nothing is sacred• Embraces absurd

alongside the ordinary

Reality TV became normal and or positive?

What if…