Amusing Ourselves To Death

(The Effects of Reality Television)

Marianna Vitale

Period 7

What Is Reality TV?

• Reality TV shows are unscripted and candid• People in reality television shows are not

actors and they are not paid to portray a certain character

Popularity of Reality TV• Reality TV became

popular in the late 90’s and early 2000’s with shows like The Real World and American Idol

• 40 Percent of prime time television shows are classified as reality shows (Barnhart)

Negative Effects of Reality Television• Shows like MTV’s 16 & Pregnant and Teen Mom, glamorize teenage

pregnancy. • Teenage girls believe that if they become pregnant, they will get famous

with their own TV show.• Amber Portwood, star of MTV’s Teen Mom, makes about $280,000 per

year between her MTV salary, endorsement deals, interviews, and other fame related events. (Dr. Phil)

Negative Effects of Reality Television

• Jersey Shore, another product of MTV, constantly promotes indoor tanning

• Since the show aired, there has been a 22% increase in the popularity of tanning salons (Seventeen.com)

The InterviewMy mom works ata local NYC high school. She deals with teenagers who watch reality TV everyday. She believes reality TV influences the students in her school.

Me: Who do you think is more influenced by reality TV, boys or girls?Mom: Definitely the girls. Reality TV shows like Real Housewives and Keeping Up With The Kardashians constantly glamourize plastic surgery & endorse it. They feed off of young girls self esteem issues. Girls constantly complain about their hair, body, and anything else they think is wrong with them. I’ve seen girls as young as 15 go through plastic surgeries, wanting to look perfect.

Me: Do you think reality TV relates to how your students act towards each other and the staff?Mom: Definitely. Reality TV shows that feature physical fights between the stars have a lot to do with the physical fights between students. I personally believe that if a teenager sees it happening on TV, with no consequences for their actions, then they believe it’s okay.

The Interview (Continued)Me: Do you watch reality TV?Mom: I do, but I’m more into the competition shows like Survivor and American Idol. The drama of Real Housewives of New Jersey is good once in a while, but it gets old very quickly.

Me: Do you think parents should monitor what their kids watch?Mom: In a perfect world, sure. But it’s not very realistic. Between Netflix, TV’s in every room and the 100+ channels to choose from, it’s not very likely that you can control everything your child watches. With that being said, parents should be kept up to speed with current shows and look into them so they know what their children are watching. Parents should have open communication with their children about what they are watching.

Watching Reality TV Lowers Self-Esteem?

• Journalist Gregory Gwyn-Williams, Jr. wrote an article for CNN about a study done on Reality TV and Self Esteem. He found that through a poll of 19,000 people, the ones who watched reality TV shows that didn’t involve a competition (Hell’s Kitchen, The Voice, Big Brother, etc…) have lower self esteem and are extroverted compared to those who watch those shows.

Questions?

• What shows are considered reality shows?• Are some reality shows scripted?• Are all effects of reality shows negative?• Do you think the FCC should provide harsher

rules for reality shows to follow?

Want More Information?

• Psychology Magazine• Seventeen.com• http://www.statisticbrain.com/television-

watching-statistics/

Work CitedBarnhart, Aaron. "How Reality TV Took over Prime Time Read More Here: Http://www.kansascity.com/2010/12/04/2497484/how-reality-tv-took-over-prime.html#storylink=cpy." Kansascity.com. N.p., n.d. Web. <http://www.kansascity.com/2010/12/04/2497484/how-reality-tv-took-over-prime.html>.

"The Real Teen Mom: Alarming Statistics." Drphil.com. N.p., n.d. Web. http://drphil.com/articles/article/684>

"Jersey Shore Boosts Tanning Companies." Seventeen.com. N.p., 29 July 2010. Web. <http://www.seventeen.com/fashion/blog/jersey-shore-tanning>.

Gwyn-Williams, Gregory, JR. "Reality Show Viewers Are More Neurotic, Have Lower Self-Esteem, Study Finds." Cnsnews.com. N.p., 13 Dec. 2012. Web. <http://cnsnews.com/blog/gregory-gwyn-williams-jr/reality-show-viewers-are-more-neurotic-have-lower-self-esteem-study>.