Different Perceptions of Reality Television Will Be the Focus

HSC Depth study: Popular Culture Spotlight on Popular Culture: Part 4 We don’t need no education

By Kate Thompson, Aurora College

Rationale: This is the fourth and final section of a four-part series:

- Part 1 featured in CultureScope Vol. 109 and discussed the creation and development and, the role of mythology in the creation and perpetuation of the genre. - Part 2 featured in CultureScope Vol. 111 and discussed the consumption and the continuities and changes in the genre - Part 3 featured in CultureScope Vol 112 and discussed the control of reality television

In this fourth edition, the different perceptions of reality television will be the focus.

Syllabus Links: Focus Study

• The different perceptions of the popular culture: - groups that accept and reject the popular culture - changing perceptions and the value of the popular culture to groups in society - how the popular culture constructs or deconstructs gender • The near future (5 to 10 years) Students are to: - determine the current trends and suggest probable future directions for the popular culture - evaluate the impact and implications for the popular culture of: -likely changes -probable continuities - predict the importance of the popular culture to society in the near future

(Source: Adapted from NESA, Society and Culture Syllabus, (2013), NESA: Sydney, New South Wales, p.37).

Different perceptions of reality television

Different perceptions of reality TV Reality television is one of the most successful genres of television yet also the most stigmatised. It has become like sitcoms, there is no magic wand. You have to have perfect casting, scripts, timing and scheduling. But no one knows what the magic ingredients are. Why does an audience decide to watch a particular reality show (or not) when there are so many around?

Acceptance of reality TV in essence means people watch it. Acceptance can occur at the macro or micro level but generally, to be a popular culture, it has widespread (global) acceptance. Evidence of such high levels of acceptance includes:

• The key series of reality TV do reflect society and the fact they are talked about so much highlights the relevance to culture1. • Research in the UK and Australia demonstrates that one of the key appeals of reality television is that it gives viewers the opportunity to make ethical judgements about the decisions and behaviours or others. • Public debates stemming from controversial behaviours seen on reality TV are positive because they raise key social issues such as homophobia, racism, sexism and bullying. Eg: in Big Brother one housemate made racist remarks towards another of Indian background • The educative function of television is not confined to information-based or news and current affair programs. Even when the primary purpose of reality TV is entertainment, Professor John Hartley in his book Uses of Television, it teaches us cultural citizenship. • the creation of a new award presented by the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (USA) gave its first Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Host for a Reality program in 2008 a s ‘it has become such an integral part of television and our culture’ Chairman and CEO John Shaffner • Statistical evidence in ratings data confirms the general acceptance as reality shows dominated the top 10 programs in 2011.

The consumers of reality TV are stereotypically portrayed as ignorant and culturally debased, however Professor Hill author of Reality TV (UK 2005) found that viewers with higher income jobs, university education and access to the internet were more likely to watch reality programs than their counterparts. It has been accepted as a ‘magnet for the upwardly mobile educated viewers aged 16 – 34’.

The rejection of reality TV shows that don’t have the magic ingredients is quite common, despite widespread acceptance of the genre. Rejection can take many forms such as denouncing it, not watching it, axing the program, moving the timeslot etc. Those who reject the popular culture may be of a particular age group, ethnic background, have religious affiliation or simply disagree with what is shown.

There are numerous instances of rejection to reality TV. Firstly, some viewers have shown disquiet at the erosion of values. For example, The Apprentice celebrates and encourages ruthlessness, ego inflation and sycophancy (praise of powerful people to gain their approval) that combine to form an individual’s level of achievement in the corporate world. It’s almost as

1 Sophia Fiennes (documentary maker) quoted by Penelope Debelle in ‘A serious view on reality TV’, Sydney Morning Herald, February 22, 2005. though we know these things happen in real life, so the TV program should be more idealistic and promote the high level of morals, honesty and home-grown values that we think the world should uphold.

Some examples of shows that have been axed after extremely short screenings include Everybody Dance Now with prominent and popular public figure Sarah Murdoch, MasterChef All Stars, My Bedazzled Life featuring Brynne Edelsten, Being Lara Bingle (someone was even quoted as saying ‘producers forget that Cronulla is not Hollywood...nothing happens there’) and I Will Survive hosted by a Packed to the Rafters actor but perhaps was just that bit too much after other successful singing and talent shows.

In the UK, Channel Five aired Back to Reality which was considered a well made, well cast reality TV program but lasted just three weeks and found themselves better off showing CSI repeats. In the UK schedules are so littered with reality shows, they are not seen as anything special. There is a speeding up of the rate by which brands/formats age.2

Feminist Germaine Greer said of Big Brother viewers The ridicule of ‘people who like watching torture will tune in to watch a table dancer, an air steward, a hairdresser, a medical rep contestants on Australian and a web designer struggling with the contradictions Idol is actually part of the inherent in simultaneously having to bond with and betray show’s format and is perfect strangers.’ NB: she appeared herself in Celebrity considered a rebellion Big Brother in the UK, January 2006. Another example of against the political rejection is that the Arab version of Big Brother cancelled after street protests in 2004. correctness that has invaded western cultures. An interesting phenomenon has occurred though – the same format can be accepted in one country yet rejected in another. MasterChef has been a huge success in Australia, yet has failed to appeal to millions in the UK.

Similarly, viewers rejected Survivor, one of the world’s most popular shows, in Japan, because it was seen to insult or simply didn’t match the local beliefs and habits. The show relies on “overemphasizing individual success achieved at the expenses of others”, which was seen as a value alien to Japanese culture, traditionally stressing “collectivist logics rather than individualistic tactics”3.

Countercultures are also represented in reality TV - perhaps a paradox in itself. Where social norms and the mainstream are rejected in by some groups but are the subject of docu-series, eg: Young Bloods (USA) is about young men and women who consider themselves part of the vampire community.

A UK psychologist described reality TV as ‘values-rotting and depression-inducing’. Whilst not everybody supports this relatively new genre, compared to others, like it or not, reality TV is here to stay.

Reality TV is a form of documentary and traditionally, people like documentaries because they must construct their narratives from found matter (truths). Viewers often learn from them and

2 Brown, M. (2004) ‘The truth behind reality TV’ in The Guardian, May 31 2004 3 Štětka, V (2010) ‘Globalization, Reality TV and Cultural Inclusion: the Case of the 2005 Czech Search for a Superstar’ Masaryk University, Eastbound, accessed 12/3/13 at URL http://eastbound.eu/site_media/pdf/EB2010_Stetka.pdf integrate new facts into conversations…but reality TV simply places real people in artificial surroundings designed for maximum emotional impact.

During reality TV programs the viewer also has a chance to reflect on what and why they are watching a particular program. The opportunity cost of sitting for hours in front of reality TV each night is assessed and a process of critiquing of the ‘self’ can take place where viewers internalise questions and thoughts such as ‘I should be making dinner’, I should probably be doing my homework’, ‘I need to clean the bathroom’, ‘is this a waste of my time?’, ‘what am I really getting out of this?’, ‘this is mind-numbingly dumb!’ and so on.

Another reason for rejection of reality TV is the distrust audiences have toward the shows. They question the authenticity and are able to make distinctions between deliberately misleading depictions and of the real world. For example, Undercover Boss portrays CEOs as very caring and considerate, listening to the needs of struggling employees and granting them small benefits to ‘assist’ any way they can, but in reality, a few companies featured on the show in the US were involved in legal action

• The Roto-Rooter firm was settling a $2 million class action suit brought by California plumbers for unpaid overtime and working without meal breaks. • 1-800 Flowers, was in the midst of a sex-discrimination suit brought by a former in-house female attorney, which alleges that senior management routinely referred to women as "babes," joked about her prowess in fetching them coffee, and kept up a steady stream of offensive, sexually themed comments directed at her. 4

Audiences have shown a resentment of copycat reality TV One social researcher formats and a thirst for innovation5 so when The Shire’ was promoted as a new dramality show (combination of drama stated that the ‘resistance and reality), the Australian public were excited. It was based to reality TV usually on the UK equivalent Only Way to Essex.6 comes down to snobbery’. The production company, Shine, promised the show would boost tourism, "putting out to the world and to all of C. Lehmann (2010) Australia what a wonderful place we are – our beaches, our bush, national parks, our restaurants, our coffee shops". Another councillor, Craig McCallum, told the local paper the people of Sylvania Waters were "still suffering the stigma" of two decades ago7. In addition, critics claim The Shire depicted mmonocultural insularity, therefore promoting the stereotypes of people living there.

Following its 1.01 million viewer debuts, ratings fell dramatically after the few episodes by around 200 000 – 300 000 viewers each week before hitting a low of 375,0008. Apparently, the boosted ratings were due to the preceding show MasterChef running 15 minutes over time.

4 Lehman, C (2010) ‘Rich People Things: Reality Television’ accessed on 13/3/13 at URL http://www.theawl.com/2010/09/an-excerpt-from-rich-people-things-reality-television 5 Brown, M. (2004) ‘The truth behind reality TV’ in The Guardian, May 31 2004 6 Marks, K (24/3/12) ‘The only way is Aussie: anger at Britain Tv export’ in The Independent accessed on 13/3/13 at URL http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/australasia/the-only-way-is-aussie-anger-at-britains-tv-export- 7584080.html 7 ibid Low behavioural standards of contestants are the basis for much rejection of reality TV. The largest number of reality TV complaints was recorded in 2004-5, but even so, there were more than three times as many investigations into current affairs programs and more than twice as many investigations into news programs as reality TV programs.

A range of reality programs were nominated as causing concern during this period, with Big Brother raising the most concerns (all investigations have focussed on sexual behaviour, nudity, coarse language and adult themes). Of 1000 survey participants:

• nearly 55% agreed that reality television programs exploit the people who participate in them • 46% agreed that they encourage inappropriate attitudes towards women • 38% were concerned with the amount of nudity • 40% were concerned with the amount of course language • 42% were concerned with the use of sexual references/scenes

Activities

1. Outline the indicators of acceptance of reality TV. 2. 3. Who generally accepts reality TV and why do you think this is the case? 4. List 3 reality TV shows that have been rejected. 5. Why was Survivor rejected in Japan? 6. Argue the statement – ‘Acceptance of reality TV is greater than rejection’. 7. Investigate the concept of counter-culture. Explain how this is a rejection of popular culture. 8. Compile a list of reality TV shows and write down who accepts or rejects them and why. 9. Summarise the information presented in the table below. 10. Comment on the ratings trends for The Shire. 11. Discuss what you DONT like about reality TV and think about how you ‘reject’ it. 12. Despite all the concerns about contestants’ behaviour on reality shows, why do we all keep watching?

A way to organise your notes for this section of the syllabus could be in table format:

Rejection of Explanation Contemporary example Groups that accept reality TV due to of reality TV shows or reject this the following: causing concern

Contribution to an erosion of values

8 Daily Telegraph (10/8/12) ‘Viewers deserting channel 10s The Shire in droves’ accessed on 13/3/13 at URL http://www.news.com.au/national-news/nsw-act/viewers-deserting-channel-10s-the-shire-in-droves/story- fndo4bst-1226447056475#ixzz2NHKa5eY4

Opportunity costs

Distrust from contestants & producers

Misleading depictions of situations or the real world

Resentment towards a proliferation of similar reality shows

Stereotyping of certain people

Low behavioural standards broadcast

Apply your understanding to past HSC questions:

Now, try to answer the 15-mark question below from the 2017 HSC exam paper by NESA. The exam paper, marking guidelines and marking feedback are located at: http://educationstandards.nsw.edu.au/wps/portal/nesa/resource-finder/hsc-exam- papers/2017/society-and-culture-2017-hsc-exam-pack

Q12 (b): Assess the role of gender construction or deconstruction in the global acceptance of ONE popular culture

The contribution of popular culture to social change

A range of aspects of reality TV have impacted society – mostly inadvertently. A number of positive aspects include:

• Reality TV contributes to social learning, particularly for Most popular are younger audiences. They don’t just copy what they see – they engage in private and public debate which they the shows where consider an extension of the program. there is a target for • Learning by empathising with participants takes place. self-improvements. Interestingly, positive and negative content has been reported to have an overall positive effect on the viewer.9 • The pursuit of self improvement as a result of shows targeting weight loss or talent searches • An educator John Simkin, believes reality TV has educative potential. Some shows genuinely provided insights into real life experiences. He is holding out for a series on young people working on aid programs in the underdeveloped world for example. He felt that such a series would highlight the great sacrifices that some young people make to help others. At the same time, it would show people the great amount of satisfaction this work can give. Making such a program could also inspired others to take on similar work. • Opportunities for personal reflection to examine one’s own behaviours and the impact they have on others. • 15 – 24-year olds being exposed to people and situations they would not normally encounter in their day-to-day lives. One study found that this had a positive impact on many young viewers. It made them more self aware and more tolerant of social diversity10

Negative aspects of television stem back to not long after its introduction in American households where there occurred a dramatic increase in violent crime. Some scholars and commentators see a causal connection. The most common argument is that children imitate the violence they see on television. Negative aspects of reality TV, do however come under similar scrutiny, including but not limited to the following:

• The process of imitation is emphasized by social learning theory-a well-established approach in social psychology (Bandura 1983). For both practical and theoretical reasons, then, an interest developed in examining whether exposure to violence in the media affects the incidence of violence. • commercial pressures soon corrupted this new development. It was decided that more people would watch these “reality” programs if they added some “unreality” to them. Therefore, it was decided to contrive reality in order to create what television producers see as “good drama”. This is based on the belief that people like watching conflict between individuals. The more violence you could create, the more people would tune in. If you could add the possibility of nudity or sex taking place on screen, this would further increase viewing figures.

9 Parnell, S. (2007) ‘The Young learn from reality TV’ in the Australian, August 1, 2007 10 ibid • We now live in an era of reality TV stars and media fixation with celebrities. An obsession with the celebrity culture is pervasive all around the world. One article noted that some school students believed they didn’t need a high level of education because they would be ‘discovered’ on reality TV shows. Most wanted to be like sports stars and more than half wanted to be pop stars. Too many of the pupils believe they will be able to access fame and fortune quite easily through a reality TV show’ says one teacher.11 • Diminution of education damaging the levels of achievement at school. In a survey of British students, conducted by the Association of Teachers and Lecturers, many students are ignoring career aspirations to pursue fame instead. • Opportunistic extortion - Nine women in Turkey were freed from a villa they entered in 2009 ago thinking they were taking part in a Big Brother-style reality TV show.12 According to local media, naked images of the women were sold on the internet. They were also told to fight each other, wear bikinis and dance by the pool, HaberTurk newspaper reports. The duped contestants were aged between 16 and 24. The women had responded to an advertisement seeking contestants for a reality show that would be aired on a major Turkish television station, Dogan. They were reportedly made to sign a contract that banned them from any outside contact and ordered them to pay a 50,000 Lira ($33,000, £20,000) fine if they left the show before two months. The women were said to have realised they were being duped soon after moving into the villa, in the summer resort of Riva on Istanbul's outskirts.

Activities

1. Outline the positive aspects of reality TV that have become part of society. 2. Describe the impact that negative aspects of reality TV may have on society. 3. For each of the aspects mentioned, try to think of a reality TV program where the positive or negative aspects are depicted/triggered

11 Collette-White, M. (2008) ‘We don’t need no education: students count on stardom’ in Sydney Morning Herald, March 15, page 27 12 ‘Women rescued form Turkey TV scam’, BBC News, 1(0/9/2009) http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8248792.stm Collective behaviour and social movements are the driving forces for social change. Any disruption to the status quo can lead to social Status quo change. It should be noted that social change involves wide scale means to keep alterations in thought and behaviour and such changes take many things as they years to take effect. So, whilst research is still to be conducted on are extensive social change as a result of reality TV, there are certain collective behaviours that have altered the status quo.

Reality TV has promoted public debate about issues previously explored in this booklet. Although some critics claim it results in issues being given more attention than they deserve.

Large numbers of reality TV programs focus on the family eg: US based 16 and pregnant, Teen Mom exhibiting larger cultural anxieties about family change and the demise of the family unit which appears to capture the cultural zeitgeist of the moment.

Interacting with reality television is the first time many citizens have had a chance to vote in free and countrywide elections. Therefore, in some cultures, reality TV has become an important political movement. It also allows taboo topics to be raised such as unmarried males and females living in the same house eg: Star Academy Arab World. Whilst some countries have embraced this change brought about by reality TV, others have sought to abolish it. For example, after the finale of Supergirl (equivalent to Australian Idol) in China got 8 million SMS votes, 400 million people watching and a headline ‘Is SuperGirl a force for democracy?’, the centralised government banned it in 2006 citing its democratic nature, vulgarity and worldliness.

Reality TV has encouraged the breaking down of barriers. This can be seen through permeability of class distinctions and the dissolving of social stratification that results from the consumption of traditional cultural products such as live symphony concerts or theatrical productions.

A study in 2006 that analyzed reality television programs with medical and health themes found that, while the shows did seem to inspire healthier behavior in some viewers, there was a lot of emphasis placed on superficiality – something, which over time, he said, may have an effect on viewers’ body image and self esteem. However, it did acknowledge that reality TV has very real potential to provide inspiration for healthy lifestyle choices such as weight loss or smoking cessation.

Reality TV gives a voice to normal people and spreads awareness that there are ‘people out there like me with the same kinds of problems I have’.

MasterChef has single-handedly focussed a generation of viewers on food. Debate has arisen over whether it will create professional chefs, as intended, or simply entrepreneurs13. Either way, qualitative research from Ipsos about attitudes to food found that in the last five weeks of MasterChef season one, the program inspired almost 70% of respondents to cook.14

Reality TV has also led to increased levels of media literacy. Dr Kath Albury, an academic, wrote that the viewers of reality television shows are far from being passive consumers, as they view, they critique, discuss, think about instances, behaviours, filming etc.

13 Greenwood, H. (2009) ‘Reality TV? Chefs still mostly masters’ in Sydney Morning Herald, Weekend Edition, July 24- 25, 2010 14 Feneley, R. (2010) ‘The melting pot that is modern Australia’ in Sydney Morning Herald, Weekend Edition, July 24-25, page 4 Not all aspects triggering changes in collective behaviours are positive though. Some reality programs encourage the Hollywoodisation of contestants over the season eg: makeover in Idol, Project Runway and Next top Model and Keeping up with the Kardashians. This means to gradually make someone, a film or production conform to standards of things like beauty, language, hair, clothes, values and attitudes set up and perpetuated by the American motion- picture industry.

Activities

1. How does a social movement differ from social change? 2. Read the article about a reality TV program in Mexico and its contribution to social change – summarise the main points. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/09/05/iniciativa- mexico-reality-show_n_949107.html

Now, try to answer the 15-mark question below from the 2015 HSC exam paper by NESA. The exam paper, marking guidelines and marking feedback are located at: http://educationstandards.nsw.edu.au/wps/portal/nesa/resource-finder/hsc-exam- papers/2015/society-and-culture-2015-hsc-exam-pack

The near future of reality TV (5 to 10 years)

Globalisation in this context is a social process in which the constraints of geography on social and cultural arrangements recede. The traditional constructs of time and space are broken down during the process of globalisation, thereby stimulating the renegotiation of societal relationships. Individuals and groups attempt to explain these major shifts and events at local, national, and international levels.15 Alongside the process of globalization is diffusion, or, the spread of material and nonmaterial culture. While globalisation refers to the integration of markets, diffusion relates a similar process to the integration of international cultures.

Reality TV is gradually becoming a leading indicator of globalisation. Various formats have spread so rapidly across the globe that it has triggered vivid discussions alongside moral panic in most countries. The influx of reality TV has stimulated, among other things, questions about the interaction of global popular forms with local (national) cultural and identity patterns, as well as about representation and symbolic inclusion of the up-till-now marginalized social and cultural groups within mainstream popular culture16

Until now, the academic debates have focused on both the political economy and cultural impact of transnational television in relation to the ‘entire’ reality TV program, which, just like other internationally traded goods – were made, packed and trafficked from their land of origin into the households of their land of destination, bringing along the values and symbolic representations of the culture of their manufacturers.

And like many other transactions, the ideas, goods and services flow ‘from the west to the rest’. Big Brother is a Dutch import and Survivor a Swedish import. The Biggest Loser show is an extremely popular game show in this genre, which is now broadcast in 90 countries and produced in 25. Spreading globally, it plays a big role in mediating images of bodies, health and medical strategies, as well as cultural conceptions of the body and beauty, across national borders. Cultural hegemony (domination) from the west means that traditional local cultures will be eroded by dependencies on media products. On the other hand, different programs use national peculiarities to succeed. The first Big Brother in Australia was held in a typically Aussie location and who knows if the typically Aussie male winner was primed to for it?

The process of glocalisation means that global ideas are adapted to suit local practices and reality TV is no exception. Formats purposefully eviscerate the source. They explicitly empty out any signs of their culture of origin, they can become nationalized—that is, customized to domestic cultures17. For example, cultural signifiers, national symbols and local stories are used throughout Canadian Idol to underscore Canadian aspects of the franchise.18 Full reality TV shows are not exported, but only a copyright and a package of guidelines; a “bible”, as the industry calls it, which tells the local producer exactly how to make the program.

15 Critical issues, Converging or divergin cultures? Accessed on 13/3/12 at URL http://www.matei.org/research/globaltv/world.html 16 Štětka, V (2010) ‘Globalization, Reality TV and Cultural Inclusion: the Case of the 2005 Czech Search for a Superstar’ Masaryk University, Eastbound, accessed 12/3/13 at URL http://eastbound.eu/site_media/pdf/EB2010_Stetka.pdf 17 ibid 18 Baltruschat, D. (2009) Reality TV formats: the case of Canadian Idol’ in Canadian Journal of Communication 34(1) pp 41 – 59 accessed on 18/3/13 at URL http://www.u.arizona.edu/~karaj/GPSC/Wk1CanadianJournal.pdf Exchange of cultures in this process of diffusion could be a beneficial thing, but will cultures become homogenised? After all, which country wants to be left behind in entertainment, technological developments and isolated from the rest of the world?

Activities

1. Define globalisation. 2. Explain how cultural diffusion is different to globalisation. 3. Argue that cultural hegemony cannot be avoided. 4. Discuss the pros and cons of glocalisation. 5. Will the global exchange of cultures lead to homogenisation? Provide reasons for your answer.

Future issues in reality TV are not certain however, one can assign timeframes and levels of certainty to their predictions (probable, possible and preferable)

It is vital to understand the temporal interrelationships between past, present and future as the spatial interrelationships between local, national and global.19

Probable futures are all those which seem likely to come about. They are often arrived at by the extrapolation of current trends, whether in relation to levels of population growth, car ownership, health or global warming. Forecasts are then made about what is most probably going to happen. Most of the long-term planning carried out by business and industry is of this nature. When people think about the future it is often their image of the probable future that comes to mind. Much of the current debate about global warming, for example, is about which figures for temperature increase are most likely. Depending on which forecast is taken, the consequences in terms of sea-level rise and changing climate vary considerably20.

Preferable futures are all those which people would like to come about. Such desirable futures are based on our hopes, aspirations and dreams. They embody our notions of what a better world might be like. Throughout history it has been such visions which have inspired struggles for better working conditions, the right to free speech and the right to vote. We benefit today from what others fought for in the past, inheriting crucial elements of their Preferable Futures21.

Possible futures are all those which could come about. These may be positive or negative but are treated more like wildcards because ‘anything could happen’. They depend more on chance and significant events such as unique discoveries, massive technological developments, revolutions, wars, natural disasters etc. We know these things could happen but they are not as likely as in probable futures.

Often, these three branches of future are depicted in diagrams similar to the following, where certain events are plotted along the lines.

19 Hicks, D ‘Teaching for a better world’ accessed on 12/3/13 at URL http://teaching4abetterworld.co.uk/futures.html 20 UNESCO ‘Teaching and learning for sustainable futures’ accessed on 12/3/13 at URL http://www.unesco.org/education/tlsf/mods/theme_a/popups/mod03t03s03.html 21 ibid Activity

In relation to the future of reality TV, you must make a judgement (as the syllabus dot point indicates) about the impacts (positive & negative) and implications of reality TV. A number of issues to do with the future are listed below. Complete the table as best you can. Some have been done for you as examples and there is also room to develop your own.

Issue/trends Detail /evidence Impacts/Implications and who/what Level of is affected? certainty (Changes& continuities)

Further Currently on Network Negative impact on those who like Probable dominance of 10, reality programs diversity and other forms of reality TV during feature for at least 2-3 education / entertainment. Positive prime time hours between 7:30 for producers and networks due viewing and 10:30pm large audiences

Shift of power Will the collective More likely that broadcasters will Possible from broadcaster power of consumers continue to dominate so negative to consumer dictate the types of impact on consumers as they still programs shown? lack some degree of control but there may be a backlash with user- generated content (UGC)

Massive live One strength of TV is reality TV events to broadcast live major events, concerts etc – will we see reality TV en masse?

Decline of free- Fragmentation of its to-air television audience to nice new and lack of channels, rise of availability of internet video, shift reality TV from full length television programs to video on demand22

22 Idato, M. (2009) ‘TV facing its own diet’ in Sydney Morning Herald, Weekend Edition, May 2-3, 2009 Declining Channel switching to advertising avoid commercials, revenue trends towards pay TV, use of recording devices and fast forward through ads

Development of Viewers feel as though televisual they are truly intimacy connected to reality TV participants, using them as emotional surrogates

Hybrid genres Further blending of becoming genres such as news available that and reality TV, drama compete with and reality TV, sports reality TV eg: and reality TV etc docu-soap

Reality shows Host cultures would benefit to Preferable about come extent due to inflows of aid philanthropy, and awareness. Viewers may volunteering and benefit by be inspired to pursue intercultural goals of active citizenship understanding

Emergence of a counter culture to reality TV

Increased reality Frequently sitting in TV ‘grazing’ front of reality shows but not choosing any one in particular to watch. Parents pass on this behaviour 23

23 Walker, A. (1996) Couples Watching Television: Gender, Power, and the Remote Control’ in Journal of Marriage and Family, National Council on Family Relations National Council on Family Relations, Vol. 58, No. 4, pp. 813-823 Commodification Further focus on of culture commercial interests and reality TV shows centred upon such aspects will be developed to make a profit.

Increased Reality TV is already Negative for societies as narcissism known as ‘ME TV’ individuals will only focus on themselves

Increased fixation on celebrities and materialism.

Hyperreality Creates a uniquely thrill constantly weakens and entertaining extinguishes itself unless experience, the “thrill something even newer happens. of the real.” Which Only occurs in technologically distinguishes reality advanced post-modern societies. from a simulation of reality, especially

Increased ‘reality The Dove ‘real ads’ and women’ campaign was corporate extremely successful influence