Below you will find 3 pictures representative of my 'vice'... my outlet... my unwind and no-think zone:
Satisfies my adventurous nature... the risk-taker, competitor in me...
Satisfies my need for a good love story... mixed with serious adversity, glamour, and gossip...
Satisfies my competitive urges and cooking knowledge... drama included!
The popularity of Reality TV has surged over the past decade. I've been an avid Survivor fan since it began airing in 2000, and base my timeline of the existence of Reality TV on Survivor's history. Maybe it doesn't technically hold first place in the historic lineup, but it's the first Reality TV I ever experienced.
The rise in Reality TV popularity speaks volumes as to the media literacy of our culture. Our culture is demanding more 'here and now', and has tired of the contrived and manufactured story lines of old. It's also a reflection of the fact that Americans love getting a fishbowl view of others' lives. Call it curiosity maybe. I like the fact that stories unfold within the show. Many times the reality of the show defies that which a script could ever depict.
Yes, I know these shows are edited and clipped - sliced and diced. The opening seasons for both The Bachelor and Survivor were perfect examples of the need for stealthy edit. If you watched the season preview of The Bachelor closely you could determine the winner based upon the color of the dress or a feature of jewelry worn in the season finale. Survivor competition previews in the early seasons included actual clips of competitors raising winning flags - again, if you watched closely, you knew who the winner was going to be.
Careful editing is a must, but given the media-literate culture of today, so is editing integrity. I believe our culture wants to see the REAL in reality. When producers start to meddle with the cast, and story lines become contrived or manufactured viewers tune out.
Has the evolution of Reality TV been a good change? Is it beneficial to our culture? That's a topic for my next discussion! I've enjoyed the change, but I won't be quick in telling you I believe the change has been beneficial to our culture.
