Over the last few years, there has been increased interest in reality television. People of all ages and backgrounds tune in to watch their favorite "reality" television show. Television companies and producers capitalize off of this interest and try to pitch the show that will gain the most viewers and highest ratings. Unfortunately, this ploy turns reality television into unrealistic, dramatic, manipulated situations. Those behind the scenes benefit, but to viewers, especially the young naïve ones, this tactic can be detrimental to their view of reality. As a dominate force in television entertainment, reality TV programs are cheaper to produce and draw larger viewing audiences than standard programming -- but truthfully, some of them have little to do with reality. Psychologists, TV critics and industry pundits have debated the pros and cons of realty programming. The genre has a proclivity for spotlighting meanness, greed, deception and other negative personality traits in competitive platforms. It used to be if you were 16 and pregnant you would get in trouble. Now you get a reality show. You get arrested on TV after a drunken binge and become an instant millionaire. Compromise your morals and make a sex tape and it may get you enough attention to land a lucrative fragrance deal. If a show is meant to be reality, situations cannot and should not be manipulated. This lack of authenticity becomes unfair to those viewers who do look to reality TV for reality, even if they should not be doing so. This presents a false sense of reality to the American
Over the last few years, there has been increased interest in reality television. People of all ages and backgrounds tune in to watch their favorite "reality" television show. Television companies and producers capitalize off of this interest and try to pitch the show that will gain the most viewers and highest ratings. Unfortunately, this ploy turns reality television into unrealistic, dramatic, manipulated situations. Those behind the scenes benefit, but to viewers, especially the young naïve ones, this tactic can be detrimental to their view of reality. As a dominate force in television entertainment, reality TV programs are cheaper to produce and draw larger viewing audiences than standard programming -- but truthfully, some of them have little to do with reality. Psychologists, TV critics and industry pundits have debated the pros and cons of realty programming. The genre has a proclivity for spotlighting meanness, greed, deception and other negative personality traits in competitive platforms. It used to be if you were 16 and pregnant you would get in trouble. Now you get a reality show. You get arrested on TV after a drunken binge and become an instant millionaire. Compromise your morals and make a sex tape and it may get you enough attention to land a lucrative fragrance deal. If a show is meant to be reality, situations cannot and should not be manipulated. This lack of authenticity becomes unfair to those viewers who do look to reality TV for reality, even if they should not be doing so. This presents a false sense of reality to the American