The Reality

The Influences of Reality TV on Young Viewers

Chanel L. McClennahan

Television Appreciation l MCOM 361

Professor Deborah Flippens

November 30, 2012

The Influences of Reality TV on Young Viewers

           

Television was once a huge privilege to have when my parents were growing up in the 1950s through the 1960s. Now that those times have changed and owning a TV is easier than owning one back then; many young people stay glued to a TV screen. Reality TV has become staple entertainment for not just young people, but adults as well. It is extremely important that people understand the difference from reality and truth, especially during these epochs where reality TV is so widespread. Reality and truth have become so common that they have lost their individual integrity. I see a lot of celebrity influences every day, particularly being in an environment where I grasp the growing connection between trending outfits and brashness behavior viewers imitating from their favorite reality TV show. One has to question, Are reality TV shows a bad influence? Most fans would disagree; for them reality TV is the coolest thing that hit TV screens and it only seems to get better and better. How? By showing instances which make people come back for more. These shows have the highest TRP ratings. Obviously, these guys must be doing something right or a lot of wrong.

Reality defined is “the world or the state of things as they actually exist, as opposed to an idealistic or notional idea of them”. (Dictionary.com). Most viewers do not understand that all reality TV is not all true; most reality TV shows are based on real life situations that “could” possibly happened or has happened. Examples of shows like that are Operation Repo, South Beach Tow, and Hardcore Pawn. These shows all premiere on “Tru TV” network, which its programming has traditionally been live homicide trial coverage and other criminal justice programming; however, the network has branched out into more "caught on video" reality programs, or as TruTV calls it, "actuality" television. The channel has been highly criticized for allegedly faking their reality shows. There are different types of reality TV shows that have a heavier position in young viewers’ lives, including The Real Housewives, Next Top Model Series, Bad Girls Club, and Keeping Up With the Kardashians. I can understand how celebrity reality shows can manipulate one’s mind or even have a major impact on their viewers. Shows like Keeping Up With the Kardashians tend to have a upshot on young girls and their appearance. “These girls on these shows are looking bigger than life,  perfect hair, perfect make-up, and girls are saying why am I not like that?” said Caeley Looney, a girl Scout and high school sophomore, who sat on a panel about girls and reality TV, sponsored by the Girl Scouts of America of Southern Arizona . It’s not hard to believe that when one sees something so dissimilar and diverse, one can’t help to wonder about their situation. The “glamour life” or the “fabulous life” is a term that is overused and abused by young people.

Today’s generation is full of self-expressions, cockiness, and high self-esteem, but I wonder how much of that self-esteem is really high. As stated by author Peter Zollo in his book Wise up to Teens: Insights into Marketing and Advertising to Teenagers, “about 20 percent of teens consider themselves to be trendsetters, saying they learn about trends from themselves.” These are the trends that really feel great about themselves. Attending a Historical Black University (HBU), I’ve noticed a lot of celebrity trends that my peers seem to pick up on a daily basis. If it’s a new word that they heard their favorite rapper, actor, or reality TV star say on television; they’ll start to say that same exact word. There is no real originality. Kids are so focused on being better than the person their standing beside that kids don’t realize how their further away from themselves than they knew.  It’s hard to be original these days it seems like.

The media plays a big part in the influence that Reality TV brings upon young audiences. The media gives celebrities too much power and not enough faults. It seems as though there is a different celebrity making headlines somewhere in the world every page we turn in a magazine. Kids watch these reality TV shows and sometimes idolize what they see on television because they think whatever their watching is unflappable and cool. “Celebrities are an integral part of youth culture. To teens, they are more than musicians, athletes, actors, or fashion models. They are role models, heroes, and even icons. They do more than entertain teens. They nationalize the teen experience, speaking for a generation and inspiring trends in lifestyles, fashions, attitudes, and behavior. Celebrities can bring attention, authority, and added appeal to your teen-directed advertising and promotions.” (Zollo, 150). It seems like everyone wants to become famous so badly or wants the money, cars, clothes, and fame. Life is not that simple. You have reality TV shows of rappers, actors, models, children, and the list goes on. TV programming is targeting all types of audiences. And it seems as though the TV Programming isn’t in tune with a healthy, positive society. It’s not just reality TV that’s an issue alone; it’s also cartoons, video games, and movies that play another part in young viewer’s lives. I personally think that the media alone with TV programs are brainwashing viewers. Who’s to say intentionally or not? There are lots of research that goes on with TV violence that relates to society, so I know that the industry knows about the influence that they have on young people and even some adults. Do teens take cues from advertising, or do advertisers take cues from teens? They actually take from each other.

Many Reality TV stars now appear on commercials and other advertising sites, billboards, or radio commercials. According to Peter Zollo, “Commercial endorsements increase the popularity of sports but erode the popularity of musical celebrities. Certain musical acts appeal specifically to teens.” (Zollo, 154) Many adults view teens as rebellious and nonconforming. Being a teenager once before, I know the key to balancing a rebellious teenager is to communicate with teens effectively, one need to understand them on many levels. One need to understand what teens look like, how they act, what they think, and how they feel. One needs to understand teen preferences and priorities. One needs to know how teens view themselves and those close to them. Finally, one needs to know the fundamental motivations that drive teen behavior: teen attitudes and values.

Young people are the main target for just about anything the media puts on view. Young people are attracted to reality TV and all the excitement they see on TV. Successful TV stars get endorsements deals because of their admiration and their reputation. “Teens are important because of their discretionary spending power and habits.” (Zollo, 7) A survey by Seventeen Magazine in 2009 reveals some startling statistics about teen money management. Here are some of the highlights: “Clothing accounts for the biggest chunk of spending by teens, at 34%. Entertainment places second, at 22%, and food is third, at 16%.” The magazine spread goes on to reveal that, “Teens want to look good no matter what: nearly three-quarters are spending the same or more this year on either cosmetics (70%), clothing (72%), hair products (71%) or skin care (74%).” (Money-Management-Works.com). It’s obvious that celebrities have some type of influence on young people even in 2009.

The popular American reality television show Teen Mom originally aired on December 8, 2009 on MTV. Teen Mom is a spin-off of the MTV show 16 and Pregnant. The show has made teen pregnancy look like a wide held achievement for some older viewers. Teen pregnancy happens accidentally all the time (though apparently the numbers have been declining), but what about when a teen girl wants to have a baby? It might not be overwhelmingly common, but The Maury Show has profiled plenty of them so there are certainly some girls like this out there. On Maury Povich's show, these girls are forced to talk to prisoners and to former teen mothers who "tell it like it is." Sometimes they're made to care for a baby for a day to see how hard it is. Allegedly this works, and all the girls change their minds, but when you have reality TV shows like 16 & Pregnant and Teen Mom; it’s hard to get the actual lesson of teen pregnancy. When the show first ended its second season; the finale had 3.6 million viewers and has become a hit on MTV. The show publicizes the lives of four teenagers who entered motherhood.

It is important that families can talk about the messages that the media sends about sex and sexual behavior. How do TV shows and movies tend to portray pregnant and/or sexually active teens? Are these portrayals realistic? Is Teen Mom a bad influence? “In the first half of the 2000s, the number of reality TV programs exploded across primetime schedules, causing commentators to ask whether this was just a trend or the evolution of a new programming staple. Whereas in the 1990s an upsurge of reality TV programming had meant a spike in the number of ‘copycat’ or franchise programming, (e.g. real-crime shows following the cops model, docusoaps following the Airport model, the international spread of Big Brother), from 2001 it meant a dizzying increase in the array of reality subgenres being produced, each with its own clutch of similar-but-different shows.” (Kavka, 110) Reality TV is the new day-time soap opera. “It seems as though teenagers just want to experience life through what they think is the cool way to live. Every time one turns a channel on TV, some celebrity is on promoting themselves or others. Young audience viewers see this as a potential lifestyle and get consumed in the trends celebrities make widespread. “Of the many aspects of American culture reflected in reality television, actual reality is not one of them. But not every viewer knows that: a new survey by the Girl Scouts Research Institute finds that some 8 out of 10 girls who regularly watch “real-life” shows like Jersey Shore and The Hills or reality competitions like American Idol believe these programs are true to life, describing them as “mainly real and unscripted.” (Melnick). People who realize the impact of such TV shows believe that these shows are a waste of time. There was a time when TRP ratings were dominated by intelligent programs and channels like Discovery and National Geographic. But now, reality TV is all over the place. Almost every channel has a reality series on a celebrity's personal struggles or a group of people living and bad-mouthing each other. It is not that all reality TV shows are a waste of time; shows like The Biggest Loser, Master Chef, Top Gear, America's Funniest Home Videos, Who Wants to be a Millionaire, etc. showcase interesting content, which is not offensive. And there are other shows like Big Brother, Teen Mom, Jersey Shore, The Bachelor, Wife Swap, Jon & Kate Plus 8, and Keeping Up with the Kardashians which promote reality TV in different manners. People are heavily influenced by both kinds of shows but parents are worried about all the negative traits that some shows highlight as they influence young adults and teens pretty easily.

Reality TV mainly airs moments that were considered private at one point in time. Now, everything is public knowledge, and every show goes one step further to demolish the walls of privacy. Viewers watch reality TV contestants at their most vulnerable moments and become voyeurs who feed on their emotions, misery, and problems. Lots of violence, profanity and performing publicity stunts are not always reality. Today, kids are witnessing the harsh realities of life at a very tender age. Fights, sexually explicit scenes, and uncontrollable drinking and usage of drugs are what makes the core of reality TV today. The truth is some reality TV shows are a bad influence on young minds. These pure souls are just learning to disassociate reality from fantasy, and reality TV shows distort the differences and make it much more difficult to distinguish between the two.

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