Essay about Reality Television Damaging the American Mind

In today’s society, television is one of the greatest forms of entertainment. People love entertainment, and television is one of the most accessible sources available to citizens. Television is the type of entertainment that draws viewers in with curiosity. There is a broad spectrum of genres that can be watched on the television. Major genres include drama, reality, informational and comedy. Currently, the most commonly watched television genre is reality television. These programs run on a kind of relating theme where they often display a vast amount of dramatic and unscripted situations that many people can relate to. A big factor of their success is the fact that the shows are not based on actors but on ordinary people (non†¦show more content†¦Today, people enjoy watching reality television; they typically get home after work and relax by watching these unpredictable, and often humorous, moments of reality television. From listening to the horrific singin g on American Idol, to seeing who was voted off the island in Survivor, people enjoy some stress relieving humor after a long day of work. As stated in a study conducted by Zizi Papacharissi and Andrew L. Mendelson, â€Å"A survey administered to reality TV viewers revealed that the most salient motives for watching reality TV were habitual pass time and reality entertainment.† We can now acknowledge that the primary reason for watching reality television is for entertainment rather than for acquiring knowledge. Although, is it not possible to adopt some of the qualities of life portrayed by the â€Å"characters† of these shows by watching them regularly? For example, if shows like MTV’s The Real World are watched almost daily, then eventually the things seen on these shows may become normal to its viewers. Some of the activities that can be seen on The Real World include having one night stands, getting drunk, and getting high using illegal drugs. The typ es of scenes often depicted in these reality shows are etched in the mind of the viewer, and, although they are based on real moments in the lives of the people on the show, this type of behavior should be unacceptable toShow MoreRelatedThe Negative Effects Of Reality Television1462 Words   |  6 PagesReality television shows are meant to portray the essence of reality. These shows are created to show the audiences about all the different life situations that they can relate to with their own lives. Thus, reality should be the main component of these shows, however, that is not always the case. Reality shows are staged productions that are affecting society in many ways. The primary component that distinguishes reality-based programs from similar forms of entertainment including traditionalRead MoreMedia s Influence On The Media Essay1587 Words   |  7 PagesHollywood controls most entertainment media consumed by people all around the world. The messages and images portrayed in movies and television shows created by the large production companies affect all those who partake of the media they produce. Entertainment media can be uplifting and enjoyable, however, media normalizes damaging gender norms for men and women. Gender norms are rules believed to govern how the different sexes should look and act. People develop these behaviors by observingRead MoreIs Hip Hop Destroying Black America? Essay1486 Words   |  6 PagesBlack self-contempt seeping into African American culture is irrefutable, as is the fact that it is misconstrued, unchallenged, and undervalued. The unparalleled intense emotion of internalized self-hatred currently plaguing the minds of numerous Blacks is not an ordinary phenomenon developed from centuries of evolution. It is not a nameless occurrence empty of a coherent justification. It is simply the consequence of an intentionally condemned system of suppression and control. An enormous schemingRead MoreThe Medias Dumber Democracy Essay1557 Words   |  7 PagesFor the average American there is no escape from mass media. It can be found within our news papers, movies, television and internet, which account for most of our news and entertainment source. In Michael Parenti s book, Make Believe Media, the Politics of Entertainment, Parenti attests that this mass media clouds our societys perception of reality by propagating prefabricated images that create and validate a superficial ideological world. Unfortunately, people are denied the opportunity toRead MoreBeauty Concept Essay1084 Words   |  5 PagesJust turn on the television, open a magazine, or surf the web and you will find yourself bombarded by the idea that being sexy and being beautiful are synonyms. Critics argue that this view of beauty is causing our women and even some men to alter their bodies in damaging ways. While I agree that the way today’s society views is damaging and unrealistic, but I also do not believe this is a new occurrence. Throughout history various societies have caused their subjects to do damaging and dangerous thingsRead MoreThe Negative Effects of Television on Children in Society Essay1308 Words   |  6 PagesAn estimated one billion television sets h ave been sold in North America, and on average, children watch 28 hours per week. The effect of television creates negative development in children. Television is one of the biggest contributions to the growing amount of obese children in North America. The amount of glorified violence in today’s society can be attributed to children watching high rated television shows. Many young children are involved in promiscuous behaviour. This might be a result ofRead MoreEssay about Jurors and Prosecution: Forensics in Pop Culture1264 Words   |  6 PagesIntroduction. With producing reality shows comes producing inaccuracies in portrayals in order to reach as many viewers and gain as high ratings as possible. Every day life is boring, yet people tend to be attracted to the relatable shows that portray real life in eccentric ways – ways that they believe could be imitated. In many cases, these shows could remain harmless, as it is entertainment. No matter how crude or erroneous, it is just television. However, what happens when these sources ofRead MoreThe Death Of The Car984 Words   |  4 Pagescriminal. Controlling images of this are broadcast on nightly newscasts as well as other forms of media, and have long-lasting and damaging effects for African Americans, which face many forms of discrimination due to these stereotypes. Racial profiling is a result of these controlling images, and is a reality black men in the United States face every day. African American men are more likely to face stop and frisk procedures from the police becau se of controlling images that continue racial stereotypesRead MoreThe Significance of Television as a Propaganda Tool During the Vietnam War1656 Words   |  7 PagesThe Vietnam War has become remembered as a war that captured the American public’s hearts and minds through the distressing images that were shown on the television every night. With the world being entrenched in a Cold War America wished to continue its war against the threat of Communism even if it took them to parts of the globe that were not of direct significance to American society. To never appear as though America was involved with the direct fighting, the government sent military advisorsRead MoreTechnology Vs Humanity : A Discussion Of Fahrenheit 4511538 Words   |  7 Pagescensorship. The government controls its citizens’ freedom of thought and individualism through various manipulations, most importantly television and the banning of books. The government in the novel furtively influences the population by allowing no insightful television broadcasts that could lead to dissention or questions, but rather bombards the citizens with television shows that contain only mindless frivolity to keep the viewers in a state of almost vegetative happiness. There are no news broadcasts