Monday, March 2, 2009
Reality TV
After the class lecture on how American Idol and Reality TV affects the United States, I began to think about the shows I watch. I recently became a fan of the show American Idol. This is my first season and I'm completely addicted. Shows that portray themselves as being "real" always have a catch. They are real, but directors and editors are able to manipulate the situation. Same goes for the bachelor. The way the show is edited, it's easy to think that every is sleeping with the bachelor or bachelorette and the situations are lead to believe they are falling completely in love with each other. When in reality, the show ends and the relationship never lasts.
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We're going to talk more about Reality TV in today's class. One thing I would ask you to do is to think about whether Jenkins' argument is compelling, given your own experience. Jenkins thinks that the reason we are so attracted to American Idol, in particular, is that we ourselves are part of the show, through the voting process.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Jenkin's notion on why we feel compelled to watch reality TV. If we are able to contribute to the show somehow, i.e. voting, we do feel a greater sense of loyalty as well as a sense of belonging. If we cannot vote, we are able to blog online, or text the show and our little blimp of commentary will show up on the screen. It's like we are vicariously living through the show and experience our own 5 min of fame.
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