UF College of Journalism and Communications

A Real Obsession

Hillary is a senior at Spruce Creek High School in Port Orange, Fla.

By: HILLARY WILSON

As far back as the late 1940s, reality shows like Candid Camera have been popular among T.V. viewers. When one thinks of reality shows, they might consider those filled with celebrities dancing, trying to survive the jungle, or living the “Simple Life.’ When I think of reality shows, I picture my favorite TLC family of 10. Jon and Kate Plus 8 is a show about a family with twin and sextuplet children. It first aired in 2007 in an attempt to tell the story of a normal family trying to survive extraordinary situations.

It’s becoming more common to see the lives of the average “Joe” pictured on T.V. These “Joe’s” don’t stay average for long however as it is rumored that top reality stars like Jon and Kate Gosselin and Lauren Conrad, from the MTV show The Hills, make around $75,000 per episode. Knowing this, it’s clear that the motivation for ordinary people to have their lives filmed is monetary, but what is the reason behind the general public’s obsession with watching these shows?

Well, I’ve got it figured out. Reality shows act as an escape from everyday life. Rather than recognizing and dealing with the problems in our own lives we analyze and criticize the lives of others. Solving other people’s problems gives us a strange sense of control. If we feel like we’ve lost control in our own lives, we turn on TLC and try to help the Gosselins decide how to fix their marriage, or we tell a woman that she should choose the black dress because it makes her look thinner.

Others may disagree. Many say reality shows are a way to laugh and make fun of the stupidity of the drunken college kids in Cancun or the big spending women of New York and Orange County. In a society where it is easier to point out the faults in others than to admit our own, we take full advantage of every opportunity to pick apart the actions of those pictured in the media.

When they sign a contract to star in a reality show, these stars are asking for their lives to be criticized. It’s up to the viewers to decide whether they will watch other people’s lives or live their own. The issue with this way of thinking: ignoring the problems in other people’s lives means we have to confront the problems in our own. Are we ready for that reality?

This entry was posted on Wednesday, June 24th, 2009 at 2:37 pm and is filed under Editing. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.