The Distorted Reality of Reality TV

If you had told me 10 years ago that I could achieve fame-status from partying, binge-drinking and chain-smoking, I definitely would have pushed my education aside all for the sake of being rich and famous. Unfortunately, I succumbed to the socially-accepted, boring life of hard work and determination to acquire my success.

The genre of reality had commenced in the 90s, where shows like “The Real World” was used as a platform to inform a wider audience of contemporary young-adult issues such as sexuality, substance abuse, and prejudice. What started out as form of educating society, evolved into a dangerous combination of immaturity, fantasy and an augmented reality.

 "People don't watch Jersey Shore because they consider the Situation a role model. It's entertaining because the show is basically satire, a pump-up spoof of bigger-is-better American culture." (Quote Jwoww: "I see a bunch of, like, gorilla juice heads, tall, completely jacked, steroid, like multiple growth hormone-- that's, like, the type I'm attracted to.")"

- Poniewozik, J., 2007.

Despite the mockery and sarcasm behind reality TV shows, it is a given that the media and pop culture are the biggest influencers amongst teenagers. It is clear that reality television shows such as Jersey Shore promotes a hard-partying lifestyle where producers set up ‘false illusions of what to expect from real life’ (Lucius, 2010). In doing so, children and teenagers begin to put these reality stars on a pedestal, believing that fame can be easily accessed as long as they imitate the actions of their “idols”.

What teenagers fail to realise is that every episode of the reality shows they watch are carefully constructed by editors, who piece the most controversial and shocking moments from months of filming purely to create a provocative and scandalous scene. Sure, it’s just harmless entertainment. But in the long-run do you believe that reality TV can be toxic? I mean if children and teenagers are idolising these reality TV stars, surely something isn’t right. Right?

- Written by Kathleen Ng