REALITY TV: Big Dreams On the Screen

Television has been taken over by a new genre of programming-Reality TV. You know, “real life” people exposing their fortunes and misfortunes for all America to see. Why are these shows so popular? What causes viewers to stay glued to the tube?One obvious reason is money. The networks continue to push out more of these shows. How can you blame them? No actors, which means no salaries in turn means more money for the networks. The shows usually offer a large sum of cash and/or contracts to its winners. Some companies give away or even pay to have their products and services used in the show. There is money to be made by everyone.Another reason reality television has become more popular is instant fame. Win or lose the game your face is being seen by millions of viewers. Favorite shows like American Idol, America’s Next Top Model and The Apprentice are used to create instant fame and success. They open doors that might have otherwise been shut or just a little harder to open. They offer ordinary, everyday people a shot at the big time.Furthermore, reality shows are popular just because these are real people, not actors. Each week we get to see real people dealing with real emotions. We see the true person. Like it or not we are a society that takes pleasure in exploiting the misfortunes of others. Reality television has made a surge within the past two years. Money, instant fame and the mere fact that these are real people, keeps the shows riding the waves of success. How long they continue to ride that wave is anybody’s guess.