Reality TV shows argument

Argument #1

When you consider other types of television shows, like talk shows for example, the popularity of reality TV isn’t all that surprising. It seems that people simply enjoy watching other people perform various activities. Television networks realize this; therefore the number of reality shows has grown considerably in the last few years. Unfortunately, this type of programming has turned into something more than harmless entertainment. Reality television shows do not depict true reality because they are scripted, they overdramatize events, and they cannot capture the truth when people are in front of the camera. But do viewers care if their shows have been, say, artificially enhanced?
Reality TV is a misnomer because much of the action and dialogue is actually scripted or controlled by the producers. Reality TV is a much manipulated format where the basis of it is that real people are put into unreal situations to create a story. As soon as they get into an unreal situation, one could argue that it’s scripted, because the situation is created by the producers. The television music competition show, ‘The X Factor’, is supposed to be unscripted, but certain documents have revealed that the show follows an Australian production Bible which has the scripts of main aspects of this television series. A source involved with the show revealed that some on-screen events are manipulated in the post-production. Thus the show is scripted. This is well related to ‘American Idol’, where previously unknown individuals are meant to audition in front of unscripted judges, little do the viewer’s know, much of the conversation and judgment was previously planned. “Call it ‘partially scripted television’, says Ray Richmond. The longtime television critic who now blogs about entertainment and pop culture, said he has been trying – so far unsuccessfully—to have the term “reality television” switched to “partially scripted television.”
Often, reality TV shows are meticulous in a sense of being highly overdramatic. Cameras document actual events of ordinary people or celebrities and overdramatize everyday situations. Producers of reality TV shows will hire actors and have them reenact and overdramatize events about themselves; therefore the events shown in the show were fraudulent and exaggerated. When exposed to an exaggeration or fabrication about certain real-life occurrences or facts, some people will perceive the fictional account as being truer than any factual account. This might lead to people acting on preconceptions about unfamiliar matters even in a life-or-death situation or cause viewers to cry foul when things on a show work out in a way that actually is realistic, but contrary to "what everybody knows”, like complaining of the "fake English accent" of a real English actor or about a character's death from a bullet "merely" to the shoulder—suggesting that viewers often react in a dramatic way to situations that aren’t as tragic or breathtaking as they are perceived, simply because the producers intended to make that situation seem to be more emotional than it genuinely was.
Reality shows invariably fail to capture the truth when people are in front of the camera. The show ‘Jersey Shore’ is an adequate representation of how editors and producers depict false situations of people in front of the camera. The show is simply young individuals being put on television, and being told what to do, how to do it, and what to say—they’re not being themselves. Ray Richmond informs viewers that, “The editors have grown to become the new storytellers, altering sequences and the course of events and contextual elements to weave together a story that’s radically different from what actually happened.” Ultimately when directors participate in doing this, it not only makes for a product that’s mislabeled, but also disingenuous and deceptive.
Reality TV often succeeds in capturing and holding on to Americans attention because it allows them to fantasize about gaining status through automatic fame. Ordinary people can watch the shows, see people like themselves and imagine that they too could become celebrities by being on television. It does not matter as much that the contestants often are shown in an unfavorable light; the fact that millions of Americans are paying attention means that the contestants are important. And, in fact, some of the contestants have capitalized on their short-term celebrity: Colleen Haskell, from the first Survivor series, has a major role in the movie The Animal, and Richard Hatch, the scheming contestant who won the game, has been hired to host his own game show. If these former nobodies can become stars, then who couldn't? The message of reality television is that ordinary people can become so important that millions will watch them. And the secret thrill of many of those viewers is the thought that perhaps next time; the new celebrities might be them. An example would be ‘Duck Dynasty’; a show where normal people have their own television show for living their everyday life. Watching the show, you would say that they don’t have to act a certain way or say certain things because they are simply performing their daily routine around familiar people, which are there off the TV screen. But do you really know these people? How do you know they don’t act differently off the camera, in their everyday life? You don’t. Therefore, no one can truly say that these shows are one hundred percent accurate.
By now we’re all well aware that most reality TV is anything but a reflection of reality, simply because it is often times scripted, it is highly overdramatized, and it cannot depict true images to the viewers. Reality TV shows may seem like a true depiction of reality and a harmless entertainment, but it does have deficiencies that people may not notice while they’re watching. It’s safe to say that artificiality is the new reality.