Is Reality TV controlling the way of thinking about our lives?
Introduction
In our society today the media is where you are exposed to everything from celebrities breaking up to what is happening around world to shows that are ridiculous but entertaining. The Media has become a big impact on how our lives should be. This is because we have made media a tool that we use to escape from our actual lives to the lives that the media portrays we should have through Reality TV. Reality TV are shows that feature ordinary people that are chosen to be put in situations that are dramatic/humorous and unscripted. Reality TV has become very popular in the past couple of years and have become high rating shows. The Hills and The Real Housewives of Orange County have become shows with very high rating shows since they have premiered. Both of these shows have provide us the viewers how our lives should be or even how were suppose to look to have a well off life. Even in our literature books like George Orwell’s 1984 and Fahrenheit 451 the media is somehow showing their control through the television shows.
Reality TV affects on Society
Reality TV has taken most of television channels from shows like finding true love, to living the Hollywood life style, or even the appearance we are suppose to portray. We as the audience get so into these shows depending on the show that interest us where ordinary people are put in situations that embarrass and humiliate them. Reality TV is worthless on television because there is no point to them. Their are other shows like The Hills where show focuses on Lauren Conrad’s life and what she goes through with all her friends. Shows like these make you to wonder is that how we are suppose to live our lives as well in the Hollywood atmosphere. The viewers have allowed media stations to introduce other versions of reality TV to the public. Some shows on television portray lifestyles that to some degree allow to look at your life in perspective of what is shown.
Fahrenheit 451
In literature books the idea of how reality TV can impact your life is also seen. For example in Fahrenheit 451 Guy Montag is one of the fireman’s that goes around at each home burning books but at the same time he saves some of the books for his own use. He has a wife Mildred Montag who is so fascinated by her shows that she even gets lost in them. When she’s watching her shows its like nothing else matters and the shows she watches even allow her to get involved. For example asking her questions about the situation they are trying to figure out and she would response to them allowing her to feel important. When Mildred would watch these shows it made her seem oblivious about anything else in the world, such as when her husband Guy Montag brought home books she did not seem to care for them. In a way the show is somehow capturing the Mildred’s attention so she is not aware of what is going on surround them. This seemed like it was a tool from the government to control what viewers watch that will not educate them as much, this is the reason for burning all the books.
George Orwell's 1984
In George Orwell's 1984 was about the authoritarian
regime and Winston Smith who worked at the Ministry of Truth. The television was scene as a way of control. The term "Big Brother is Watching" is way of knowing that they are being watched every move they make. The person on the television would even instruct them on working out and watch them to see if they are doing it right. Each place that you entered had a big television talked about what is going on and a picture of the man watching you. It was a way of making the people realize that they can not hide anything from the government and they lived their lives around the "big brother." In reality TV the shows are in a way making it obvious that they are controlling the aspect of your lifestyle but they are because, for example in The Hills the way of living their life in Hollywood allows viewers to believe that is how the Hollywood lifestyle is.Conclusion
Reality TV's point is to entertain the viewers by humiliating ordinary people, placing them in situations that will boost the rating of the show. In The Hills and in the Real Housewives of Orange County both of these shows present either the lifestyle were suppose to have living in Hollywood to fit in and appearance your suppose to have before walking out of your home. When watching these shows both are taking place in southern California so gives you the viewer the ideal expectations of lifestyle in that local region. As our society begins to progress even further our lives will begin to change to the ideals the reality TV shows will present to us.
Sources
- Boulle, Pierre, "Planet of the Apes." New York: The Ballantine Publishing Group, 1963.
- Bradbury, Ray, "Fahrenheit 451." New York: Ballantine Books, 1953.
- Orwell, George, "1984." New York: New American Library, Inc, 1949.
- Benjamin, Walter, "The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction."
- Fitzgerald, F, Scott. "The Great Gatsby."http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/gatsby/