Reality TV

First of all, I've never been a fan of reality television, so noting it's effect on me will be somewhat difficult. Of course I have watched some shows. They were just simply entertaining at the time. I find it entertaining to see people freak out over tiny things, as long it's on TV and I don't have to put up with it. I do know that it's affected my thoughts about other people. Watching shows like Jersey Shore I wonder if they're acting like that because they're on TV, or if they actually act like that in public, which would be pretty sad. Then I wonder if just random people around the world act like that, and worry that I might run into them one day.

Reality TV, as a whole, seems to be a very good way of setting the social norm for people. People just seem to follow the people from these shows as if they're the best role models in the world. More often than naught, the morality of people in Reality shows is very low. Just like what it said in "The Reality of Reality Television," the competition shows aren't about skill, they're about who can get away with backstabbing who. I have a decent set of morals, and an unnatural sense of loyalty, so forming an alliance with someone only to benefit my own needs just wouldn't fly with me. Because of this, I worry that it will affect the rest of society, and honest people will become a rare occurrence.

I would like to figure out what the true purpose behind Reality TV is. You could say that it's meant just for entertainment purposes, but then you have to consider that the people that make these shows have to pay attention to how their audiences react to them. Thinking of how influential these shows seem to be, the creators could easily get young teens to react or think a certain way, and that is a very powerful tool.

I'm not trying to say "End all Reality shows," or anything, I just wish that people didn't follow these shows the way they do. I can understand watching them for entertainment, because that's what I do, but I can't understand wanting to be like those people.