By Taylor Long
You’ve heard of it. Chances are, you’ve seen it. Perhaps a friend of yours has been in it, and maybe you’ve even been on it yourself (or tried to be). Like it or not, the concept of “reality television” is here to stay (for now). You may roll your eyes and scoff, but with millions of viewers each year, the creators and producers are probably the ones laughing. So, what’s the appeal? Are our own lives just not “real” enough? Or are we just too lazy to get off our asses and get outside? Why would we rather watch someone else’s life than live our own?
Perhaps it’s because we like the control. According to interpersonal communication theory, the reason why so many of our interactions are scripted is because we like the predictability, we like the control. It’s the same reason why we make impressions of people before we know them-knowing what to expect makes us more comfortable. This applies to reality television in the sense that it’s easier to predict episodes of “The Real World” than to predict our own life. With reality shows, you get exaggerated characters, rather specific plot lines and even previews. So, usually, it’s easier to predict that Clarice, the stereotypical promiscuous drunk on “The Real World Portland,” will sleep with someone this week than if you will.
By completely removing ourselves from interaction, we feel more comfortable-but because the “characters” are “real” or “normal” (and therefore slightly easier to relate to), we don’t feel as disconnected as if we were watching something we knew to be entirely fiction. (We can argue for hours about how “real” these shows actually are, but that’s not my topic.)
This ability to relate to “normal” people on television also plays a role. Firstly, it gives us hope for our own proverbial 15 minutes of fame. If Bob Whatshisname from Nowheresville can get on TV, then, hey, maybe you can, too! Secondly, their supposed normalcy gives us more to potentially associate ourselves with. Perhaps we might associate ourselves with a cast member or contestant who has a similar personality trait or similar tastes. Watching how people react to this person may then become a glimpse into how people react to us.
On the other hand, it might be that the cast members are so exaggerated or so different, that you might feel superior to the people presented to you.
Interestingly enough, this is often the case with the increasing trend of “celebrity” reality shows. Did you feel smarter than Jessica Simpson every time she made one of her usual ditzy comments? Sure you did. With the crazy, outlandish celebrities (and B-, C-, D-list celebrities) that get convinced that these shows could be good for their careers, what has often happened is that they are ridiculed. Does it feel good to see the rich and famous being idiotic and ridiculous? Of course it does! We think, “Hey, they’re rich and famous, but I’m a better person. So there!”
My favorite example of this is “Growing Up Gotti.” This “reality show” follows the unbelievable situations that Long Island residents Victoria Gotti and her three sons often find themselves in, somehow. Firstly, everything about this show is unbelievable. The slew of obstacles thrown their way include camping trips, lost hair gel, secret admirers, up-keeping the house and weekends in the Hamptons (of course). Does watching the Gotti Family throw fire over hair gel, jewelry, tattoos and guest appearances on rap songs make me feel slightly more rational? You bet’cha.
In some cases, these celebrity reality shows may aim to give us someone to aspire to, but this is much more rare. So rare, in fact, that I can’t think of a single instance. But perhaps my memory fails me.
That covers the observational type of “reality shows,” but often competition-based shows get thrown into this category, as well. So what makes these “reality competitions” more popular than shows like “Jeopardy” and “Wheel Of Fortune”?
In some cases, these competitions are some of our favorite “What If…?” circumstances come to life. “Survivor” is basically part of that old question, “If you were stuck on an island: what would you bring / what would you do / etc. ?” On the other hand, the popular freakish hit “Fear Factor” is, in some ways, the embodiment of the game “Would You Rather…?” Think of something scary to do, or disgusting to eat, and it’s probably been on “Fear Factor” (or will be).
Other competitions go for the “dream come true” angle. “Project Greenlight” takes a screenwriter’s script and turns it into a movie, “The Apprentice” gives business-minded people the chance to work with a true mogul, “American Idol” lets wannabe pop-stars try to become the real thing, and recent hit “Project Runway” was the chance for clothing designers to collect funds to develop their own line. Who on earth wouldn’t try out for a show that gave them such tremendous opportunities for their career? If anyone ever develops a show called “Be The Next Lester Bangs,” someone please give me a call.
In the end, the answer of why these shows are so popular isn’t entirely surprising. These “reality shows” seem to appeal to our curiosity. They are the metaphorical car accident on the side of the road; it’s not new, we’ve seen it before, but we just can’t help slowing down to watch, anyway.