Has Reality Television made Voyeurism Another form of Entertainment - Essay Example

?Has Reality Television Made Voyeurism Another Form of Entertainment? Introduction Reality television has become one of the most dominant and popularforms of entertainment, not only in America, but in other countries as well. One would be hard put in surfing through television channels without seeing at least one reality television show. What is even more surprising is that many of these shows have higher ratings than regular scripted shows. Reality television refers to the type of television shows which portray mostly unscripted, melodramatic, and amusing situations and events, featuring ordinary individuals (mostly non-actors) engaged in a contest or any other situations where prizes are awarded. Although earlier forms of this type of entertainment have been seen as early as 1948 with Candid Camera, it gained more notoriety and a wider genre by the end of 1990s with the introduction of the shows like Survivor, Big Brother, and American Idol (Caudle, 2011). These shows portray various situations and activities, with some featuring contests between ordinary people competing for money and other prizes, others portraying ordinary people living their lives while raising their children, and some others featuring celebrities carrying out daily activities. All in all, these shows seem to share common themes – taking ordinary people and placing them in extraordinary situations or presenting the reality of celebrities’ lives to an audience who would likely be engaged in the fascinating and magical lives that these celebrities are living. Reality shows seem to portray the magical and the ordinary, the reality and the ‘non-reality’ of celebrity or non-celebrity lives. For some shows, an element of voyeurism seems to be one of the common elements, especially as these allow the viewers a peek into the lives of celebrities and non-celebrities. The voyeur element also seems to lend entertainment value for viewers as melodramatic events like weddings, dates, births, and arguments often draw in high ratings. This paper shall explore reality television and how it engages the magical and the real. It will also discuss how reality television has made voyeurism a form of entertainment. Initially, a brief overview of popular reality television shows will be discussed, indicating reasons for their popularity. Secondly, this paper will present the negative and the positive impact of reality television. Thirdly, a deeper analysis of the reasons for the popularity of reality television shall be considered. Lastly, this essay shall be summarized and its themes clearly established in order to answer its primary goals and research issue. This article is being carried out in order to establish a clear understanding of reality television, its general impact, and what it implies about current TV behaviors as well as preferences. Body Overview of reality television shows When the shows Big Brother and Survivor became major successes in 2000, reality television suddenly gained widespread popularity. Specifically, the shows Survivor and American Idol consistently topped the television ratings since their inception (Hill, 2005). Other shows like America’s Next Top Model, Dancing with the Stars, The Apprentice, Fear Factor, and Big Brother were soon able to gain a global audience in the years that followed. Some television companies have also set aside networks, including Fox Reality, Global Reality Channel in Canada and Zone Reality in the UK to cater specifically to these reality shows (DeVolld, 2011). Other networks like Bravo, VH1 and MTV have also numerous reality shows in their line-up. Other successful shows like COPS have become major successes and the profit generation for TV networks and producers has also been very significant (Hill, 2005). Reality show celebrities have also made millions of dollars in profit for their TV contracts and product endorsements (Hill, 2005). This genre has also spawned new singers, dancers, models, chefs, actors, directors, and celebrities like the Kardashians who have been known as ‘famous for being famous.’ Sub-genres of reality television shows come in various forms. The first sub-genre is the documentary style reality show where footages often take the viewer into the daily professional activities of a person, with viewers being passive observers (Chin-Yi, 2007). Within these docu-style shows, reality competition and reality game shows are the most popular. Approval votes from the audience are carried out in order to eliminate participants and the participant with the most number of votes at the end of the series is often declared the winner. Reality competition has included various activities like dating (The Bachelor series), job searches (American Idol, America’ Next Top Model, The Apprentice, Top Chef, So You Think You Can Dance, Project Runway), and sports (The Contender) (Caudle, 2011). Other sub-genres have also emerged throughout the years, including makeovers (The Swan, The Biggest Loser, Extreme Makeover), renovation (Extreme Makeover: Home Edition), social experiments (Wife Swap), hidden cameras (Scare Tactics, Punk’d), and the supernatural (Ghost Hunters) (Hill, 2005). These are the shows which have pulled a good majority of viewers from their usual scripted shows, and the reasons for the shift in viewership have been varied. Reasons for popularity Reality television has been considered a successful form of entertainment for a variety of reasons. First, the combination of popularity among viewers as well as the very cheap production costs has ensured high profitability for producers and TV networks (Sack, 2003). For one, reality stars are usually paid less as compared to actors in scripted shows. Moreover, most of these reality stars usually have not gained the celebrity status to command significant salaries (Brasch, 2003). Other technical aspects of these shows: set, location shoots, costume, cinematography, sound editing, and film editing are also not as costly scripted shows; and no writers are often needed since these shows are, as was mentioned, unscripted (Andrejevic, 2004). Reality shows are also popular because they allow viewers to watch how other people live their lives. This is equivalent to visual gossip and gives viewers the chance to observe other people in more entertaining and interesting scenarios than those which unfold in their lives (Andrejevic, 2004). This was very much apparent in the series Temptation Island where the viewers were given a chance to play ‘private detectives’ by peeking into bedrooms and seeing if couples would become victims to romantic activities with strangers when their partners were otherwise absent or preoccupied (Andrejevic, 2004). There seems to be an understandable logic in this activity as currently, most people are obsessed with the lives of celebrities, wanting to know what they are doing in any particular time of day. The reality shows provides viewers with a possible alternative to celebrities by taking ordinary people whom the viewers can easily relate to and placing them in extraordinary circumstances (Thomas, 2003). Reality shows also hold much appeal to teens and young adults because these shows are highly interactive online and often gives teens the chance to interact with each other regarding what they have watched (Hiltbrand, 2004). In effect, the shows also allow reality show stars the chance to interact online through “Tweets” and Facebook status updates. Aside from the online interactivity of these shows, the duration of the shows is often shorter than regular scripted shows. For teens and young adults who have shorter attention spans and lower tolerance for any activity, reality shows provide instant gratification for their entertainment needs (Hiltbrand, 2004). As a result, many teens and young adults tune in each week to see the latest Kardashian or Jersey Shore drama or the latest intrigue in the Desperate Housewives of New York, or any other reality show. In the most immediate time, they often discuss these shows and are very much engaged in the weekly intrigue which they uncover with each episode. Reality programming is now considered a major profit-earner for television networks. It has had the chance to rescue declining ratings (Brasch, 2003) while also ensuring that production costs are low. It is a genre very much different from documentaries or news forecasts because the news and documentaries portray the more accurate forms of realism in order to inform and entertain viewers. Documentaries are usually focused on the cultural or the geographic elements of people’s lives and the primary goal of these shows is to educate the viewer (Brasch, 2003). Reality television, on the other hand, focuses more on social aspects of people’s lives. Newscasts are also scripted programs which are based on valid and mostly accurate data involving the real world and real people who have not intended to be on any show. The main goal of these newscasts is to inform and not to entertain (Brasch, 2003). Under these conditions, reality shows have become and will likely remain popular. Advantages and Disadvantages of reality television Reality television shows have various advantages and disadvantages. Some of its advantages have already been mentioned above in the form of the lower cost associated with its production. It also offers instant fame for ordinary people. This is very much apparent for winners of American Idol, most of who have been able to gain recording contracts and cash prizes (Barton, 2006). Other ordinary people, for a variety of reasons have also been able to gain instant fame from these shows. By simply giving birth to septuplets, Kate and Jon Gosselin became instant celebrities. For being children of celebrity parents, Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie were also granted their reality show, and in the process were able to gain instant fame. Even crab-fishermen were able to gain instant fame from their Discovery Channel reality show Deadliest Catch. The list goes on for many ordinary people now living extraordinary lives as celebrities because of reality TV. More than fame however, these reality shows have been able to help people achieve the goals and dreams which they have not been able to achieve through normal processes (Cherry, 2003). Aside from recording contracts for shows like American Idol or America’s Got Talent, cash prizes have also been significant for shows like The Amazing Race and Survivor, and millions of dollars in TV contracts have also been offered for different reality show stars, both the celebrities and non-celebrity stars (Cherry, 2003). Inasmuch as these reality shows provide the viewers with various benefits, these shows also have various disadvantages. One of its main disadvantages is that the shows eliminate the participants’ privacy (Hall, 2006). Participants in these shows usually have to give up any sort of privacy they have had prior to their joining the show. These participants have to allow cameras into their homes, their lives, their rehearsals, and any other activities (Holmes, 2004). These participants also lose their right to invoke their right to privacy in instances where some of the shots taken by camera crews would be intrusive (Holmes, 2004). In other words, these reality show stars have no control over the editing of the show and what actually ends up in the final edits (Holmes, 2004). The show can also have a severely negative impact on one’s reputation. The shows may often capture unfavorable and humiliating moments of people’s lives which often portray them to be “bad” people (Meng and Luglambi, 2003). They are opening themselves up to the judgment of the public and such judgments may not necessarily be favorable. Some reality show stars have gained reputations for being “mean” like Simon Cowell or Omarosa (The Apprentice) and others have been packaged as spoiled and rich. These labels do not often portray the entire picture and are sometimes manipulated by TV producers in order to create more drama and to generate more publicity (Mongeau, et.al., 2006). The reality is that no one would be interested in watching normal people go through normal activities, however, if melodramatic events were thrown in – like fights, break-ups, weddings, or births – more people would be in to watch. In the end, the reality show stars’ identity is often built within the persona created for them in their reality shows, and in most cases, such persona is not always favorable. There is also an element of “inauthenticity” in reality shows. Although these reality shows are supposed to be unscripted, there are often dramatic interactions created among cast members in order to secure viewer interest (Nabi, 2007). Shows like COPS are based on actual interactions between police officers and criminals and similar shows are often edited in order to meet the goals of the producers. In an interview with Omarosa from the show The Apprentice, she claims that she was never filmed by the producers when she was being nice, but she was always filmed whenever she made a mean remark about other participants (Radenhousen, 2012). She soon realized when the show was aired that the intention of the producers was to portray her as a mean character. In the show Big Brother, Russell Kairouz claimed that his behavior as a jerk was also the intention of the producers meaning to portray him as the villain of the series (Radenhousen, 2012). Regardless of these inaccurate portrayals and crafty editing however, viewers gobble these shows up unhealthily, watching the shows week after week and following the lives of these celebrities very much like they would their usual actor or singer celebrities. Voyeurism, escapism, entertainment Reality television shows have firmly established their place in the field of entertainment. Reality television considers the disparity between the hyperreal and the real, however, in the end, it actually represents the dominance of the hyperreal and the manufactured persona or scenario (Chin-Yi, 2007). Hyperreality refers to the failure of the consciousness to differentiate between what is real and the simulation of reality, specifically in post-modern and technological societies (Lisewski, 2006). It is the way of describing the consciousness of the real in a scenario where various media can sufficiently shape the original and the actual event or experience. When the conscious mind loses its ability to differentiate reality from the fantasy, becoming more involved in the fantasy without understanding one’s actions, there is now a shift into the hyperreal (Chin-Yi, 2007). The hyperreal world is described by analysts like Chin-Yi (2007) as the enhancement of reality and others further describe it as artifactuality, which refers to something produced and made, and is not actual record (Andrejevic, 2004). Record is the more exact representation of actual events and often assuages the desire for voyeurism and invasion of privacy. It also expands people’s fascination with what is obscene or with the desire to be seen, also of wanting other people to stay or return to one’s sight, while mocking the subject of fascination (Derrida, 2002). In seeing the activities of participants going through elimination processes, the viewers are also taking a sadistic pleasure in watching participants struggle and suffer through challenges (Chin-Yi, 2007). The people’s fascination comes from the real experience and from the manufactured image. In effect, the people are no longer watching television, but the television is watching them (Braudrillard, 1998). Reality television appeals to the people because of its live elements, and the fact that it offers variety, diversity, and spontaneity in TV viewership which cannot be experienced in scripted shows (Virilio, 2002). Although reality TV is often scripted to some extent, it provides an illusion of spontaneity when it portrays seemingly authentic and sometimes undesirable elements of participants (Virilio, 2002). There is also an element of messianism which follows each scenario, the possibility of a future incident often heightening people’s pleasure and anticipation for the next episode or event (Chin-Yi, 2007). The element of testimony and truth in live television also distinguishes it from scripted shows and since it only occurs once in real time, there is a significant uniqueness to the event or moment (Braudrillard, 1988). The viewer is also often addressed in reality television, he is acknowledged as a viewer or a participant to the events unfolding on the screen, often allowing the viewer to engage in the establishment of meaning (Virilio, 2002). This is often apparent in confessional scenes in reality shows where the viewer is addressed as a participant, where the reality stars can express to the audience their feelings and to sometimes explain their actions (Chin-Yi, 2007). Voting during reality shows is a means of gazing back at the television shows and the “dialogue” often unfolds in reality shows as the participant talks in front of the camera, very much akin to talking to a friend or to a confidante. Reality television implies that people seek displays of triviality (Chin-Yi, 2007). These are spectacles which are equivalent to the pornographic or the obscene. These displays are opposed to the theater of cruelty where what is actually shown is not cruelty, but the cruelty it takes for the actors to discard their masks and to unveil the truths that they do not ever want to reveal (Chin-Yi, 2007). Reality television emerged at a time where people and the world’s audience in general became less able to account for various undesirable events, and these shows allowed people to rediscover their daily life and still find it interesting (Jaquez, 2004). In people’s desire to be removed from the reality of their lives, the ‘magic’ of reality TV became available. “They discover the existential banality as the deadliest event, as the most violent piece of information: the very location of the perfect crime. People are fascinated (but terrified at the same time) by this different ‘nothing to say’ or ‘nothing to do,’ by the indifference of their own lives, as seen when the cast of Big Brother engages in idle gossip, mundane banter, and squabbles over trivial domestic issues” (Chin Yi, 2007, p. 33). It is with the boredom of people’s lives which often prompt the desire to watch the spectacle of reality shows. Not much happens that would not often unfold outside the circumstance of indifference people have for their own lives (Andrejevic, 2004). In making the banal scenarios more spectacular, people feel that they would be elevating themselves as proper subjects or objects of the media. In the end, all these elements combined provide an outlet for the voyeur, allowing him to escape from his reality and be entertained by the actions and antics of other people who may or may not share qualities with them. The element of the magic and reality has already been expressed above, but on a more specific note, the magic in reality television is found in people wanting to seek and to wanting to glimpse how other people live their lives or how people’s lives are often affected by significant events (Baruh, 2010). The heroes of reality television are those who are beautiful, glamorous, fit, or outrageous. The TV audience has been privy to the unlikely heroes of reality TV, with whom they experience drama, challenge, and reward (Jaquez, 2004). These reality shows are a new narrative or a new way of telling a story, one which mimics reality. “Reality shows are fantastic tales with fantastic heroes” (Jaquez, 2004, p. 1). Very much like scripted shows, there are also villains and heroes and these heroes and villains provide the viewers with the chance to watch these opposing individuals battle it out with each other. Such battles and dramatic scenes are intriguing for most people who know that there is some semblance of truth in these fights (Mann, et.al., 2008). Fight scenes in scripted shows are very much part of the written script, but the fights, the weddings, the births and even the deaths in reality TV shows are, to a certain extent, real (McGrath, 2004). And people are able to relate to these scenarios more than the scenes played out in scripted shows. One clear example is the death of Captain Phil Harris on the show Deadliest Catch. The show’s season which featured the death of the captain drew a deluge of viewers. Even if the viewers already knew that the captain was going to die, they still tuned in to watch how he died. The need to watch how someone dies seems to lie within the context of a morbid fascination with people’s lives, even events which are very much painful or unpleasant to watch (Nabi, et.al., 2003). To the viewers, the fascination in reality shows is founded on voyeurism and curiosity. And curiosity is very much an innate human quality. Where people watch fireworks, or gravitate towards a commotion, it would not seem out of place to watch how people live their lives in reality shows, even if the scenes they would watch may amount to nothing more than ordinary activities of daily living (Nabi, et.al., 2006). In psychiatry, voyeurism refers to a pathological disease where a person has the exaggerated need and enjoyment in observing stealthily the preferred gender while he or she would be naked or engaged in sexual behavior (Metzl, 2004). In the technical sense, the viewer would not be pathologically considered a voyeur, however, there are elements of voyeurism which are very much apparent in watching reality shows, especially in the enjoyment felt in observing and watching other people in various activities. The growth of the electronic media has also provided the viewers opportunities to satisfy their voyeuristic needs (Calvert, 2004). In essence, other forms of electronically channeled communications establish safe avenues where the common voyeurs, seeking safe means to watch can then meet those who are willing to have their lives filmed and thereby fulfill mutual needs – that of revealing and peeking (Dholakia and Zwick, 2001). Based on this perspective, reality TV’s ability to deliver private and possibly embarrassing details about the participants may be an essential element of the voyeuristic exploration for viewers. Moreover, reality television provides opportunities to learn about the private details of people’s lives akin to what is known as the ‘curtains left slightly open appeal’ (Cherry, 2008) This is significantly linked to continued debates on the level of authenticity which can be established in reality shows. On the other hand, evidence seems to indicate that TV viewers of reality programs declare a preference for watching real incidents with reality show participants (Gardyn, 2001). Even with expectations in authenticity, majority of reality viewers are very much aware of the contrived and the “inauthenticity” of reality shows (Hill, 2002). Elaborating on the thin line between the authentic and the artificial may actually prompt individuals to watch reality shows. The manufactured quality of reality shows seem to free the content by drawing attention to itself and ensuring the internal processes to work out in a more natural way (Hill, 2002). In effect, even with elements of “inauthenticity,” reality shows do not prompt participants to negate their true selves, but to evaluate and to reveal themselves via interactions with other participants (Scannel, 2002). In various ways, reality shows, very much like games, are founded on the ambiguous and the vague. Just as it is often exciting to watch and peek through neighbor’s curtains, reality shows also invite voyeuristic entertainment (Papacharissi and Mendelson, 2007). In watching these shows, people are able to explore the possibility that they could be the ones winning American Idol, or they are able to explore how they would have won The Amazing Race or Survivor, and they could be considering how to imitate the glamorous lifestyles of the Kardashians or the Desperate Housewives. In some ways, seeing how ordinary people often go on to win competition shows and gain instant fame and prizes, the viewers are made to feel that they too may get their own chance of exploring such magic and of making such fantasies, real. Conclusion Based on the above discussion, it is apparent to note that reality shows have invaded our TV entertainment lives. Almost every channel on TV these days is likely to feature at least one reality show. These shows portray various activities, from reality competition shows to shows featuring how celebrities are living their lives. For the most part however, the bulk of the reality show genre features ordinary people in various scenarios and situations. The TV viewer is engaged with reality show participants, excited and eager to see how they would handle various scenarios and challenges. The viewers often relate better to reality show participants because they see themselves in these ordinary people. In effect, seeing these participants fail or succeed fills them with equally contrasting feelings of glee or disgust. The concept of guilty pleasure is a major motivator for viewers continuing to watch these shows, and in the end, these viewers cross into the realm of voyeurism. In exploring the phenomenon that is reality TV, elements of voyeurism seem to be unavoidable, especially for the viewer who is engrossed in watching the private and the glamorous lives of other people unfolding before their very eyes. Under these conditions, reality TV has made voyeurism a form of entertainment for reality TV viewers. It has become an engaging avenue for people to be entertained via real elements which could have easily been drawn from their own lives. The magical elements of reality TV is founded on the possibility of succeeding and gaining fame and fulfilling lifelong dreams through these shows. The magical elements lie in how glamorous celebrities are living their lives. Reality often intrudes even under these magical elements, especially where scenes like catfights, being eliminated, or being injured as participants of the show are major possibilities. Nevertheless, regardless of the harsh realities which may sometimes accompany these shows, the magical elements are still very much there, mostly because these shows portray rich possibilities which can unfold for any person, even those who cannot sing, dance, act, or basically those who have no talent worth watching. Reality TV exists in its own bubble, in its own ‘reality,’ one which is often removed from actuality. And viewers are there for every episode, peeking from ‘behind the curtains,’ are entertained with every antic, every melodramatic event, every challenge, and every episode because for at least 30 minutes or an hour of their lives, they are able to escape their own lives, and watch how other people are living theirs. References Andrejevic, M., 2004. Reality TV: the work of being watched. Lanham, Maryland: Rowman and Littlefield. Barton, K., 2006. Reality television programming and diverging gratifications: The influence of content on gratifications obtained. 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