When reality television first started (I guess back with the first episode of Survivor), I hoped (as a Communication teacher and researcher) that it might become a vehicle to help explain and possibly improve communication. Let me elaborate.
Not every medium is appropriate for every type of communication that flows through it. Telev
ision lends itself to the presentation of material that is immediate, real, and intimate. This means that in comparison to other media, TV is better at presenting images that are first immediate (Breaking news is not a staple of the movies. Television is all about the recent, the here and now). Second, television is better at presenting real life (Television is all over the world and can get to almost any place to report the most minor of stories; it does this so well that it seems almost unnecessary for television to bother with fiction which is typically “done” much better by other media). Third, television is better for presenting intimate interaction rather than grand scale conflagration (We typically watch television alone or with a few people and the television screen is relatively small, so it lends itself to showing small numbers of people unlike a movie screen which is large and can easily accommodate thousands of extras in one shot. The television camera can get up close, right in a person’s face and we can see their every emotion).
Reality TV seems almost designed to capitalize on these three features of television. The basic premise of reality television is that real people are placed in a contrived situation for a period of time and their interactions are recorded and televised. Given this simple recipe, a whole host of network reality television shows such as Survivor, Big Brother, The Biggest Loser, The Apprentice, The Bachelor, and The Amazing Race have aired over the last decade. Some very early reality television merely showed participants going about their daily lives in a sort of documentary format; more recent—and probably more successful—reality shows have combined this documentary style with game show features.
However reality television shows are structured, I believe that viewers who watch them learn many things about human communication. They learn, if nothing else, what type of communication works and what doesn’t. They see participants describe their own ethical views (lying, cheating, etc.) and notice whether their views change during the course of the show’s competition. They witness contestants form, maintain, and—in some instance—destroy relationships with others. They discover a lot about self-image (some players have highly inflated views of themselves and others remain modest throughout) and how players’ self-image influences their game strategy. They find out much about persuasion, because in virtually all of these reality shows, players cannot succeed alone and must form alliances (sometimes multiple alliances) to win. And viewers learn how people stay motivated and how they deal with disappointment and failure. These are just a few examples of the many communication behaviors contestants exhibit. In sum, reality television contestants experience a microcosm of what we all experience in real life making each show a sort of mini-communication laboratory.
Granted, the premises of some reality television shows are anything but real. Very seldom in our real lives are we plopped down in the middle of a jungle and expected to survive for a month without assistance. Generally we don’t have to fight off twenty other suitors in pursuit of the person of our dreams. Most of us aren’t asked to walk high wires or eat a sheep’s eyeballs in order to get promoted. But these extraneous game elements are not important to those of us who are true fans of the reality TV genre. We love it because it is so—well, perfect television. It has the three ingredients that make it prototypical television—immediacy, reality, and intimacy.
I believe in the enlightening power of reality television to open our eyes to how people really communicate. We need merely take what we observe on these shows and apply the good, and avoid the bad, and our communication cannot help but improve.
Not every medium is appropriate for every type of communication that flows through it. Telev
ision lends itself to the presentation of material that is immediate, real, and intimate. This means that in comparison to other media, TV is better at presenting images that are first immediate (Breaking news is not a staple of the movies. Television is all about the recent, the here and now). Second, television is better at presenting real life (Television is all over the world and can get to almost any place to report the most minor of stories; it does this so well that it seems almost unnecessary for television to bother with fiction which is typically “done” much better by other media). Third, television is better for presenting intimate interaction rather than grand scale conflagration (We typically watch television alone or with a few people and the television screen is relatively small, so it lends itself to showing small numbers of people unlike a movie screen which is large and can easily accommodate thousands of extras in one shot. The television camera can get up close, right in a person’s face and we can see their every emotion).Reality TV seems almost designed to capitalize on these three features of television. The basic premise of reality television is that real people are placed in a contrived situation for a period of time and their interactions are recorded and televised. Given this simple recipe, a whole host of network reality television shows such as Survivor, Big Brother, The Biggest Loser, The Apprentice, The Bachelor, and The Amazing Race have aired over the last decade. Some very early reality television merely showed participants going about their daily lives in a sort of documentary format; more recent—and probably more successful—reality shows have combined this documentary style with game show features.
However reality television shows are structured, I believe that viewers who watch them learn many things about human communication. They learn, if nothing else, what type of communication works and what doesn’t. They see participants describe their own ethical views (lying, cheating, etc.) and notice whether their views change during the course of the show’s competition. They witness contestants form, maintain, and—in some instance—destroy relationships with others. They discover a lot about self-image (some players have highly inflated views of themselves and others remain modest throughout) and how players’ self-image influences their game strategy. They find out much about persuasion, because in virtually all of these reality shows, players cannot succeed alone and must form alliances (sometimes multiple alliances) to win. And viewers learn how people stay motivated and how they deal with disappointment and failure. These are just a few examples of the many communication behaviors contestants exhibit. In sum, reality television contestants experience a microcosm of what we all experience in real life making each show a sort of mini-communication laboratory.
Granted, the premises of some reality television shows are anything but real. Very seldom in our real lives are we plopped down in the middle of a jungle and expected to survive for a month without assistance. Generally we don’t have to fight off twenty other suitors in pursuit of the person of our dreams. Most of us aren’t asked to walk high wires or eat a sheep’s eyeballs in order to get promoted. But these extraneous game elements are not important to those of us who are true fans of the reality TV genre. We love it because it is so—well, perfect television. It has the three ingredients that make it prototypical television—immediacy, reality, and intimacy.
I believe in the enlightening power of reality television to open our eyes to how people really communicate. We need merely take what we observe on these shows and apply the good, and avoid the bad, and our communication cannot help but improve.
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8 comments:
If my communication skills depend on reality TV, then I am lost. I just haven't gotten into reality programming.
Interesting article. I think the success of reality TV can be attributed to the "revealing" behind the scenes nature of the show together with all the drama involved which makes things interesting.
I wonder if the same can be learned through reality reality?
Personally, I believe communication skills have eroded since televisions inception into our culture. We watch and listen. What goes into our minds then comes out in our lives.
The proliferation of reality tv is the direct result of the reduced production costs. There are no actors with increasingly higher salaries and no expensive writers. Reality tv programming costs a fraction of a drama series or sit-com. Unfortunately this only means that we're going to see more reality tv. I can't stand it myself, and won't watch it.
I find reality TV shows embarrassing to watch. They mainly show up each person's bad traits, and how poorly they communicate. Perhaps this is because the people who agree to take part are extrovert types who tend not to listen or try to understand others points of view. They just want to put their own across.
They don't seem to me to portray many examples of good communication. I think it would be better to learn from good examples, rather than from what doesn't work.
You all make excellent points and I agree with them. However, many of the negative qualities you mention that exist in reality TV, to me, come more from the fact that television is commercialized rather than from the immediacy, reality, and intimacy of the medium itself. Granted, reality TV is not perfect, but it does provide an opportunity for us to observe communicators in action.
I think your view is very interesting. I agree that there are great examples of how to and how not to communicate effectively. However, in the reality shows that are on now, everyone knows they are being filmed and therefore is somewhat affected by the presence of an audience. So although the dynamics of communication are present, I don't think that they represent true to life interpersonal communication. There is at some level an element of public/mass communication as well.
I always believe in sifting out the good from the bad but unfortunately on most reality TV shows they only want to depict the most deplorable and shocking types of human behaviour patterns and that gets up my nose a bit lol. Great post. I prefer to communicate with my bloggers than watch Big Brother House hehe You Guys are far more exciting!
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