Free Custom «What Are the Effects of Reality-Based Shows» Essay Paper

Reality TV shows are aimed at showing real life aspects of people on the screen as a way of making new and interesting films. Most of these shows are usually faked since they do not present the individuals as they are in the society (Prader). Consequently, reality-based shows have both negative and positive effects not only on viewers, but also on actors.  

Effects on Viewers

Speaking about viewers, one of the common effects is addiction. They usually find the shows very interesting, especially those programs they have to follow, which results in too much time and energy wastage. This is usually a challenge to children as they spend most of their time sitting goggle-eyed in front of the screen rather than engaging in other productive activities such as play (Ruocco 31). Owing to this fact, cases of obesity have remained high in the United States and other economically developed countries where such shows are popular.

Most of things and patterns of behavior that are seen in reality-based shows are not a real picture of events. These are usually faked modes of behavior and frequently make viewers treat people in a bad way. They get the false image of life. In the long run, this may result in increased immorality in the society. For instance, this may be observed in a case where a male actor has an affair with five women and find himself playing it safe without any of them knowing (Prader). This will give viewers a false image and they may come to be practicing the same without taking into account the saying “curiosity killed the cat”.

These shows also promote aggressive behavior among viewers either directly or indirectly. Most of the shows contain conflicts of personalities. In addition, the participants use aggression to make the shows spicy. Thus, this is seen through the display of anger and abusive language among other patterns of aggressive behavior. Most of the viewers find themselves embracing this as a means of an end, thus becoming aggressive.

The shows also cause some psychological disorders among viewers. Some of these problems are low self esteem, anger, addiction, depression, celebrity imitation, and frustration (Ruocco 49). The disorders usually encourage anti-social behavior. There are also other psychological effects that may go unnoticed and may become a threat to the society in the end.

The positive side is that some viewers are in a position to discover their talents through these shows. As they watch and practice what they see, they realize some of the potentials they have and eventually become participants.

Effects on Participants

One of the effects of reality-based shows on the participants is that they find it difficult to behave in the way they used to. They find themselves behaving the way they do in the shows where they usually fake their behavior. Although some of these modes may be adopted for the use in acting, they usually leave a mental impact and in the end the participants may also have such tendencies. One of the manifestations is aggression, which they easily copy. As a consequence, it is difficult to coexist well with others in the society as they feel different and totally changed (Ruocco 52). The actors may also find themselves not living their real lives as they are usually guided by the mental constructs they get from acting.

Participants are also given a chance to exploit their talents through these shows. While acting, they usually utilize their talents in resourceful ways. To some this becomes a source of income, while the others get more techniques and strategies to use in life (Prader 61). There are some other actors who are usually exposed to unknown talents which become very useful by making them unique.

Conclusion

To sum up the whole discussion, reality shows have both negative and positive effects on viewers and participants. Some of the negative impacts of the shows on the viewers include addiction and aggressive behavior, while the positive side entails discovering of talents. Similarly, the participants may be affected negatively as they may fail to behave in their normal way or, on the contrary, they get a chance to exploit their talents.