"Reality" TV

1. I like that this blog is about the topic we're discussing in class right now...it makes it easier to think of things to write based on the articles. I thought it was funny how everything we put up on the board today was in quotation marks..."."
2. There is an audience for reality TV but it is not defined as one group of people. Instead, the audience is composed of different groups of people who are looking for different things from what they are watching. As stated by Terry Morrow in the article "Reality for 'The Hills' Comes Heavily Scripted": "For adults, you can laugh at the inane idea that this is supposed to be a reality show. For teens and tweens, it's a show in which they can dream of a fantasy adulthood." Morrow is showing how reality TV shows have many different audiences each watching the shows for reasons that best suit them. The adults can see that it is not reality, but it is still a nice escape from their real lives. Adults can also relate to the problems and therefore realize that people put on pedestals still struggle with the everyday problems that average people face. For teens, and as Morrow calls them "tweens," they get a vision of the future and see what life has the possibility of becoming. Morrow says this in the context of 'The Hills,' but this can be broadened to fit most reality TV shows. Reality TV appeals to all types of audiences and bring a different message to each. It is not necessarily trying to be convincing of a particular message, but striving to get people connected with the drama and emotion so that they get hooked on what is going on in the lives of these other people.