Reality Television

I. Many sociologist and psychologists worry that reality television is having a dangerous effect on the American viewing audience. A. Psychologists study have shown that they believe that by watching reality television can be both a negative and positive effect on you. If we watch shows like American Idol, and Biggest Loser it will have a positive effect on you that if you put your mind to it, you can do it. The Biggest Loser teaches us on we can exercise, eat right and lose weight. But, then we have shows like Jersey Shore, Buckwild, Love and Hip Hop etc, that show us bad habits like drinking, fighting and just being down right dumb.
Question: So, if reality television is dangerous, why do so many Americans tune in?
II. Even though reality television is dangerous, Americans tune it for it because for some reason it gives viewers a rush. It makes want to say, “I can do that if they can” but that does not mean we really could. We compare ourselves to the characters on the show.
III. Another reason we watch reality television is so it can distract us from things that are going on in one’s life. We find it as an escape to what really is going in the world such as, terror attacks, kidnappings, murders, etc.
III. Perhaps, however, the main reason is mood enhancement. A. There is an abundance amount of violence going on in the world that by watching reality television it is an escape route to truly face, well, reality. B. For some reason we find that watching other peoples failures amusing. Its entertaining for the audience because we know its not us injured or being made fun of.
C. Watching the show like Project Runway or American Idol gives us hope that if we work hard towards a goal we can get a reward at the end. American Idol gives the winner a record deal. Project Runway focuses on fashion design and how talented they are about their designs.
Thesis: What causes American viewing audience to love their reality television. It makes them happy.