Why Reality Television Is Harmful

Some of the most popular television shows in today’s society are The Biggest Looser, Jersey Shore, and Big Brother. These programs and many others are classified as reality television. Reality television’s main purpose is to attempt to portray ordinary people in unscripted situations. Recently, however, many of these shows have achieved in creating the complete opposite, and have earned an immense amount of criticism as a result. Reality television programs are detrimental to society because they influence bad behavior among teenagers, do not produce authentic real life situations, and they humiliate many of the characters. To begin, reality television shows are detrimental to society because they influence bad behavior among teenagers. These programs often show young individuals that break the law, drink alcohol, are disrespectful to people around them, and are in bad situations. The last part of the brain to develop is the part that distinguishes was is right to what is wrong. Therefore, many young viewers are influenced by these individuals and look up to them. Some individuals are such big fans of the stars in some of these shows that they mimic them. The popular saying “monkey see, monkey do” definitely applies to this controversy. These shows make it seem as if everyone is acting in the way that the characters in the show act. Rather then provide viewers with encouragements to pursue a better education and to act responsibly, many of these programs portray actors to act irresponsibly. Some experts believe that this could lead to many more irresponsible individuals. America’s society is weakening because of the harmful affects reality television programs have on teenagers. In addition, reality television programs do not produce authentic, real life situations. This is a problem because this produces misleading images of the essence of society. Labeling many shows as reality television is falsely advertising for many reasons. For example, the producers in