Reality televison

Reality Television
Name
Institutional Affiliation
For many across the globe, the television has become their primary source of indoor entertainment through films and dramatic programs to mention but a few. In particular, reality television refers to the programs, which feature ordinary people through continuous filming with the aim of entertainment rather than the informative aspect. As a genre, reality television has already become the most prominent puller of eyeballs into the mainstream media and lately digital media platforms. Reality television encompasses documentaries, sports shows, and reality TV news. But while reality television aims to bring authenticity in television programs, questions always arise as to the extent of the genuineness of what they showcase. As such, reality television shows only provide a percentage of truth and are not entirely real.
Many critics of reality television argue that reality TV has never been accurate despite the numerous efforts by producers to make them appear authentic. Notably, this argument gravitates from the notion that the characters in reality TV shows are often guided on how to act with the aim of achieving specific ends. Therefore, reality television may not necessarily be as real as many may want to believe. According to Weiland & Dunbar (2016), reality television shows are creations of producers, and there is a very high likelihood that some of them are scripted. While determining how much of reality television is real and unreal may not be easy, the truth is that a percentage of them are unauthentic.

Factual or otherwise, reality television makes significant contributions to the life of individuals who watch such shows. As rightly espoused by Weiland & Dunbar (2016), those who view reality television shows shape their world through perceptions of what they are portrayed by the specific film. As such, they are capable of defining how real or untrue the shows are. Moreover, reality television; in essence, appears to be more of a construct of the mind and how one understands the film. In my view, most reality television shows are excellent in terms of production but do not depict a complete work of reality as they eventually find their way into TV from producers.
A perfect example of a reality TV show is The Flavor of Love, which not only provides room for comic relief but also has the ability to keep an individual glued to the screen all day. Most reality TV shows like The Bachelor or even The Flavor of Love grant the viewer a chance to witness drama and suspense accompanied by laughter all through. Uniquely, this makes reality TV shows more appealing and believable. Even so, an element of reality television related to the nature of production contradicts the spirit of realness; therefore, compromising the initial ideology of making shows as real as possible. Nonetheless, I consider reality television the future of TV programming.
In sum, reality television may only be a relatively new genre on TV, but it is already taking control of programming in many countries. While its authenticity is arguable, the style has become the biggest attraction for viewers in the contemporary society. However, it is also essential to reckon that most producers tend to hoodwink viewers by portraying their shows as real when they script part or whole of the scenes constituting a show. Existing research and general individual opinions point to the direction of influence in most reality television shows. Indeed, this is an indication that such shows are not products of pure reality but creations of human perceptions.
References
Weiland, S.J. & Dunbar, K. (2016). What’s real about reality television? Journal of Mass Communication & Journalism, 6 (3). 1-3. doi: 10.4172/2165-7912.1000308.