Reality TV: Negative Effects On Society

Reality TV; noun; television programs in which real people are continuously filmed, designed to be entertaining rather than informative. The reality of reality television is that it is not meant to teach us, but rather entertain us. Just because you observe a person on the screen does not tell us that what they do is justified, or in fact reality, by any means. This is where there is a disconnect. For the large portion of the population watching reality TV daily, it is consuming us. With 57% of television selection being monopolized by reality shows, it is hard to not get engulfed and consciously (or subconsciously) lust after what we see and forget about the happenings of our own lives. This habit can also be relayed to the youths of our society as an example of what they should aspire to be or do. Reality television shows pose a negative effect on society because they perpetuate negative values, glamorize a materialistic lifestyle and alter the behaviour of our youth. Firstly, perpetuating negative values is a negative effect on society that reality television shows are responsible for. It is a known fact that for a society to function in a respective manner, the common set of values plays a large role. When a society focuses on positive values such as respect, honesty and fairness, those ideas reach an array of people and children which shapes a positive society. When reality television shows, which …show more content…
Overall, the negative values that are integrated into society, the glamorization of unhealthy lifestyles and what all of these factors are pressing on our youth, reality television is one of many factors responsible for the society we live in. We should pay more attention to what we observe on screen and think critically about the content to help filter the ideas that are portrayed before we open up our lives to what issues reality television shows could