Reality television provides people with an escape, while at the same time offering a hint of realism. It offers an escape in that the situations the people find themselves in are often unrealistic, but the people are real, and not celebrities. This lets the viewer imagine what they would do in similar situations, and perhaps relate to the people on the show. I feel that reality TV can affect people, by giving a skewed view of how one should act to become famous and successful.
Reality television is so successful because it features real people, people we can relate to, and puts them in situations that are entertaining. This allows people to become more invested in the series than they would be in a fictionalized format.
The largest archetype that I see on reality television, is that of the arrogant, self-important, individual. It seems every reality show has these sort of people. This is probably because this personality type is the least desirable for most people, yet entertaining to watch.
What does "real" mean? Aren't celebrities real, too? What makes a person walking down the street somehow more "real" than the woman walking down the red carpet? When we talk about reality television, what exactly are we accepting as real?
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