Positive and Negative Implications

Positive Implications: Many people praise reality TV, and some are gravitating towards reality shows because they find sitcoms and family dramas boring. Shows can be inspirational, serve as a learning and motivational tool, and can raise awareness of social issues and causes.^[1]

Negative Implications: When people watch reality TV, they tend to think that what they are seeing is a true depiction of reality.  Because of that, they tend to believe that what they see on TV is how life really is.

This is problematic because reality TV, of course, is not exactly just real life on camera.  Instead, the shows are edited to make them more interesting and exciting.  What this tends to mean is that they get edited to include more conflict, more danger, more of things that you could call negative.  When viewers watch this sort of show, they believe that reality is like that -- that reality is typically full of conflict and other negative events.

Therefore, when people watch reality TV, they can end up having a more negative perception of real life than is actually warranted.^[2]

Negative Effects: Deceptive Reality, Anti-Family Values, and The Fame Game 

Deceptive Reality:

Presents real people in live, though often deliberately manufactured,

situations and monitor their emotions and behavior. Therefore,

reality TV in its essence isn't "reality," and to portray it as that

is deceptive to its audience. ^[3]

^[4]

 Anti-Family Values

Consists season after season of a group of 20-somethings thrown together

to create partying and fighting, passing it off as normal behavior.

Many critics have claimed this type of programming promotes meanness,

casual sex, alcohol abuse, and bad language, directly opposing common American family traditions and values. ^[5]

^[6]

^[7]

The Fame Game:

It seems that many are celebrities with no apparent talent. "Keeping up

with the Kardashians" has made famous a whole family who appear to be famous

without reason except that they have a reality show. But if taken as "reality,"

it then has a danger of harming its audience with unrealistic expectations. ^[8]

^[9]

 Positive Effects: Success, Inspirational, and New Satire 

Success:

Benefits its participants and audience. For the people who volunteer themselves for

the likes of "American Idol" and "America's Next Top Model," winning the show is

potentially a life-changing experience and a springboard to a career in the entertainment industry. ^[10]

Inspirational:

Watching these successes has also inspired the audience to aspire to make

something of themselves. They want to better their lives and find inspiration

from the success stories after the cameras have stopped rolling. ^[11]

New Satire:

Reality TV genre has made the TV schedules more exciting and given audiences some

much needed satire. Producers who create the shows admit they don't take it too seriously. ^[12]

TruTv Channel's slogan is "Not Reality, Actuality" and is "television's destination for real-life

stories told from an exciting and dramatic first-person perspective and features high-stakes,

action-packed originals that give viewers access to places and situations they can't normally experience." ^[13]