What makes the Reality TV genre so interesting is the blurring of boundaries by creating a new hybrid genre from a mixture of genres including documentary, drama, soap and entertainment. This particular genre can sometimes be called factual television because of this. A Reality TV program can be about almost anything and/ or on everything hence why theres shows such as ‘How Clean is Your House’ to talent shows such as ‘Britain's Got Talent’. But what interests me about Reality TV is why an audience actually want to watch it, especially as we cannot always be sure that what were watching is in fact real. Therefore I will further discuss Reality TV in relationship to representation and audience exploring what interests the audience in the lives of others and how reality TV represents those involved.

Ray Richmond a critic and entertainment columnist says "The editors have grown to become the new storytellers, altering sequences and the course of events and contextual elements to weave together a story that's radically different from what went down," by this Ray is basically noting that editors create shows through the manipulation of truth by picking and choosing through a selection of certain scenes of raw footage which is then formed and combed into these manufactured scenes which create the ideal episode, at the same time these scene are arranged into a particular order to gradually manipulate and form a narrative.

The most common types of manipulation occur in the Reality TV programming where there is unscripted series and the producers create/force certain situations on main characters. This is done through providing topics of discussions or lines with directions for the characters to follow and act in a certain way exciting the narrative. The perfect example of this would be The Only Way is Essex because the show is filmed in just a few days in advanced, also producers pick out topics on news for them to discuss.

As an audience/viewer some believe these shows to be real and would be shocked if they knew about the manipulation involved. Regardless of whether we know were being lied to about the authenticity of each shows we do not seem to care whether it is real or not, it’s as if we actually enjoy being lied to but have fun whilst watching it regardless.

How much of an influence does reality TV actually have on the audience and people in society? Interestingly, Robert Thompson has gone as far to say the reason for its popularity is down to that fact that its ‘moronic and stupid’. Through the integration of fact and fiction it has in a way given a negative effect on modern society, how? simply because reality TV is fast, cheap and incredibly addictive! its a ‘weapon of mass destruction...causing us to become dumber, fatter and more disengaged from ourselves and society’ this is mainly evident in the reality TV fans who has the desire for status. The most distinguishable characteristics we can pick out from the differences between reality TV fans in comparison to fans from other shows is ‘a desire for prestige’, meaning that reality TV fans are more focused on the less important elements and are more bothered about those which evolve around designer clothing, overall appearance and gaining status. It gives them a sense of false consciousness in terms individuals believing they could gain status to automatic fame and by being an ordinary person, it seems possible that by relating themselves to a celebrity on their favorite show could some how become them one day because of how easy it is to become famous in modern days. This boils down to the fact the we live in such a celebrity-obsessed culture, where items in the news for example are less interesting. However, this can be criticised to an extent where this view fails to cover the different formats of reality TV shows. For example ‘Infotainment’ in shows such as Top Gear or Doomsday Preppers, which provide the audience with information combined with entertainment. Top Gear is almost documentary because it provides information and details about cars but then has the value of educating the audience. Then theres shows such as The Only Way Is Essex or Airport which largely consists of ‘fly on the wall’ type of footage creating a ‘docusoap’ genre. These shows feature background/behind the scenes footage of peoples everyday lives allowing the audience a better understanding of different peoples lives.

As expected before any media text is planned or produced, the most important question that

producers need to answer and consider is ‘Does it have an audience’ because without an audience in mind would mean no point in continuing to plan and progress. In order to retrieve a target audience producers will look into the consumption habits of a possible audience by looking into how much time an audience on different channels, the percentage and format. As you would expect Reality TV often caters and entices the younger audience (18-29) however also it is quite popular with middle aged viewers who hold a similar percentage. These percentage do however range between people who watch ‘survivor’ and those who ‘like/ love’ reality TV. For both percentages the higher percentages are for those who ‘like/ love’ reality tv. But for now I will focus on the audience engagement and reactions with the X-Factor. It has changed in the last several years where the structure of the show has changed, enabling the audience a more active involvement being that the audition stages are now held with a large audience present providing support and encouragement to those who appear on the show.

So, what is it about reality programs that makes the audience so engaged? there has been several perspectives who have looked into this. Scholars has considered the appeal by looking into the values and personality traits within the audience (Crook et al., 2004; Oliver, 1996), for a show such as Big Brother. Because of the nature of the show allowing audiences to watch members in the house dealing with conflict, were found to be the most popular aspects of the show. Nabi et al. (2003) investigated the motivations and gratifications of watching reality TV by sampling U.S Viewers. Her findings were that respondents preferred and enjoyed watching ‘real’ people over actors, the idea of an unscripted nature makes the show a whole lot more exciting and true to reality. Reports also show that viewers watch these shows because ‘they like to watch interpersonal interactions and because they are curious about other people’s lives’ which basically proves that us as an audience are nosy and get enjoyment out of knowing other peoples business.

Further on we can go to on discuss the ‘Hyperdermic needle theory’ which is a theory that suggests how mass media has a direct influence on audiences by ‘injecting’ them with knowledge that they are oblivious to causing changes in behavior towards their knowledge. This particular theory explains that television programs do cause certain viewers to act or feel in a certain way, when in certain circumstances. The audience are passive and have no control over how they feel. Blumler and Klatz use the idea of ‘Uses and Gratifications’ to explain why TV is so popular and the many ways in which an audience use a media text.

TV is so popular because of the large amounts of distraction and relaxation it can give to an audience easily and cheaply. The purpose of TV is to provide entertainment and diversion, enabling an audience to seek personal pleasure and enjoyment at the same time gaining an emotional release from the everyday goings on for example, those who live alone may watch to avoid the feeling alienated or lonely additionally some seek a positive pleasure in being able to share the experience with others. Similarly someone who may watch the X-Factor would benefit through being able to develop a relationship with contestants and follow their journey also by seeing their problems so they can feel less bad about themselves. This also goes for personal relationships that can be gained both on and offscreen as people can find companionship or meet people through the use of technology such as social networking or chat-rooms specific to the show or through the similarities between characters or contestants that individuals can relate to. Television conveys information becoming an ‘educator’, ‘to keep in touch with whats going on in the world’ this is not specifically just new programs, every show has elements that do this. This idea does not provide the explanation as to why an audience would give it so much of their free time when the main purpose of TV is to entertain. It also has effect on personal identity in the sense that individuals fine support and reinforcement in their values and beliefs that may help to understand or explore more into ones own identity. 

Theres the idea of an encoding/ decoding model found by Stuart Hall(1973). This model basically suggests how an audience can encode/ decode/ interpret a media text into different ways. This can be based on a certain social context and understanding different to the intention that the media producer had encoded in the first place. The benefit of this model was the fact that it highlighted the importance of understanding the meanings and interpretations of significant actors in both media production and media reception (being the audience) as well as including those ‘intermediaries’ in media distribution such as executives, marketers, broadcasters and distributers. Hall had ‘sophisticated and clear ideas’ on the ideology on how particular political positions could become meaningful and popular when people could identify with them, this would have been communicated through mass media. However, Hall’s approach reflected well with Antonio Gramsci (1891-19370) with his idea of ‘hegemony’ (the dominance of one social class over another, presenting political and economic control) the people would be able to make ‘their policies appear to be common sense’. This is where we can bring in Halls other idea of ‘Thatcherism’ which concerned ‘ordinary people’ making solutions seem sensible and obvious. This approach can most certainly be used to study how media might make certain formations of masculinity, femininity and sexuality to seem more ‘natural, inevitable and sexy’.

Similarly Hall’s work can also be linked with a Marxist thinker Louis Althusser (1918-1990) who came up with the concept of ‘interpellation’ which can be used in three different ways, but in terms of media this would be a philosophical movement to showing how an individuals identity or sense of self being is ‘absorbed’ and produced by the ‘dominant ideologies’ within a society. It is used as a type ‘call’ as a way of being addressed by someone of authority and the subject responding by turning around and recognising that they are being called. At this time, the person becomes a subject who recognises their structure within the ideology. When an individual becomes connected with a media text; and they become engaged and are enjoying a TV show Interpellation occurs. Therefore it can easily be said that Reality TV representing humour and glamour to seduce its interpellate viewers into this ‘worldview’. Although Hall’s work based on media is more centered around the point of productions and representations in terms of audience, he does make suggestions to say the two do have connections and is possible to ‘try to theorise identity as constituted, not outside but within representation’ (Hall, 1997: 58), by this he means its possible to formulate an identity based around other factors of someones identity or persona other than whats formed from the media.

Further on we can look into representation of the X-Factor’s which is a great example of how we can see an audiences response a text. The reason for this is because for this particular show the audience is ‘active’ and has power over the overall outcome in the final stages, in fact they gradually gain more power than the specific judges, which is part of the narrative that is used for the competition style show where contestants have to go through many stages in order to succeed. Majority of the population enjoy the show for the whole rejection/ selection (basically enjoying the misfortune of others) which you could say is providing the audience with the satisfaction of contestants humiliating themselves for the benefit of the audience, this is when ratings are normally highest. It’s almost as if Producers pick and choose those who are so awful that they are bound to get rejected, making the audience laugh along with those who have the potential ‘star factor’. In the first initial stages of the show the judges are the key and most powerful as the audience have no control over who goes through or not until further on in the show where the power is in our hands.

The judges roles are constructed around the narrative and contestants back story. Each contestant has their own narrative which is mostly a personal tragedy that has happened to them in their life which has caused them to go on to the show to better their situation, this ‘ordinariness’ of a contestant allows the audience to develop a sense of audience identification. This ties in with the genre in which this show holds as it is an example of a ‘hybrid text’ where is uses familiar codes and conventions of a talent show (‘knocks and new faces’), reality TV and a variety show, involving the audience in being active where voting, hosts and judges, journey of contestants take a sharing a house, progress in which the contestants make, showing of contestants as “real people” with their strengths and flaws. In modernist TV, the audience would not be active or have control over the outcome of a situation like this. X-Factor holds a similar style ‘fly on the wall’ footage which is like Big Brother and the panopticon where the contestants know they are being watched therefore they change their behavior. Contestants on the show become self-reflexive as they are aware that their being watched and the development process of each stage on show is becoming less and less fake.

Between the judges on the show they all have distinguished characteristics that are constructed through the representations of their actions which in turn create a rapport with the audience who learn and begin to side with their ‘favourite’ judge. Louis is seen as the more emotional but rude judge who shows childish qualities, where as Simon (SYCO records) his honesty enables him to be cast as the type of ‘villain’ / ‘evil’ who the audience develop a disliking to him. He is a prime example of someone who has a lot of power within the media industry because of his talent type shows such as X-Factor and American Idol and purely because he knows who makes the ‘right’ music artist. He also conforms to the mainstream audience and manufactures to his own needs. When it comes to the female judges Dannii and Cheryl they both are caring and emotional who develop a connection between them and the contestants (which usually involves drama and tears!) this resembles the typical dominant ideas of gender. This explains Hall’s idea about Binary Opposites, in regards to the differences between the judges characteristics of Simon being a villain who never smiles nor seems to be pleased with anyones performance with the good and nice judges of say Cheryl who is sweet and emotional, and cares for those who are good performers or bad. We then can think of the audience in a similar way as they judge the contestants in terms of good or bad which effects their success and failure.

Similarly all of the contestants are presented according to their narrative creating stereotypes for example, Stacey Solomon who is an ‘Essex girl’ who was a single parent at the time, which represented her as a type of ‘victim’. As part of the narrative we get an insight into the private lives of the contestants through information presented in news or stories told by the contestants as a voice over throughout their journey on the show. Another perfect example of the lack in privacy would be where in the X-Factor where Gamu Nhengu who dismissed from the X-Factor during bootcamp round. Once the contestant had left the news was flooded with items about how she would be face being deported back to Zimbabwe. This was unfortunate because she was very popular in the eyes of the audience but Cher Lloyd was preferred, Gamu was seen as a good representation of a role model until this happened.

Usually stereotypes give negative representations and often have a lot of assumptions invested in them, although this is not always the case in reality TV representatives, take Stacy Solomon for example, she appeared on the X-Factor. She is the ideal representative of how many young single mothers feel they should follow in terms of her being their ideal role model. However, this did bring up a few negative assumptions because of the typical ‘essex girl’ stereotype of being fake, dumb and overdone in looks. 

As a whole regardless of whether the audience know it or not reality TV is highly manipulated through both severe editing of the raw footage from scenes put in to make a narrative and also through the use of auto-tune to make performances sound more impressive than they actually are live. Either way the lack in authenticity seems to be the key to engaging an audiences interest, by getting real people to perform or act over professional actors or already made artists. This proves just that were a celeb-obsessed culture and believe that the possibilities of becoming famous are easier. Especially in terms of the X-Factor were further implications in regards to society and fame, more and more modern day celebrities are becoming younger and younger and easier to obtain purely through being accepted on to the X-Factor. The shows only main obvious focus is the reward, but to get there is sense of escapism which gives contestants the taste of fame and fortune spending their week being fed more of the notion of celebrity culture through their opinion of ‘living the dream’ where they have their own stylists, presentational advice and are involved in parties and film premieres.

Lastly, I do agree with Blumler and Klatz ideas of the ‘uses and gratifications’ as they provide a very accurate model as to how the audience are interested and involved within the reality TV structure. We can definitely see how an audience has changed and become more addicted and happier seeing the more amount reality TV shows that are being produced still continuing to make us ‘dumber and fatter’ maybe the only way to stop this would be to change the scheduling but then I’m sure we will find a way to go about watching our favourite shows. And thats for stereotypes, whether they positive or negative they are not fixed and always subject to change of course this depends on how things turn out in the press or success of talent.

Word Count: 3,206