Reality Programs

I always have this question about reality shows and drama shows. Aren't they just act it all out? How can they even act normally in front of a camera 24/7. Later on, I found out that reality programs are somehow like hidden cameras at home?

( http://www.tiwule.com/1971/home-tips-improve-your-home-security-with-cctv-cameras/ )

Spooky right? But this programs help us to understand or I can say know more about the contestant or artist itself. Reality programs are all around the world. For example, next top model from America, we got married from korea, Japanese star Reality Show from Japan and etc. Then, another question pop up in my mind. Why do people like to watch reality programs that much?

This is because they feel that the show are so real like our daily life, people feel like they are involved in it. People do get angry when the artist or model argue. People get to comment more often because this isn't a drama or a movie. People can feel that it is real, so they catch the feeling of the person in the show faster. 

 ( http://www.sodahead.com/entertainment/has-reality-tv-finally-gone-too-far/question-1008779/?link=ibaf&q=reality+programmes&imgurl=http://ss2quared.files.wordpress.com/2010/02/reality_tv.jpg )

I found a news about why do people tune in to reality TV programs that much. 

What accounts for the popularity of reality TV? People may find a certain fascination in contrasting what they think they would do in a given situation to the actions taken by the "real" participants — a group of individuals they perceive as their peers. 

That's the conclusion of a new study that examines the ongoing popularity of reality TV. Unlike other shows such as news programs or sitcoms, reality TV allows viewers to imagine themselves as actual participants.The research appears in the September issue of the Journal of Consumer Research.

Blending Fantasy and Reality

In many of the reality shows, "ordinary" people are placed in exotic, unfamiliar surroundings where they are pitted against the elements.

Others focus on ordinary people engaging in common activities such as dating or home redecorating. In both instances, viewers are given the chance to compare and contrast their own lives with those of the shows' protagonists.

The resulting experience is a complexly constructed — and highly individualized — experience the researchers call "hyperauthenticity."That viewers may be drawn by the chance to mentally "test" their behavior against that of the actual participants contrasts with the common criticism of reality TV viewers as passive voyeurs. 

( http://www.cbsnews.com/2100-500368_162-783814.html)

Sometime people can remember whether they are watching a TV program because everything looks too real. Although some reality scenes may not happen on some amount of people but the reality programs will make the people thinks that it will happen somehow one day. 

Oh yeah. Forgot to post which question am I doing. 

Question6
Analyse a soap opéra or a reality show, considering aspects such as the 'mise-en-scene' (setting, look and mood), audience, narrative and editing. What values and attitudes are being communicated?

References

CBSNews, 2005. Why do We Tune in to Reality Tv?

Available at: http://www.cbsnews.com/2100-500368_162-783814.html [Accessed 27 June 2012]

Fox News, 2005. Reality Tv Lets Viewers Blend fantasy and reality.       Available at :http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,166044,00.html     [Accessed 27 June 2012]