SARAH

         As entertainment grows within society, as has reality television and the following it has gained. Considering this, it is often times difficult to distinguish between the real and the fake behavior presented to the world on reality television and the implications this perceived behavior has on viewers. The truth behind the screen can be examined using reality TV shows such as Survivor, Keeping Up with the Kardashians, Big Brother and The Bachelor/Bachelorette, uncovering the effects reality TV has on behavior. Are those on camera behaving as they would if they weren’t being filmed and is this behavior further spiraling and causing viewers to behave a certain way as well? This question of authenticity will be used to help determine what pop culture has caused “reality” to become.

            When researching this topic, a common consensus and claim found amongst sources was that reality television is not actually authentic, but that it is manipulated by both casts and producers to gain profit. With this in mind, a journal article composed by Randall Rose and Stacy Wood concerning the authenticity of various reality TV shows and viewers’ opinions of them can be examined. This study was conducted on several participants, interviewing them about their thoughts on the hit reality TV shows such as, Survivor, which places average contestants on remote islands and assumed to be candid. Based on participants’ responses, many preferred the strategically filmed parts of the show without even realizing that these aspects were manipulated, proving that “…we see the appreciation of explicitly fantastical elements of the situation and resonance with implicit self-relevant themes and tasks,” (Rose & Wood 2015). When examining reality television as a whole, it can be looked at alongside scripted television. TV shows with a script contain planned twists and turns, creating drama, attracting viewers and generating revenue, so in response to this, reality TV producers can orchestrate the same concept, but just make it appear to be candid. This idea of a viewer fascination with a scripted reality can be looked at more closely in Survivor, and is evident in other shows as well, causing viewers to become attached to manipulated realities.

            In search of the truth about Survivor, journalist Christopher J. Wright composed an article exposing how Survivor manipulates scenes to evoke specific responses out of fans and give the show the savage aura it is known for. In "Welcome to the Jungle of the Real: Simulation, Commoditization, and Survivor”, research was brought straight to the creator himself, executive producer, Mark Burnett. When asked about his show, Burnett admitted to considering his show a “dramality”, when it is assumed to be a reality by audiences. (Wright 2006). Burnett also opened up about specifically focusing in on certain contestants and forming some scenes to give the show more suspense (Wright 2006), clearly stringing together a false reality. On the other hand, when interviewees in Rose and Woods’ study were asked their opinion on Big Brother, the theme of viewers preferring more interesting aspects remained. When one participant was asked her opinion on this show her response was that “…it was too real…you saw people doing what they normally do,” (Rose & Wood 2005), providing evidence that society craves inauthenticity to bring excitement to real life, which brings the question to mind, is it still reality if the exciting elements must be contrived?  Along with this, casts and producers have been found to specifically focus on certain elements of the show to get viewers to purchase them.

        The producers of Survivor make sure to subliminally advertise commodities used by contestants by frequently showing them on camera, causing fans to purchase these products, relaying more money back to Survivor. Common products are the Survivor bandanas, towels, bikinis, etc. that are produced by CBS, allowing fans to “…simulate the simulation that is Survivor,” (Wright 2006). When discussing Keeping Up with the Kardashians, their authenticity is challenged due to the growing spin-offs of the original show and the revenue that both the Kardashians themselves and the E! network have received due to this franchise. Journalist Leigh Edwards analyzed this conspiracy in her article, "Transmedia Storytelling, Corporate Synergy, and Audience Expression.", examining the corporate motives behind reality TV and the tactics they use to get viewers hooked. In this, Edwards discusses how E! nearly revolves their whole network around this family due to the trend of audiences feeding into it and the “…aggressive product integration, product endorsement, and branding,” displayed on the different shows (Edwards 2012). The obvious exploitation of the Kardashians displays the simulated reality created by not only the E! network, but by the Kardashians themselves displaying “…over-the-top conspicuous consumption,” (Edwards 2012). The recurring evidence of manipulated reality found in these shows and clear profit gained by those producing the shows give reason for why this version of “reality” has been created, viewers enjoy it more due to the false excitement of life displayed, bringing in more money for actors and corporations alike.

        Not only was the manipulation of reality television discovered, but research has been found to help establish another claim, that viewers base their behavior off of the trends and actions they witness in reality TV. As previously discussed, viewers are clearly drawn into the dramatization of reality TV shows, so it is not surprising that they are responsive to the products and forms of behavior displayed in these shows as well. Programs including Keeping Up with the Kardashians and The Bachelor/Bachelorette were also examined when it came to this topic of discussion. When it comes to the Kardashians, their series’ are described as exemplifying “…vanity, greed, promiscuity, vulgarity...” (Edwards 2012), causing viewers to follow in their footsteps. When interviewing long-time fan, Sara Getzoff, about her opinion on the influence the Kardashian women have on society today she explained that “…they are successful so that’s a good thing, but they base a lot of that on their looks and sexuality, which isn’t the best way for girls to become successful, but it worked for them so that’s why they keep showing it off on the show,” (Getzoff 2017). Along with this, the Kardashian women have been found to influence individuals to alter their appearance due to this emphasis on vanity displayed in their shows.

         It is not uncommon for a member of the Kardashian family to get some cosmetic surgery done, which is displayed on their shows, showing their open attitude towards procedures such as these. In “Keeping Up with the Kardashians: Consumers’ Intention to Engage in Cosmetic Surgery”, an article discussing the implications the Kardashian women have had on women’s appearances, viewers were in fact found to make a correlation between getting work done and having a life like one of the members of the family. The article states that “young consumers aspire to such success and believe that enhancing physical appearance like Kim Kardashian will provide control and success in their own lives,” (Phau et al., 2017). After surveying the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (AAFPRS), it was found that “…13% of respondents reported an increase in customers who cited the apparent control that celebrities had on their fame and success propelled their customers to undergo cosmetic procedures,” (Phau et al., 2017). Based on this it is clear that viewers deliberately change their appearance, style, and behavior as a whole based on what they are presented with by a reality TV show. While this is a more shocking example of the behaviors viewers try to imitate based off what reality stars present them with, audiences have been found to mirror other behaviors, including some for other reality series’ as well.

        Yet again, the trend of viewers repeating behaviors displayed by the Kardashians is evident, although, this time it is concerning the unique family dynamics and strong femininity the Kardashian women bring to the screen. This family takes a different approach to feminism by showing the success women can possess, yet also displaying that this is accompanied by an appealing presentation of the self. Journalist Andrea McDonnell explores the affect the Kardashian family has on viewers in her articles "Keeping Up the Kardashian Brand: Celebrity, Materialism, and Sexuality" and “Television and the self: Knowledge, Identity, and Media Representation” as well. In her second article, McDonnell claims that the Kardashians “…make their challenges available to fans who are also grappling with questions of public and private, objectification and subjectification, work and family…” causing fans to imitate their methods of overcoming these normal issues, leading them to believe it will lead to the power and success possessed by the Kardashian women (McDonnell 2016). This trend of audience’s basing their behavior off of what they witness on reality TV is found to spawn from other series’ as well.

        Viewers altering how they conduct their lives has been caused by The Bachelor/Bachelorette series, which is explored in Michael Ventre’s article about this series and how it affects audiences’ takes on love. Due to the popularity of this show and the believed “success” its contestants have had, viewers are becoming optimists and basing their love lives off of what is shown to them on a reality show (Ventre 2009). The fact that people base their lives off of what they are presented with on reality TV shows just how interrelated pop culture and the real world are, depicting how these simulated realities actually do become reality for audiences.

While evidence is found that viewers are influenced by reality TV shows, there is also evidence opposing this, claiming that people can tell the difference between what is real and what is simulated on television. Therefore, hindering the alteration of peoples’ behavior and providing opposition to previous claims.

        Due to the fact that members of society can tell when reality stars are being candid and when their actions are manipulated, they know not to base their behavior off of a false sense of reality. In “Paradox and the Consumption of Authenticity through Reality Television” by Rose and Wood, the interviewees claims display clear evidence of their knowledge between the authentic and the fake scenes in shows. With responses such as “The people were just more real on the first show,” and “… I like Survivor, don’t get me wrong, but The Mole is more reality based in concept, in my opinion…” (Rose & Wood 2005). These examples display a clear knowledge of the realness of certain elements of shows, with even a preference for the more realistic seeming show exemplified in the second response. So, clearly those within society are able to tell the difference between actual reality television and those that are scripted, so why base their behavior off of a manipulated reality? This evidence displays the line of separation between pop culture and the supposedly more knowledgeable real world, although, this line becomes blurred since reality itself is becoming more filtered and centered around entertainment. Viewers may be able to recognize when actors are being fake, but they still choose to follow it and even mirror it due to how simulated the reality of the real world has become, therefore, creating a sense of authenticity for themselves.

         In Hugh Curnutt’s psychoanalysis of society and their acceptance of the reality television presented to them in “You can’t handle my truth: Reality TV’s trompe-l’oeil effect and the (im)possible reality of its participants”, he discusses how viewers realize some aspects of reality TV are fake, similar to the participants in Rose and Woods’ study. Although, much of society’s lives are fake, ignoring the less desirable parts of life and instead focusing on themselves (Edwards 2012), and in response to this they accept the simulated realities as they are and engage in the drama and exciting nature they ensue, craving this in their own lives.

        Going back to the original research question, producers and corporations have been found to manipulate how actors come across to get what they want, while actors also use this medium to advertise their brands. On the other hand, actors can also be acting fake without even trying to. Viewers may be able to identify when reality shows are and are not manipulated for profit, but due to the fact that pop culture and the real world have become so similar, society accepts this false sense of what’s “real”. This concept proves that reality itself has become scripted, causing viewers to take what they see on reality TV and further apply that to society as a whole, creating the simulated reality that is evident today.