Reality television is a recent craze that has been sweeping the nation and parts of Europe. Nomatter what one's opinion is on reality television it is something that the media cannot ignore. The growth of this genre over the past four years has made it evident that these shows are rising in popularity, ratings and thereby has become a huge market. Perhaps it is the concept of "real" people getting their 15 minutes of fame that has viewers inticed, or the lying, cheatng and drama that occurs when you put people in situations of competition for large sums of money. Whatever the case may be reality TV is a primetime seller.
Media is something people, especially those living in the United States, are exposed to every day. In a single afternoon the human eye living in New York City will most likely see over one hundred advertisements for a variety of things. The media effects the way people in society think and act. With reality TV shows taking America hostage one must wonder what the effect will be.
Media not only effects people but media is also a microcosym of society, the most popular genre is a look into what people want to see. Reality TV displays a definate "decline in media morality" (Stephen Winzenburg, "Christianity Today"). The plot lines are almost entirly based on some sort of greed, lust, lying or cheating and it seems as though whoever commits the most of this is rewarded in the end. Reality TV is a negative outlook on our society. With shows like Fox's "For Love or Money" a man/woman is forced to choose between pursuing a relationship with a partner they've known for only a few weeks and two million dollars. Judging from the outcome of the show, nothing, not even relationships seem to hold any value in our country, a check is worth more.
Television is a mirror to society. When we watch television we are, in a sense watcing ourselves. Reality TV suggests that "real" American people are obsessed with fame and fortune and hold those things more sacred than anything else. Reality Televsion exerts a very negative image of American society and with the continuance of these programs comes a decline in our progress.