I recently found out that a friend of mine is going to be on a reality show in the fall.
The response from our circle of friends has pretty much been unanimous:
"Wow, good for you! So what else is new?"
It's funny, but I remember the onslaught of reality television that happened after Survivor, and I can still name some of those "instant celebrities" that appeared on shows like Big Brother and The Real World.
Now, however, there have been hundreds of reality shows spread out across the landscape. It's getting to the point where it no longer seems unusual to know someone who is going to be featured on some cable television competition show.
Some of our friends secretly admitted to finding the whole thing distasteful--not because this person would be sharing anything about their private lives, but because reality tv has become synonymous with bad behavior and low intelligence.
I think my friend would have gotten a better response out of us if he told us he was going on Wheel of Fortune.
This disillusionment with reality television seems to be creating an even bigger shift in terms of cultural perception.
People seem to be more obsessed with fame, but at the same time, feel closer to it than ever before. Movie stars are no longer mysterious--if anything, it's the exact opposite. We now feel that we have some sort of special relationship with people we've never even met just because we know all the minute details of their lives.
In our minds, there doesn't seem to be that much distance between an A-List film star and my friend once he hits the airwaves.
So am I going to watch my friend's show?
Of course.
The question is--will anybody else watch it?
The response from our circle of friends has pretty much been unanimous:
"Wow, good for you! So what else is new?"
It's funny, but I remember the onslaught of reality television that happened after Survivor, and I can still name some of those "instant celebrities" that appeared on shows like Big Brother and The Real World.
Now, however, there have been hundreds of reality shows spread out across the landscape. It's getting to the point where it no longer seems unusual to know someone who is going to be featured on some cable television competition show.
Some of our friends secretly admitted to finding the whole thing distasteful--not because this person would be sharing anything about their private lives, but because reality tv has become synonymous with bad behavior and low intelligence.
I think my friend would have gotten a better response out of us if he told us he was going on Wheel of Fortune.
This disillusionment with reality television seems to be creating an even bigger shift in terms of cultural perception.
People seem to be more obsessed with fame, but at the same time, feel closer to it than ever before. Movie stars are no longer mysterious--if anything, it's the exact opposite. We now feel that we have some sort of special relationship with people we've never even met just because we know all the minute details of their lives.
In our minds, there doesn't seem to be that much distance between an A-List film star and my friend once he hits the airwaves.
So am I going to watch my friend's show?
Of course.
The question is--will anybody else watch it?
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