The Audience and Premise of Reality TV

1) I don’t like reality TV. But, at the same time, I don’t like criticizing the television I watch or labeling it as a certain kind of show. I think television is a source of escapism and I give it no more respect than it deserves.

2) The audience reality TV is geared towards is the 80% of Americans holding 20% of the wealth in America. The premise of reality TV could be to convince middle class America that the American dream still lives. Many billboards and foreign agencies in America promoted the idea that anyone could improve their socio-economic vantage point by moving to the United States. Accordingly, millions flocked to the country and were sorely disappointed. Using the “American Dream” as propaganda, industries were able to find ample labour and consumers. The “American Dream” was created by economics to improve economics. If people believe they can improve their socio-economic standpoint by working harder or buying more, they are likely to do so. However, as Miller showed us in “Death of a Salesman” that the pursuit of the American dream will kill a man. Though the American dream has received intelligent discourse, the propaganda still continues to infiltrate our lives. Reality TV, whether it is about ritzy cosmopolitans; the prevalence of masculinity; or anything else, seeks to convince us that certain ideals are desirable and obtainable. An economy cannot exist on its own merit. Rather, it relies on propaganda to convince consumers that their good is desirable and obtainable. Reality TV is made by rich businesses for the purpose (consciously or subconsciously) of keeping the American dream (that men can survive for seven days in the wilderness or that real people can become Rockefellers) alive.