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What's the appeal of reality TV?

Discussion in 'Sensorium' started by Beren, Jun 25, 2011.

  1. Beren

    Beren Lovesick and Lonely Wanderer Staff Member Member of the Week Distinguished Member ★ SPS Account Holder Resourceful Adored Veteran Pillars of Eternity SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!) New Server Contributor [2012] (for helping Sorcerer's Place lease a new, more powerful server!) Torment: Tides of Numenera SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!)

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    I find I can't get into any reality TV show, Survivor, Big Brother, Apprentice, whatever. After about 10 to 20 minutes, I've gotta change the channel, or leave the TV room when I'm visiting family.

    Is there some sort of pleasure I don't understand in watching people behave like this? Or is it ... "Thanks for the reminder I'm not like this"? I just don't get it.

    But I'm willing to hear others talk about it. ;)
     
    Last edited: Jun 25, 2011
    Beren, Jun 25, 2011
    #1

  2. nior Gems: 24/31
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    You're not alone. I can't seem to understand why they are a hit.
     
    nior, Jun 25, 2011
    #2
  3. 8people

    8people 8 is just another way of looking at infinite ★ SPS Account Holder Adored Veteran

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    [​IMG] As I understand it, they'e popular because people either:
    a) Empathise and have had difficulty discovering people like this in 'real life'
    b) Feel it is socially unacceptable to stare at idiots in public but if it's televised they can mock all they want :p

    I used to half watch the Apprentice when I was living with parents. My step-father owns his own company, my mother is an accountant and I was encouraged to for business studies where in class we would discuss how they managed to balls it up so much and what we'd do differently.

    So for about 20 minutes after the show there would be a family bicker as to what the best business strategy would be :lol:
     
    8people, Jun 25, 2011
    #3
  4. Taluntain

    Taluntain Resident Alpha and Omega Staff Member ★ SPS Account Holder Resourceful Adored Veteran Pillars of Eternity SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!) New Server Contributor [2012] (for helping Sorcerer's Place lease a new, more powerful server!) Torment: Tides of Numenera SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!) BoM XenForo Migration Contributor [2015] (for helping support the migration to new forum software!)

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    I wouldn't throw Apprentice in the same basket as Big Brother or Survivor... from my POV, there are 3 major types of reality shows, the inane "original" ones like Big Brother that for the most part only offer entertainment (to some people, anyway), the other, specialized sort, where you can actually also learn something useful from watching them (provided that you're interested in the subject matter) and the third kind - reality show parodies and/or comedy, which I find quite amusing. Of course, there are countless subgenres but I won't get into that.

    Personally, I can't stand nearly all #1s, but I enjoy specific #2s and #3s. The distinction is definitely there.
     
    Taluntain, Jun 25, 2011
    #4
  5. Barmy Army

    Barmy Army Simple mind, simple pleasures... Adored Veteran

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    Reality TV is absolute horse ****.
     
    Barmy Army, Jun 25, 2011
    #5
  6. Blackthorne TA

    Blackthorne TA Master in his Own Mind Staff Member ★ SPS Account Holder Adored Veteran Pillars of Eternity SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!) New Server Contributor [2012] (for helping Sorcerer's Place lease a new, more powerful server!) Torment: Tides of Numenera SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!)

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    I'm with Tal on this; I can't stand what he labelled #1 (it should have been designated #2 just for the pun factor).

    I also think it depends on if you are watching it alone or with friends. For example, I don't watch many comedies either because it's not as much fun to laugh at something alone as it is with other people around. :)
     
    Blackthorne TA, Jun 25, 2011
    #6
  7. Taluntain

    Taluntain Resident Alpha and Omega Staff Member ★ SPS Account Holder Resourceful Adored Veteran Pillars of Eternity SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!) New Server Contributor [2012] (for helping Sorcerer's Place lease a new, more powerful server!) Torment: Tides of Numenera SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!) BoM XenForo Migration Contributor [2015] (for helping support the migration to new forum software!)

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    That's a good point... I probably wouldn't watch half of them if I didn't have anybody to bounce my (smartass) comments and observations off. :lol:
     
    Taluntain, Jun 25, 2011
    #7
  8. Harbourboy

    Harbourboy Take thy form from off my door! Veteran Pillars of Eternity SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!)

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    Because it's fun to watch losers on TV be losers. I quite often watch The Biggest Loser, but I agree that the term "reality TV" really only was originally supposed to apply to fly on the wall shows like Big Brother.
     
    Harbourboy, Jun 26, 2011
    #8
  9. Shoshino

    Shoshino Irritant Veteran

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    I personally hate reality TV, alot of it isnt real anyway, its sensationalised for the purpose of viewing.
     
    Shoshino, Jun 26, 2011
    #9
  10. Taluntain

    Taluntain Resident Alpha and Omega Staff Member ★ SPS Account Holder Resourceful Adored Veteran Pillars of Eternity SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!) New Server Contributor [2012] (for helping Sorcerer's Place lease a new, more powerful server!) Torment: Tides of Numenera SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!) BoM XenForo Migration Contributor [2015] (for helping support the migration to new forum software!)

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    That's the point, reality TV is a misnomer. Good TV doesn't "just happen", it needs to have a copious amount of helping along or digging through dozens of hours of footage where nothing happens to get one interesting nugget. Though there are plenty of people perfectly content to call a bunch of people gossiping about each other for hours and occasionally (*gasp*) moving entertainment... well, some of us just aren't. I can't forget the ridiculous Big Brother scenes of people running around in front of the cameras, competing for air time with toothbrushes in their mouths, trying to look cool... :facepalm:
     
    Taluntain, Jun 26, 2011
    #10
  11. Harbourboy

    Harbourboy Take thy form from off my door! Veteran Pillars of Eternity SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!)

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    A lot of what people call "reality TV" is actually a "game show" a genre people have watched and enjoyed for decades.
     
    Harbourboy, Jun 26, 2011
    #11
    Shoshino likes this.
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