advantages and disadvantages of reality tv shows essay

Pros and cons of reality TV shows

The First Post guide to the issue of the day

• Newsletter sign up Newsletter

ARGUMENTS FOR:

• We live in an age of mass culture. More people read tabloids than the broadsheets, and reality TV is a fair reflection of this.
• Elitism is out of date. People are no longer willing to accept only what broadcasters think is good for them. There is nothing wrong in giving people what they want.
• It is intrinsically fascinating to see how people speak and behave in unusual situations. This is why many intelligent people find themselves gripped by Big Brother and other reality shows. They teach us something about human nature and so broaden our experience.
• If we believe in freedom and free speech, then we have to accept reality TV as an expression of popular and democratic taste. Nobody is compelled to appear in reality TV programmes, or indeed to watch them.
• Reality TV is harmless fun. Only pompous people and snobs condemn it.

ARGUMENTS AGAINST:

• Reality TV is vulgar and shoddy. By creating pseudo-celebrities it contributes to the debasement of popular taste.
• It is often cruel, exposing the participants to gross humiliation for our amusement. This makes it the modern equivalent of going to laugh at the lunatics in Bedlam. The present row over racism on Big Brother shows how nasty it can be.
• It exploits the vulnerable, and has been condemned by the Mental Health Foundation for doing so.
• Popularity should not be the ultimate test of what is permissible. Public executions used to be popular and still are in some countries.
• It is nonsense to say that broadcasters shouldn't set standards or be obliged to adhere to codes of behaviour. We don't for instance allow them to promote racism or sectarianism or to incite violence. Reality TV is debasing and should be strictly controlled, if not banned altogether.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox

A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com

In Depth Shiny new stadiums can end up costing taxpayers billions

By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published 23 May 24

Under The Radar An increasing number of teams are finding themselves under American ownership. What does that mean for the continent's most popular sport?

By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published 23 May 24

The Week Recommends Explore the works of Dalí, O'Keeffe and KAWS

By Catherine Garcia, The Week US Published 23 May 24

• Contact Future's experts
• Terms and Conditions
• Privacy Policy
• Cookie Policy
• Advertise With Us

The Week is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site . © Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.

Positive and negative effects of reality TV shows

Reality TV shows have become very popular after the never-ending era of daily soaps. Probably, the trend started with Big Brother and still continues with so many dancing and singing shows. They have played a very important role in making celebrities out of ordinary people. Audiences were introduced to a host of hidden talents that they never thought existed in the country. Although channels became more interesting to watch, the reality TV shows have their own advantages and disadvantages. Some of them are listed below:

Advantages of reality shows:

Ordinary men attaining stardom: We see real people performing daredevil stunts or showcasing their skills. Viewers come to know about them and appreciate their performance. In addition, reality TV stars become very popular within a very short period of time. They do not need any Godfather to become successful in the show biz but use their talent to achieve success.

Social issues: One of the most positive effects of the reality TV shows is that they address numerous social issues and introduce people to the ills plaguing the society. For instance, they have played a very important role in enhancing the women empowerment in society. With active discussion on the TV forums, the reality shows have made people more aware of what is happening in their vicinity.

Cost of the shows: Creating reality TV shows is not an expensive proposition and brings more bucks for money in comparison to the sitcoms and the soap operas.

Start of the successful career: Reality TV has given so many celebrities that have become big stars in their own rights. It was not possible in the past but now anybody can shot into fame within a very short period of time. In addition, audiences also become aware of the perils of different types of addictions such as alcohol and drugs in society.

Disadvantages of reality shows:

Scripted shows : The majority of so-called reality shows are scripted and everything is closely doctored. Initially, people fell for the bait but now audiences understand that stories are developed well in advance. Some of the fights on the television are staged to increase the ratings of the show.

Harmful effect on teen: The new generation of reality TV celebrity stars does not thrive on talent but use sensationalism to always be in the news. One of the worst effects of their action is on teens who try to emulate their behavior. Stunts that are performed on televisions under controlled conditions are imitated by the people in real life resulting in death. Some of the shows where contestants participate to win prizes show them in poor light as they use meanness and greed to outdo each other. The negative traits can manifest themselves in the audiences and create behavioral problems.

Abusive shows: Liberal doses of abuses are hurled on the shows because the directors think that more and more people will watch them. It is a huge mistake because bad words are caught by teens and kids affecting their personality as well as behavior.

These are some of the pros and cons of reality TV shows. Do share your thoughts on this topic in the comments below.

• Environment
• Law & Legal

My Essay Point.

• Privacy Policy
• Submit Article
• DMCA Notice

Sport and Competition

How reality shows affect our lives and society, what are the negative and positive effects of reality tv.

Posted April 12, 2022 | Reviewed by Abigail Fagan

• People are often drawn to reality TV because they enjoy the drama and relate to difficult decision-making.
• The theme of self-interest vs. self-sacrifice runs through many reality shows.
• Reality shows often lead people to reflect on what they might do in a similar situation, which can be a good exercise in values exploration.

Millions of people around the world tune in to reality shows and have been watching for decades. What started out as an experiment has turned into mainstream programming and as a culture, we can’t get enough of it.

Is there any personal or societal cost to our ongoing fascination with reality shows? While opinions certainly differ on the topic, it comes down to a few factors:

• The malleability of your values
• Your commitment to behaving in ways that reflect your values

Television and all other forms of media have an impact on our thoughts, opinions, and behaviors. There is no doubt that what we take in for entertainment and information influences the way we think about the world around us. Our minds are designed to synthesize boatloads of information every day, from our interactions with others to the books we read and the entertainment we seek out. We make sense of the world through these pieces of information we gather, and this impacts how we live our lives every day.

Beyond the daily information we absorb, we are also influenced by our prior life experiences, our family of origin, the environment we are raised in and a slew of other cultural and genetic factors. These interpersonal and direct influences are more likely to impact our values and behaviors than reality shows. Does this mean that we should be unconcerned about the ways in which reality show trends impact us? No, we definitely need to pay attention to the underlying messages in these shows and explore why they appeal to us so much.

Why Do Reality Shows Reel Us In?

Reality shows keep us coming back, week after week. We want to know who said what to whom, which person betrayed another or who compromised their alliances or made a shady decision that influenced other people. It’s all about the best and worst of human behavior; it is an observational psychology class without the lecture or exams.

Often reality shows cause us to reflect on what we might do in a similar situation, which can be a good exercise in values exploration. The basic question of self-interest versus self-sacrifice is a theme that runs through most reality shows. These themes of good and bad behaviors, betrayal, competition , and connection are familiar to us; we make similar decisions every day, minus the cameras, artificial scenarios, and publicity. It calls to us because on a very basic level, we love human drama, and we relate to tough decisions. Whether it is a competition for love, money, fame, or notoriety, we enjoy watching the struggle. When we root for our favorite reality show participant, we are identifying something compelling within them, and this may say a lot about us if we choose to explore it. As we indulge in our favorite reality shows, we can ask ourselves:

• What do I enjoy about this show and what emotions does it elicit?
• What appeals to me about these characters and their role in the show?
• Would I make different choices than these characters? If so, why?
• What values do I embrace in my life that are either abided by or abandoned in this show?

Reality shows are ironically named because they are often far from realistic scenarios. Even though these programs are guilty pleasures for so many, we can use them as good conversation starters with friends and as food for thought within our own minds as we consider our values and how to live in ways that demonstrate those values.

Teyhou Smyth, Ph.D., LMFT , teaches psychology at the Graduate School of Education and Psychology at Pepperdine University.

• Find a Therapist
• Find a Treatment Center
• Find a Psychiatrist
• Find a Support Group
• Find Online Therapy
• United States
• Brooklyn, NY
• Chicago, IL
• Houston, TX
• Los Angeles, CA
• New York, NY
• Portland, OR
• San Diego, CA
• San Francisco, CA
• Seattle, WA
• Washington, DC
• Asperger's
• Bipolar Disorder
• Chronic Pain
• Eating Disorders
• Passive Aggression
• Personality
• Goal Setting
• Positive Psychology
• Stopping Smoking
• Low Sexual Desire
• Relationships
• Child Development
• Self Tests NEW
• Therapy Center
• Diagnosis Dictionary
• Types of Therapy

At any moment, someone’s aggravating behavior or our own bad luck can set us off on an emotional spiral that threatens to derail our entire day. Here’s how we can face our triggers with less reactivity so that we can get on with our lives.

• Emotional Intelligence
• Gaslighting
• Affective Forecasting
• Neuroscience

• Share full article

Advertisement

Supported by

You Are What You Watch? The Social Effects of TV

There’s new evidence that viewing habits can affect your thinking, political preferences, even cognitive ability.

By Jonathan Rothwell

Other than sleeping and working, Americans are more likely to watch television than engage in any other activity .

A wave of new social science research shows that the quality of shows can influence us in important ways, shaping our thinking and political preferences, even affecting our cognitive ability.

In this so-called golden age of television , some critics have pointed out that the best of the form is equivalent to the most enriching novels. And high-quality programming for children can be educational. But the latest evidence also suggests there can be negative consequences to our abundant watching, particularly when the shows are mostly entertainment.

The harm seems to come not so much from the content itself but from the fact that it replaces more enlightening ways of spending time.

‘Sesame Street’ as a social experiment

Cognitive ability is a complex characteristic that emerges from interactions between biological dispositions, nutrition and health, parenting behaviors, formal and informal educational opportunities, and culture.

Studying the connection between intelligence and television consumption is far from straightforward, but researchers have developed compelling ways to isolate the effects of television.

Some of the best research has been done on the television program “Sesame Street.” The show, which began in 1969, was meant to develop early literacy, numeracy and emotional skills for children of preschool age. A detailed analysis of the show’s content in its first and second years reveals that 80 percent of the program was dedicated to those goals, with the rest meant to entertain.

Researchers randomly assigned groups of low-income children age 3 to 5 into an experimental group and a control group. In the experimental group, parents were given access to the show if they lacked it and encouraged in person once a month to have their children watch the show.

[The topics new parents are talking about. Evidence-based guidance. Personal stories that matter. Sign up for the NYT Parenting newsletter for the info you need.]

Almost all (93 percent) parents of children in the experimental group reported that their children subsequently watched the show, compared with roughly one-third of children in the control group (35 percent). Among watchers, those in the experimental group also watched more frequently.

Over six months, from November 1970 to May 1971, the experimental group gained 5.4 I.Q. points — a large effect — relative to the control group and showed stronger evidence of learning along several other dimensions. Gains in cognitive performance were especially large for those who viewed the show frequently relative to those who did so rarely or never. A more recent meta-analysis of published research in 15 countries shows that “Sesame Street” has similar effects around the world.

In newly published research , the economists Melissa Kearney and Phillip Levine examined longer-term effects of “Sesame Street” by comparing the educational outcomes of children and young adults in counties more or less likely to have access to the program during its early years. They found that children living in counties with better “Sesame Street” coverage were less likely to be held behind a grade level.

Other experimental research is consistent with the original “Sesame Street” findings. Low-income prekindergarten children scored higher on a social competence index six months after being randomly assigned to an experimental group, in which their parents were encouraged to replace age-inappropriate television with educational television.

Less reading and more watching

In Norway, and a handful of other developed countries, average I.Q. scores have declined slightly in recent years, after rising for many decades. This is known as the negative Flynn effect, a variation of the more famous Flynn effect , which is named after the psychologist who first published comprehensive evidence of I.Q. gains over time. Among native Norwegian men taking an exam at age 18 for military conscription, those born in 1974 scored two I.Q. points higher than those born in 1987.

In an academic article published this year, the Norwegian economist Oystein Hernaes and his co-authors attributed some of this decline in I.Q. scores to access to cable television, which also coincided with a sharp decline in reading. After the introduction of cable in 1981, Norwegian teenagers and young adults drastically cut back on daily time spent reading from 1980 to 2000, and increased their time watching TV. Moreover, relative to public television, cable television had far less educational content and was focused on entertainment and advertisements.

To estimate the effect of cable television on I.Q. scores, the Norwegian scholars analyzed data on the introduction of cable network infrastructure by municipality. They calculated years of exposure to cable by considering the age of eventual test takers when cable became available in their municipality. They controlled for any potential geographic bias by comparing siblings with greater or less exposure to cable television based on their age when cable infrastructure was put in.

They estimate that 10 years of exposure to cable television lowered I.Q. scores by 1.8 points. In related research , Mr. Hernaes finds that exposure to cable television reduced voter turnout in local elections.

Berlusconi television

A similar study was conducted by the Italian economist Ruben Durante and his co-authors and released in this month’s issue of the American Economic Review. They examined the introduction of Silvio Berlusconi’s television network, Mediaset, which specialized in light entertainment such as game shows featuring scantily clad women.

The economists document that Mediaset devoted almost no programming to educational content and did not offer news in early years, whereas its main competitor — the state-owned channel — devoted the majority of its airtime to news or educational material.

To study the effects of Mediaset, Mr. Durante and his co-authors obtained data on the location of Mediaset transmitters in 1985 and calculated the strength of the broadcasting signal in every Italian municipality based on the position of the transmitters and other technical features of the municipality.

They found that children raised in areas with greater access to Mediaset (a standard deviation in signal strength) had lower cognitive scores as adults by the equivalent of 3 to 4 I.Q. points.

People more exposed to Mediaset as children were also less likely to be civically engaged adults and more likely to vote for parties with populist tendencies like Forza Italia and the Five Star Movement.

A handful of American studies along these lines have focused on the political consequences that news media coverage can have, showing that exposure to Fox News could increase Republican Party vote shares significantly, and that exposure to MSNBC increased Democratic Party voting share (but with a much weaker effect).

Art and public health

We know that education increases cognitive ability, so it stands to reason that educational television would also have a positive effect.

Concerns about culture are hardly novel: Plato made a case for regulating the quality of artistic productions to avoid the corruption of youth and weakening of their character. Twenty-three centuries later, it is easier than ever to placate children as well as lose yourself in entertainment options — in the ocean of online videos, podcasts, cable, and streaming shows and movies.

These options are most likely harmless. Some provide relaxation, and others may modestly reshape cultural attitudes for the better; one study found that the introduction of cable TV empowered women in India. High-quality shows and films can be inspiring, even edifying.

Still, media providers and advertisers compete aggressively for our attention. Most lack the altruistic motivations that guided the producers of the original “Sesame Street.” The evidence from social science suggests that biased or sensationalist news programs may misinform citizens or discourage civic engagement, and that we should also be cautious about what we give up for the sake of entertainment.

Jonathan Rothwell is the Principal Economist at Gallup, a nonresident senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and a visiting scholar at the George Washington University Institute of Public Policy. He is the author of a book, “ A Republic of Equals : A Manifesto for a Just Society,” to be published by Princeton University Press in the fall, on the causes of income inequality. You can follow him on Twitter at @jtrothwell , and listen to his podcast, “ Out of the Echo Chamber .”

What Is a Reality Show? Research Paper

Introduction, background information, types of reality shows, the role of reality tv show.

Reality Television World covers a great row of independent reality shows which involve and describe typical situations of ordinary people. It is considered to be a kind of television genre disclosing different actual events, funny or dramatic situations without participation of professional actors. Reality television is one of the most widely spread genres of television aspects and it includes different kinds of TV formats without any strict limitations or prohibitions. It gives an opportunity to express a kind of programming freedom in order to show real situations of our life with its difficulties and puzzles.

Television reality shows covers thousands of different life episodes with the usage of creative editing in order to make shows more emotional and bright. Reality shows can be devoted to different subjects but the main fact is that they should provide the participants of the shows with the freedom to play and react in the most real and typical way. It is important to stress that one should not confuse reality shows with all others types of TV programs in which the participants are to ignore the cameras and are asked to behave in a natural way. The main task of producers is to encourage their participants and in some cases private conversations are used which are typed and play the role of narration.

Television reality shows have been developing for a long period of time and covered many periods of television progressing. But it is necessary to stress that the peak in the development of this television type was in 2000 when the majority types of shows were produced. In the period between 1960s-1970s TV shows were scripted with the involvement of professional actors who were to create and play the characters.

People thought that reality shows were not thoroughly planned and actors were not normally trained though they were involved and played their roles according to the program. Producers could not meet the requirements of the public and create an interesting storyline. The first real TV show was created only in 1970 and was called An American Family. The author and creator of the show was Public Broadcasting System. This reality show disclosed the real life of different families which were about to face divorce. It had success while it showed some typical situations from the real life of people and highlighted life mistakes which should be avoided in ordinary families. (Pollick, 2006)

The next period in the development of reality shows was in 1980 when the next show COPS was introduced to the public. This type of reality shows was aimed at presentation of policemen’s work to the audience through the hand-held cameras. This reality show was really recognized and generally accepted. It considered to be the impact in the sphere of reality television, because this show gave a start to the plenty of others and production companies began their activities striving to create new exciting reality shows involving professional photographers, police cameras and news organizations. This period in the reality television development was very important and it brought real success to the sphere being very popular especially among the youth.

Meanwhile another type of reality shows appeared and was spread among the public. It was called The Real World and disclosed different unusual situations experiences by ordinary people. The audience enjoyed this show as it was really true to life and gave an opportunity to evaluate their actions watching ordinary people. This period left a print in the history of reality television development. (Keveney, 2007)

One of the most outstanding reality shows in the USA was considered to be CBS’s Survivor . This reality show was produced in 1999 and resulted in strong objections on the part of professional directors and actors. Nevertheless Survivor met the requirements of the public and found its audience in spite of all prohibitions and objections. This show was mostly concentrated on the play of non-professional actors and did not require a lot of cost for production, but all the same it was professionally done and satisfied the audience of that period. The success of this show was really vivid from the very beginning and that is why it caused an increase of competitiveness in the sphere of television activities.

Reality television has undergone a wide range of changes and periods of development. It was the reason for the creation of different sub-types of reality shows. The most popular are the following:

Documentary TV shows

This type of reality shows means that cameras are only passive observers watching usual activities of our every day life. This type includes the following sub-categories: celebrities, special living environment and professional activities. Such shows as Big Brother, The Simple Life, American Chopper, Temptation Island are considered to be the most prominent reality shows of this type.

This type of reality shows discloses the real competitions for some prize being isolated in a particular environment and showing team forces in different competitions. The participants are usually judged by the audience with the involvement of the voting or by the decision of the players themselves. Dating-based competitions, fear-centric, job search and sports are the main sub-categories of this type. The most famous reality shows of this sub-category are Flavor of Love, Making the Band, Top Design, Fear Factor and many others. (Dollar, 2008)

Self-Improvement

It is a special and very important type of reality shows because it brings positive changes to the life of the society and influences the audience. It is important to stress that this type of reality television format is aimed at the improvement of the ordinary people’s life with the involvement of the television. The most popular shows are the following: Extreme Makeover, The Biggest Loser, The Bad Girls Club and some others. One should note that this type is not only a kind of television entertainment but also a kind of aid to those who need support and look for different ways out of their difficult life situations and misunderstanding on the part of surrounding people… (Macartney, 2005)

Renovation reality shows describe the peculiarities of a person’s work or living space. It includes While You Were Out, This Old House, Changing Rooms and some others. The purpose of these reality shows is to describe the experience of the society in life and work, to show some mistakes and achievements in order to bring some improvements to the publicity.

Dating Shows

Reality shows which are devoted to the dating and romantic meetings are the mostly spread among the youth. They are considered to be rather close to real life as they show the most typical situations faced by modern couples. Such shows as Parental Control, Blind Date etc. are the most popular in the USA. Dating reality shows are very spread not only in America but on the international level, because they are of high demand among the modern population and their audience if large enough to produce them again and again. They are very entertaining and involving and usually they lead to their complete imitation in life on the part of teenagers.

Different types of discussions and interviewing belong to this type of reality shows. The main purpose of this show is to promote some useful information; these shows are very informative and strict in rules. They are created according to the traditional standards of news and broadcasting without any interference of other styles. To this type the following reality shows belong as The Jerry Springer, Ricki Lake and some others.

Hidden Cameras

It is one of the most interesting and relaxing reality shows which exist on the television. The purpose of these shows is just entertain and teach to laugh at each other and at typical life situations we face almost every day. Candid Camera and Scare Tactics are aimed at entertaining of the audience focusing on jokes and different funny situations of life.

The role of reality shows is very significant in our life, especially for those who prefer to devote their time to the television programs. Nowadays, at the period of globalization, our vision on life has changed a lot in comparison with previous generations. People try to imitate each others and demonstrate their life to the publicity. The youth tries to avoid quite and peaceful life somewhere apart from peers; and that is why modern reality shows are so popular in the society.

Sometimes TV programs may seem to be so real that we forget that it is only show not a real life. The demand on the reality shows production is very high and that is why they are so widely spread among the population. There is a type of people who are called reality TV junkies; these people cannot imagine their life without television and reality shows are their life with real actors and events. (Lynch, 2006)

The role of reality shows is quite vivid in our modern life. It is important to stress the main functions of reality shows:

• Informative;
• Entertaining;
• Instructive;

The basic purpose of all kinds of reality shows is to reflect the real life events in order to evaluate them on the examples of other people’s actions and understand your own mistakes or life happiness. Reality shows make our life not so boring and dramatic providing the audience with different funny cases and situations and demonstrating our natural reaction on them. (Kurtz, 2007)

To sum everything up it important to state that reality TV shows became an integral part of our modern life with their competitions, funny situations and useful interviews. Inmost cases reality shows are very Magistral and instructive; they can even change our opinion of bring some changes. But one should remember that they can also influence our life negatively, so it is just a show and we should not care about the flow of events or take close to heart the fate of the actors.

Michael, Pollick. What is a Reality Show? Informational Paper. NY. 2006.

Keveney, Bill. Real World Launched a Revolution. USA Today, 2007.

Dollar, Steve. Reality Never Looked So… Real. The New York Sun, 2008.

Lynch, Mark. Reality is not Enough. The politics of Reality. 2006.

Kurtz, Howard. Reality Show. Free Press, pp. 480. 2007.

Macartney, Jane. TV Talent Contest. The Times. 2005.

• Dating Rituals: Issues with American Society
• Relationships and Online Dating
• Humour and Jokes: What's So Funny?
• "I Love Lucy" Sitcom: Popularity Reasons
• Sex and the City Show Review
• Television Systems: Innovation and Evolution
• Should Trials Be Televised?
• Survivor Reality Show from Sociological Perspective
• Chicago (A-D)
• Chicago (N-B)

IvyPanda. (2021, October 15). What Is a Reality Show? https://ivypanda.com/essays/what-is-a-reality-show/

"What Is a Reality Show?" IvyPanda , 15 Oct. 2021, ivypanda.com/essays/what-is-a-reality-show/.

IvyPanda . (2021) 'What Is a Reality Show'. 15 October.

IvyPanda . 2021. "What Is a Reality Show?" October 15, 2021. https://ivypanda.com/essays/what-is-a-reality-show/.

1. IvyPanda . "What Is a Reality Show?" October 15, 2021. https://ivypanda.com/essays/what-is-a-reality-show/.

Bibliography

IvyPanda . "What Is a Reality Show?" October 15, 2021. https://ivypanda.com/essays/what-is-a-reality-show/.

• Entertainment
• Environment
• Information Science and Technology
• Social Issues

Home Essay Samples Entertainment

Essay Samples on Reality Television

Controversial impact of reality television shows.

Reality television shows have a lot of impact on teenagers and housewives as they get hooked on to the shows. Teenagers of the 21st century are more inclined to having a screen in front of them. Similarly housewives tend to be addicted to watching reality...

• Reality Television
• Watching TV

The Perception of Soap Operas as the Woman's Genre

The question asks to consider the ways in which soap operas can be understood as a woman’s’ genre. I will be answering this question by analysing how popular soap opera storylines and characters appeal to women. The issues with this question surround feminism, femininity and...

Reality Television Imposes on the Moral Standards

Reality television shows impose fake moral standards that are detrimental to human beings. Most people tend to watch television at night before they go to bed. More than likely, they are watching a reality TV show because nine out of ten shows that are produced...

Reality Television: The Real Moments Captured

The average American audience only goes so far before watching a variation of reality television. While there are many genres, it is best defined as capturing “real life” moments on camera for consumers’ entertainment. This is achieved through constant filming, catching every second, and every...

Effects of Reality Television in Vietnam

Abstract Due to the development of technology, reality television becomes more and more popular and has many impacts on society. Based on different research, this paper describes this effects. In particular, there are two main contents mentioned in the paper, including positive and negative effects...

Stressed out with your paper?

Consider using writing assistance:

• 100% unique papers
• 3 hrs deadline option

The Effects of Political Satire in Television

One night while flipping through TV channels I came upon The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and it featured Stephen Colbert. I stopped to listen for a few minutes, only to find that they were making satirical jokes about congressmen and political figures, and the...

Fairy Tales In Modern World In "Once Upon A Time" TV Show

Once upon a time, there was a TV show on ABC based on fairy tales, but with a twist. This TV show was called “Once Upon a Time. ” These stories have been modified and mashed to create a sense of imagination and creativity to...

Reality Shows: Advantages and Disadvantages of TV

In contemporary society, media has become the backbone of every country and plays a vital role in national development. Reality TV shows have gained immense popularity after the never-ending era of daily soap operas. Shows such as Big Brother, Big Boss, Survival, MTV Roadies, and...

• Media Analysis

Best topics on Reality Television

1. Controversial Impact of Reality Television Shows

2. The Perception of Soap Operas as the Woman’s Genre

3. Reality Television Imposes on the Moral Standards

4. Reality Television: The Real Moments Captured

5. Effects of Reality Television in Vietnam

6. The Effects of Political Satire in Television

7. Fairy Tales In Modern World In “Once Upon A Time” TV Show

8. Reality Shows: Advantages and Disadvantages of TV

• Bridge to Terabithia
• Hidden Figures
• Movie Review
• Film Analysis
• A Wrinkle in Time
• In Pursuit of Happiness
• A Beautiful Mind
• Django Unchained

Need writing help?

You can always rely on us no matter what type of paper you need

*No hidden charges

100% Unique Essays

Absolutely Confidential

Money Back Guarantee

By clicking “Send Essay”, you agree to our Terms of service and Privacy statement. We will occasionally send you account related emails

You can also get a UNIQUE essay on this or any other topic

Thank you! We’ll contact you as soon as possible.

• Listening Tests
• Academic Tests
• General Tests
• IELTS Writing Checker
• IELTS Writing Samples
• Speaking Club
• IELTS AI Speaking Test Simulator
• Latest Topics
• Vocabularying
• 2024 © IELTS 69

Write about the advantages and disadvantages of reality shows on TV

IELTS essay Write about the advantages and disadvantages of reality shows on TV

• Structure your answers in logical paragraphs
• ? One main idea per paragraph
• Include an introduction and conclusion
• Support main points with an explanation and then an example
• Use cohesive linking words accurately and appropriately
• Vary your linking phrases using synonyms
• Try to vary your vocabulary using accurate synonyms
• Use less common question specific words that accurately convey meaning
• Check your work for spelling and word formation mistakes
• Use a variety of complex and simple sentences
• Check your writing for errors
• Answer all parts of the question
• ? Present relevant ideas
• Fully explain these ideas
• Support ideas with relevant, specific examples
• ? Currently is not available
• Meet the criteria
• Doesn't meet the criteria
• 6 band The effect of technology in our relationships In this modern world, technology advancement becomes the fuel to drive connection between people. There are a lot of impacts resulted from the development of internet, computers, gadget, artificial intelligence, and other machineries. One of the effects is how it shape people in socializing with oth ...
• 5 band The process of producing edible oils and fats, and margarine The overall process of producing edible oils and fats, and margarine comprises of eight consecutive steps. First the raw materials such as coconuts, sunflower seeds and groundnuts are collected from the various agricultural fields across different places. Then the collected raw materials are transp ...
• To learn a language is to have one more window from which to look at the world. Chinese Proverb
• 6 band The best leaders are those who encourage feedback from the people whom they lead. A Leadership position demands an acumen for solving real-world problems by taking decisive decisions. A great leader takes feedback from their peers to evaluate a problem and has different interpretations that would help reach a feasible solution. It is the amalgamation of various traits that make a ...
• 6 band to be well educated, it is necessary to understand Englisg fluently. English is the main language for this world. However, to be well educated, understanding English fluently is important for people who want to educate in many ways. In addition, understanding English fluently has many benefits that people should know for several reasons. First, If people understand ...
• Learn a new language and get a new soul. Czech Proverb
• 6 band People are spending more on travel today than in the past. Do the advantages of this outweigh the disadvantages? In recent decades, the issue that people are paying more on travel these days has been a subject of controversy. Although there are a number of people who claim travelling causes disadvantages, it is a more persuasive argument that taking tríp brings benefits that obviously outweigh the drawbacks. ...
• 5.5 band Owning a house or renting one In some nations people believe that having a house is vital than renting house from someone els Sometime renting houses can cause big problems between two people For me that idea is the best for all people in case that is the positive situation for country’s people but it can include some risk. Whe ...
• Learn a language, and you’ll avoid a war. Arab Proverb

• Family Life

Negative Impact Of Reality Shows On Children

Can reality shows be traumatic to your child? Here's a discussion on the disadvantages of reality shows and their negative impact on children. Read on.

Reality shows have a negative impact on our children in more ways than one. These shows focus on bullying, aggressive behavior and unhealthy competition, and kids often tend to confuse reality TV with the real world. In this debate against reality shows, we try to explain why reality shows are bad for children based on the disadvantages it presents.

Here are examples of two different scenes appearing on reality television shows.

A jovial group is sitting around in a living room talking casually. From a corner of the room, one of the women points her finger at another, accusing her of arrogant behaviour and not doing the tasks assigned to her. A heated argument ensues and they almost come to blows. In another conversation, happening in the same room, two men are talking in whispers, about another member of that group. "She is a liar and a busybody. Be wary of her company," one of them says. 

In one particular international model hunt show, young girls still in their teens proudly show off their stick-thin bodies and talk about winning at all costs. There is a lot of drama and crying in the name of bagging the modelling contract and the message is that physical beauty and fame are more important in life than other values. 

What are reality shows?

So what is prime time reality TV all about? They portray melodrama, bullying, back-biting, gossip and bad interpersonal relationships. Some reality shows can be quite entertaining and many people get drawn to them. However, is it appropriate for children to watch shows that promote the kind of behaviour, which we otherwise do not approve of?

Debate against reality shows

Psychiatrist Holly Peek , in her article in a Harvard Medical School publication , talks about how it is important to be aware of the messages and values that these shows often portray.  "It's essential to be aware of what our children are watching so that we can teach them how to recognize and process the skewed values of television reality. This is tricky, as this programming easily deceives viewers into believing it is a true reflection of the real world," she says.

As adults, we are mature enough to comprehend the difference between real life and the life portrayed in shows. But children may not have the maturity to draw a line between what's shown in TV programs and what actually happens in reality. So there is a danger of children confusing real life with the perceived reality of these programs.

Some reality shows also show participants taking extreme risks and putting themselves in bizarre or dangerous situations. As young children mostly learn through imitation, watching such programs may put them at risk of physical injury. A study published in the Journal of Experimental Child Psychology  indicated that children who viewed high-risk TV programs showed an increase in their self-reported risk-taking behavior more than children who were exposed to low-risk TV or those who watched less TV.

"Reality shows that are focused on some people and their day-to-day lives are a big nuisance according to me, and as parents, we need to draw a line when children watch such shows. They portray everything in an exaggerated manner which is not at all a reflection of real life. This should be made clear to our children. Reality talent shows, on the other hand, make parents feel that their own children are inadequate," says Sandhya Prabhu, mother of a 10-year-old girl.

Debate in favor of reality shows

Having said this, there are some advantages we must consider as well. Not all reality TV is bad for children. There are some programs like singing shows and few cooking-based competitive shows that the whole family can enjoy watching. They are more entertaining than the melodramatic soaps and also engage children in a healthy way. There are also certain interactive educational reality shows which are academically beneficial to students.

It's about reality show ratings

All television programs including reality TV are based on certain formats, and how these are formatted depends on the particular television channel.  "It's true that some channels may tweak their format to get the ratings up and they may not really be concerned about how this affects children," says a senior electronic media professional.  

According to the professional, the majority of prime time television programming in India is targeted at the 25 to 40 year age group , and predominantly women.

Reality shows are targeted at people with a certain sensibility. If parents themselves are not very keen on watching such content, children also may not be that interested. It's a matter of not attaching too much importance to it, he adds.

Disadvantages of reality shows for children

"The biggest concern about some of these programs is the complex human dynamics, the manipulation and the back-biting that is portrayed. If there is no supporting adult to make children understand that such shows are scripted, they will use their own imagination and understanding to take in the messages being relayed to them," says Arundhati Swamy , counsellor and parenting expert.

She gives these pointers on how children can be adversely affected by reality shows:

Physical risks

• Copying risky behaviour can put children at risk of physical injury.
• Some children who are constantly watching aggressive situations in shows might try to use violence as a means to settle tussles and arguments.

Emotional risks

• Those who are vulnerable to negative messages and may not have good decision-making skills, will not have the maturity to realise that these shows are scripted.
• Few children will have the emotional maturity to view it as just another program. But some, who have low self-esteem might imitate negative behaviour and do something drastic to seek attention.
• They will think that being aggressive and manipulative, using violence and showing disrespect to others is allowed.
• They may get so involved in a program that they lose touch with reality.
• They may reject the concept of fair play and believe that getting to the top by any means is important.

Children participating in reality shows

There are some reality shows that have children as their main stars - mostly singing and dance shows that focus on a child's talent. Most parents find these programs entertaining and harmless. While these could be an opportunity for talented children from less-privileged to come into the limelight, the pressure on the children to perform and excel is too much. The shows are highly competitive and these kids are subjected to constant scrutiny, which can affect their mental health.

"When you have a child who is exceptionally talented, try to be a mature parent to encourage your child in a positive way. It is okay to be competitive and if your child is clear about her goals and the emotional maturity to handle the pressure, she may cope well. But those who do not, try to adapt from a survival point of view and this can adversely affect them," says Arundhati.

How parents can intervene

• First, establish that watching reality shows is not a priority in the family.
• According to the age and understanding of your child, explain what your family belief systems and values are and that they do not match what is shown on reality TV.
• Help the child understand the impact such programs can have and that real life is different from what is projected in a reality show.
• Have discussions about this in a friendly and non-threatening manner.

Comment Flag

Abusive content

Inappropriate content

Cancel Update

Related Topics See All

More for you.

Explore more articles and videos on parenting

Primary to Parent • 4 Mins Read • 6.2K Views

Children Should Take Up Challenges: Vijender Singh

Are you apprehensive that your child wants to learn boxing? Don't be. Encourage children to dream and take up the sport of their choice, says boxer Vijender Singh

Pre-teen to Parent • 3 Mins Read • 20K Views

Try to inspire your children through your actions and not just words: Boxing champion Mary Kom

Meet Mary Kom whose never-say-die attitude has always struck an instant chord with sportspersons and mothers alike

Pre-teen to 18+ • 3 Mins Read • 12.6K Views

Sakshi Tripathi: Her journey from a top three contestant at MasterChef Junior 2013 to opening her own restaurant

Children and cooking make for an interesting combination. After proving herself at MasterChef Junior 2013, Sakshi Tripathi is set for bigger culinary adventures

• Communities

Join a community to interact with like-minded parents and share your thoughts on parenting

2.5K members • 53 Discussions

Curiosity, tantrums and what not!

1.9K members • 37 Discussions

The Active and Enthusiastic Middle Years

11-18 Years

1.8K members • 62 Discussions

From Self-consciousness to Self-confidence

Just for Parents

4K members • 152 Discussions

A 'ME' space to just BE!

Discussions Topics

Share your thoughts, parenting tips, activity ideas and more

Hobbies and Entertainment

New member introduction.

Family Fun Challenges and Activities

• Gadget Free Hour
• Discussions

Share your thoughts, tips, activity ideas and more on parenting

Mothers Day Contest - One Habit I Got From Mom | May 2024

Joy of celebration, hello introduce yourself here :), corporal punishment, best schools in ahmedabad, could someone recommend the top preschool in mumbai's borivali west area.

A compilation of the most-read, liked and commented stories on parenting

Best Book Clubs For Kids

10 Mins Read • 4.8K Views

How Smartphones Impact Your Childs Emotional Well-Being. Read on to know more

5 Mins Read • 21.7K Views

Creating A Cool N Cosy Reading Nook

1 Min Read • 349 Views

Want to fix a quick, healthy snack to satisfy your child's hunger pangs? Try these 10-minute snack recipes

4 Mins Read • 18.1K Views

Run out of ideas to start a conversation with your child? We bring you a list of useful conversation starters

1 Min Read • 3.4K Views

The Benefits Of A Stroller

3 Mins Read • 5K Views

Top Searches

• Notifications
• Saved Stories
• Parents of India
• Ask The Expert
• Community New
• Community Guideline
• Community Help
• The Dot Learning Circle
• Press Releases
• Terms of use
• Sign In Sign UP

We use cookies to allow us to better understand how the site is used. By continuing to use this site, you consent to this policy. Click to learn more

The Cruel Social Experiment of Reality TV

The new Hulu film about an atrocious moment in ’90s television is shocking, but revelatory.

M ore than a decade after watching it, I still get twitchy thinking about “White Bear,” an early episode of Black Mirror that stands as one of the most discomfiting installments of television I’ve seen. A woman (played by Lenora Crichlow) groggily wakes up in a strange house whose television sets are broadcasting the same mysterious symbol. When she goes outside, the people she encounters silently film her on their phones or menacingly wield shotguns and chainsaws. Eventually, trapped in a deserted building, the woman seizes a gun and shoots one of her tormentors, but the weapon surprises her by firing confetti instead of bullets. The walls around her suddenly swing open; she’s revealed to be the star of a sadistic live event devised to punish her repeatedly for a crime she once committed but can’t remember. “In case you haven’t guessed … you aren’t very popular,” the show’s host tells the terrified woman, as the audience roars its approval. “But I’ll tell you what you are, though. You’re famous.”

“White Bear” indelibly digs into a number of troublesome 21st-century media phenomena: a populace numbed into passive consumption of cruel spectacle, the fetishistic rituals of public shaming, the punitive nature of many “reality” shows. The episode’s grand reveal, a television staple by the time it premiered in 2013, is its own kind of punishment: The extravagant theatrics serve as a reminder that everything that’s happened to the woman has been a deliberate construction—a series of manipulations in service of other people’s entertainment.

The contrast between the aghast subject and the gleeful audience, clapping like seals, is almost too jarring to bear. And yet a version of this moment really happened, as seen about an hour into The Contestant , Hulu’s dumbfounding documentary about a late-’90s Japanese TV experiment. For 15 months, a wannabe comedian called Tomoaki Hamatsu (nicknamed “Nasubi,” or “eggplant,” in reference to the length of his head) has been confined, naked, to a single room filled with magazines, and tasked with surviving—and winning his way out, if he could hit a certain monetary target—by entering competitions to win prizes. The entire time, without his knowledge or consent, he’s also been broadcast on a variety show called Susunu! Denpa Shōnen .

Before he’s freed, Nasubi is blindfolded, dressed for travel, transported to a new location, and led into a small room that resembles the one he’s been living in. Wearily, accepting that he’s not being freed but merely moved, he takes off his clothes as if to return to his status quo. Then, the walls collapse around him to reveal the studio, the audience, the stage, the cameras. Confetti flutters through the air. Nasubi immediately grabs a pillow to conceal his genitals. “My house fell down,” he says, in shock. The audience cackles at his confusion. “Why are they laughing?” he asks. They laugh even harder.

Since The Contestant debuted earlier this month, reviews and responses have homed in on how outlandish its subject matter is, dubbing it a study of the “most evil reality show ever” and “a terrifying and bizarre true story.” The documentary focuses intently on Nasubi’s experience, contrasting his innocence and sweetness with the producer who tormented him, a Machiavellian trickster named Toshio Tsuchiya. Left unstudied, though, is the era the series emerged from. The late ’90s embodied an anything-goes age of television: In the United States, series such as Totally Hidden Video and Shocking Behavior Caught on Tape drew millions of viewers by humiliating people caught doing dastardly things on camera. But Tsuchiya explains that he had a more anthropological mission in mind. “We were trying to show the most basic primitive form of human being,” he tells The Contestant ’s director. Nasubi was Tsuchiya’s grand human experiment.

The cruelty with which Nasubi was treated seems horrifying now, and outrageously unethical. Before he started winning contests, he got by on a handful of crackers fed to him by the producers, then fiber jelly (one of his first successful prizes), then dog food. His frame is whittled down in front of our eyes. “If he hadn’t won rice, he would have died,” a producer says, casually. The question of why Nasubi didn’t just leave the room hangs in the air, urgent and mostly unexamined. “Staying put, not causing trouble is the safest option,” Nasubi explains in the documentary. “It’s a strange psychological state. You lose the will to escape.”

But the timing of his confinement also offers a clue about why he might have stayed: 1998, when the comedian was first confined, was a moment in flux, caught between the technological innovations that were rapidly changing mass culture and the historical atrocities of the 20th century. Enabled by the internet, lifecasters such as Jennifer Ringley were exposing their unfiltered lives online as a kind of immersive sociological experiment. Webcams allowed exhibitionists and curious early adopters to present themselves for observation as novel subjects in a human zoo. Even before the release of The Truman Show , which came out in the U.S. a few months after Nasubi was first put on camera, a handful of provocateur producers were brainstorming new formats for unscripted television , egged on by the uninhibited bravado and excess of ’90s media. These creators acted as all-seeing, all-knowing authorities whose word was absolute . And their subjects, not yet familiar with the “rules” of an emerging genre, often didn’t know what they were allowed to contest. Of Tsuchiya, Nasubi remembers, “It was almost like I was worshipping a god.”

In his manipulation of Nasubi, Tsuchiya was helping pioneer a new kind of art form, one that would lead to the voyeurism of 2000s series such as Big Brother and Survivor , not to mention more recent shows such Married at First Sight and Love Is Blind . But the spectacle of Nasubi’s confinement also represented a hypothesis that had long preoccupied creators and psychologists alike, and that reality television has never really moved on from. If you manufacture absurd, monstrous situations with which to torment unwitting dupes, what will they do? What will we learn? And, most vital to the people in charge, how many viewers will be compelled to watch?

S ome popular-culture historians consider the first reality show to be MTV’s The Real World , a 1992 series that deliberately provoked conflict by putting strangers together in an unfamiliar environment. Others cite PBS’s 1973 documentary series An American Family , which filmed a supposedly prototypical California household over several months, in a conceit that the French philosopher Jean Baudrillard called the “dissolution of TV in life, dissolution of life in TV.”

But the origins of what happened to Nasubi seem to lie most directly in a series that ran on and off from 1948 to 2014: Candid Camera . Its creator, Allen Funt, was a radio operator in the Army Signal Corps during World War II; while stationed in Oklahoma, he set up a “gripe booth” for soldiers to record their complaints about military service. Knowing they were being taped, the subjects held back, which led Funt to record people secretly in hopes of capturing more honest reactions. His first creative effort was The Candid Microphone , a radio show. The series put its subjects in perplexing situations to see how they’d respond: Funt gave strangers exploding cigarettes, asked a baker to make a “disgusting” birthday cake, and even chained his secretary to his desk and hired a locksmith to “free” her for her lunch break. “With the candid microphone, we are at the beginning of the Age of the Involuntary Amateur,” one critic wrote in 1947. “The possibilities are limitless; the prospect is horrifying.” Sure enough, a TV series soon followed.

For all that critic’s revulsion, Funt was earnest about the potentially revelatory power of his shows. He was seemingly influenced by two parallel trends. One was a sociological school of thought that was trying urgently to analyze human nature following a wave of real barbarities: the Holocaust, the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Stalin’s great purges. The other was an interest in art that captured the contours of real life, in an outgrowth of the naturalist movement that had come out of the late 19th century. Émile Zola, one of its practitioners, argued in The Experimental Novel that fiction writers were essentially omnipotent forces dropping characters into realistic situations to consider how they might respond. Literature, he argued, was “a real experiment that a novelist makes on man.”

The invention of television, as the academic Tony E. Jackson has argued , offered a more literal and scientific medium within which creators could manipulate real human subjects. This was where Candid Camera came into play. Funt’s practical jokes—setting up a subject in an elevator in which every other person suddenly turns their back to him—tended to consider the nature of compliance, and what humans will go along with rather than be outliers. Candid Camera was considered so rich a work that Funt was asked to donate episodes to Cornell University’s psychology department for further study.

Funt was also highly influential to Stanley Milgram, a social psychologist who turned his Yale studies on conformity into a documentary titled Obedience . The Milgram experiment, conducted in 1961, asked members of the public to inflict fellow subjects with electric shocks—faked, unknown to them—when ordered to do so by an authority figure. Inspired by the 1961 trial of the Nazi war criminal Adolf Eichmann, and the experience of his own family members who’d survived concentration camps, Milgram tweaked the Candid Camera model to more explicitly study how far people would follow orders before they objected. As the film professor Anna McCarthy has written , Milgram paid particular attention to the theatrical elements of his work. He even considered using recordings of humans screaming in real, rather than simulated, pain to maximize the authenticity of the subject’s experience. “It is possible that the kind of understanding of man I seek is an amalgam of science and art,” Milgram wrote in 1962. “It is sure to be rejected by the scientists as well as the artists, but for me it carries significance.”

This studied interest in human nature continued in PBS’s An American Family ; its presentation of ordinary life up close, the anthropologist Margaret Mead once argued, was “as important for our time as were the invention of the drama and the novel for earlier generations—a new way for people to understand themselves.” Throughout the later decades of the 20th century, television was similarly fixated on exposure, although shock value quickly took priority over genuine curiosity and analysis. During the ’90s, on talk shows such as The Jerry Springer Show and Maury , people confessed their most damning secrets to anyone who cared to watch. Series including Cops and America’s Most Wanted offered a more lurid, voyeuristic look at crime and the darkness of human nature.

Read: The paranoid style in American entertainment

By the time Tsuchiya had the idea to confine a man to a single apartment to see whether he could survive the ordeal, the concept of humiliation-as-revelation was well established. “I told [Nasubi] that most of it would never be aired,” the producer explains in The Contestant . “When someone hears that, they stop paying attention to the camera. That’s when you can really capture a lot.” As an organizing principle for how to get the most interesting footage, it seems to stem right from Funt’s secret recordings of people in the 1940s. Tsuchiya appeared to be motivated by his desire to observe behavior that had never been seen before on film—“to capture something amazing … an aspect of humanity that only I, only this show, could capture.” And extremity, to him, was necessary, because it was the only way to provoke responses that would be new, and thus thrilling to witness.

The reality-show boom of the early 2000s was intimately informed by this same intention. When Big Brother debuted in Holland in 1999, it was broadly advertised as a social experiment in which audiences could observe contestants under constant surveillance like rats in a lab; the show was compared by one Dutch psychologist to the Stanford prison experiment . (Another called the show’s design “the wet dream of a psychological researcher.”) The 2002 British show The Experiment even directly imitated both the Stanford setup and Milgram’s work on obedience. But although such early series may have had honest intentions, their willingness to find dramatic fodder in moments of human calamity was exploited by a barrage of crueler series that would follow. The 2004 series There’s Something About Miriam had six men compete for the affections of a 21-year-old model from Mexico, who was revealed in the finale to be transgender—an obscene gotcha moment that mimics the structure of Candid Camera . Without a dramatic conclusion, a nonfiction series is just a filmed record of events. But with a last-act revelation, it’s a drama.

Contemporary audiences, blessedly, have a more informed understanding of ethics, of entrapment, and of the duty of care TV creators have to their subjects. In 2018, the British show Love Island spawned a national debate about gaslighting after one contestant was deemed to be manipulating another. There’s no question that what happened to Nasubi would trigger a mass outcry today. But reality TV is still built on the same ideological imperatives—the desire to see people set up in manifestly absurd scenarios for our entertainment. The Emmy-nominated 2023 series Jury Duty is essentially a kinder episode of Candid Camera extended into a whole season, and the internet creator known as MrBeast, the purveyor of ridiculous challenges and stunts, has the second most-subscribed channel on all of YouTube. What’s most remarkable about The Contestant now is how its subject managed to regain his faith in human nature, despite everything he endured. But the ultimate goal of so many contemporary shows is still largely the same as it was 25 years ago: to manufacture a novel kind of social conflict, sit back, and watch what happens.

The Advantages and Disadvantages of TV: A Comprehensive Analysis

Television has become an integral part of our lives, shaping the way we consume information and entertainment. As with any technological innovation, TV brings with it a range of advantages and disadvantages. In this article, we will delve into 10 key advantages and disadvantages of TV, providing real-life examples to illustrate their impact. So, let’s embark on this insightful journey of exploring the pros and cons of television.

Advantages of TV:

1. entertainment at your fingertips.

Television offers a vast array of entertainment options, from captivating movies and TV shows to live sports events and reality programs. With a simple click of the remote, you can immerse yourself in the world of captivating storytelling, laughter, and excitement.

Example: Imagine coming home after a long day at work and unwinding by watching your favorite sitcom, sharing a good laugh with the characters and forgetting about your worries.

2. Educational Content and Information

TV is a powerful medium for education, providing informative content that broadens our knowledge base. Educational programs, documentaries, and news channels offer valuable insights into diverse subjects, fostering intellectual growth and awareness .

Example: Science documentaries on TV enable viewers to explore the wonders of the universe, learn about breakthrough scientific discoveries, and grasp complex concepts through engaging visuals.

3. Current News and Updates

Television news channels keep us up to date with the latest happenings around the world. From political developments to economic trends, TV news provides a convenient and accessible platform for staying informed.

Example: In times of crisis or natural disasters, television serves as a vital source of real-time news updates, helping people make informed decisions and stay safe.

4. Advertising and Marketing Opportunities

Television serves as a powerful advertising medium, allowing businesses to showcase their products or services to a wide audience. With visually appealing and persuasive commercials, companies can effectively reach potential customers.

Example: A new smartphone model advertisement on TV can grab the attention of viewers, showcasing its innovative features and encouraging them to consider purchasing it.

5. Cultural and Social Awareness

TV programs often reflect different cultures, traditions, and societal issues, fostering understanding and empathy among viewers. They expose us to diverse perspectives, helping us appreciate the richness and variety of the world we live in.

Example: Watching a documentary about a remote tribe’s customs and traditions can broaden one’s cultural awareness and promote cross-cultural understanding.

6. Access to Live Events

Television provides the opportunity to experience live events from the comfort of our homes. Whether it’s a live concert, sports match, or important cultural event, TV allows us to be part of the action in real time.

Example: Watching the Olympics on TV enables viewers to witness incredible athletic achievements, national pride, and inspiring moments of triumph.

7. Language Learning and Exposure

TV programs in different languages offer a valuable resource for language learning and exposure . Through language-specific channels and subtitled content, viewers can improve their language skills and expand their cultural horizons.

Example: Watching foreign language TV shows can enhance language fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension, making the learning process more engaging and interactive.

8. Social Bonding and Shared Experiences

TV shows and events often become topics of conversation, fostering social bonding and shared experiences among friends, family, and coworkers. Discussing favorite TV programs can create connections and build relationships.

Example: Participating in a discussion at work about the latest episode of a popular TV series can help colleagues find common ground and strengthen workplace camaraderie.

9. Platform for Creativity and Talent Showcasing

Television platforms provide a stage for showcasing creativity and talent across various domains. Talent shows, reality competitions, and talent hunt programs offer aspiring artists and performers a chance to be discovered and recognized.

Example: A talented singer participating in a TV singing competition can gain exposure, attract a fan base, and potentially launch a successful music career.

10. Enhanced Visual Experience

With advancements in technology, television offers an enhanced visual experience, especially with high-definition (HD) and ultra-high-definition (UHD) displays. Viewers can enjoy vivid colors, sharp details, and immersive visuals, heightening their viewing pleasure.

Example: Watching nature documentaries in high-definition allows viewers to appreciate the intricate details of wildlife, stunning landscapes, and natural phenomena.

Okay we have covered the 10 advantages of TV, now let’s talk about its disadvantages.

Disadvantages of TV:

1. sedentary lifestyle and health risks.

Excessive TV viewing can contribute to a sedentary lifestyle, leading to health problems such as obesity, cardiovascular diseases, and eye strain. Spending long hours sitting in front of the TV screen can hamper physical activity.

Example: Instead of engaging in outdoor activities or exercise, an individual might spend several hours watching TV, leading to a lack of physical fitness and potential health issues.

2. Influence on Behavior and Values

Television has a profound influence on viewers’ behavior and values, particularly among children and adolescents . Exposure to violence, inappropriate content, and misleading information can shape attitudes and impact social interactions.

Example: Research suggests that children who are exposed to violent content on TV may exhibit aggressive behavior and have a distorted understanding of real-life consequences.

3. Time Consumption and Productivity Loss

Excessive TV viewing can consume significant amounts of time, reducing productivity and hindering personal growth. Time spent watching TV could be allocated to more constructive activities such as reading, learning new skills, or pursuing hobbies.

Example: Instead of studying or working on personal projects, someone who spends several hours binge-watching TV series may experience a decline in academic or professional performance.

4. Unhealthy Content and Media Manipulation

TV programs sometimes portray unhealthy lifestyles, unrealistic beauty standards, and excessive consumerism. Moreover, media manipulation techniques such as sensationalism and biased reporting can distort viewers’ perception of reality.

Example: Reality shows that promote extreme weight loss methods without emphasizing the importance of a balanced lifestyle can perpetuate unhealthy body image ideals among viewers.

5. Impacts on Social Interaction and Relationships

Excessive TV viewing can lead to reduced face-to-face social interaction, impacting the quality of relationships and interpersonal communication. It may contribute to feelings of isolation and detachment from real-life experiences.

Example: Instead of engaging in meaningful conversations with family members or friends, individuals may choose to spend their time passively watching TV, limiting opportunities for genuine connections.

6. Financial Costs and Consumerism

Owning and maintaining a television, cable/satellite subscriptions, and streaming services can incur financial costs. Moreover, TV commercials often promote consumerism , encouraging viewers to spend money on products they may not necessarily need.

Example: Constant exposure to enticing commercials can lead to impulsive buying behavior, financial strain, and unnecessary accumulation of material possessions.

7. Limited Control over Content

Viewers have limited control over the content broadcasted on TV channels, which can be frustrating when personal preferences are not catered to. Advertisements and programming choices may not align with individual interests or values.

Example: A viewer interested in niche or specialized content may struggle to find suitable programming on traditional TV channels, limiting their options.

8. Distractions and Procrastination

TV can easily become a source of distraction, diverting attention from important tasks or responsibilities. It may contribute to procrastination and hinder productivity in academic, professional, or personal pursuits.

Example: Spending excessive time watching TV shows when deadlines are looming can lead to increased stress and compromised performance.

9. Stereotyping and Media Bias

Television content, including news, movies, and TV series, can perpetuate stereotypes and reinforce biases, influencing public opinions. Biased reporting and inaccurate portrayals can contribute to societal divisions and misperceptions.

Example: News programs that sensationalize certain events or focus on specific narratives can shape viewers’ perceptions, leading to misconceptions and limited understanding of complex issues.

10. Environmental Impact

The production, distribution, and disposal of TVs contribute to environmental challenges. Television manufacturing involves the use of finite resources and the emission of greenhouse gases, while improper disposal can lead to electronic waste pollution.

Example: The increasing demand for new TVs and outdated models being discarded can result in environmental degradation and harm to ecosystems if not managed properly.

Advantages and Disadvantages of TV: Conclusion

Television undoubtedly offers numerous advantages, such as entertainment, educational content, and information dissemination. However, it is crucial to recognize and navigate its disadvantages, including health risks, negative influence on behavior, and potential time wastage. By understanding the advantages and disadvantages of TV, we can make informed choices and strike a balance between its benefits and the need for moderation in our consumption habits.

Related Posts

How to Choose an App Partner to Develop Great Applications?

How to Extend The Battery Life of Your New iPhone 6

Useful Tips on How Developers Can Make Their Apps Hacker-Proof

About the author.

Founder of Computer How-To Guide. A fun loving person and tech enthusiast, he has been writing about computers and technology for over 10 years. He also enjoys sports, food and playing with his cat. Follow Peter on: X (Twitter) | LinkedIn

Leave a Reply Cancel Reply

Home — Essay Samples — Information Science and Technology — Effects of Watching too much TV — The Impact of Television in Our Life (in 150 words)

The Impact of Television in Our Life (in 150 Words)

• Categories: Effects of Technology Effects of Watching too much TV Impact of Technology

About this sample

Words: 163 |

Published: Mar 17, 2023

Words: 163 | Pages: 0 | 1 min read

Cite this Essay

Let us write you an essay from scratch

• 450+ experts on 30 subjects ready to help
• Custom essay delivered in as few as 3 hours

Get high-quality help

Verified writer

• Expert in: Information Science and Technology

+ 120 experts online

By clicking “Check Writers’ Offers”, you agree to our terms of service and privacy policy . We’ll occasionally send you promo and account related email

No need to pay just yet!

Related Essays

4 pages / 1993 words

2 pages / 960 words

1 pages / 651 words

3 pages / 1747 words

Remember! This is just a sample.

You can get your custom paper by one of our expert writers.

121 writers online

Still can’t find what you need?

Browse our vast selection of original essay samples, each expertly formatted and styled

Related Essays on Effects of Watching too much TV

Reality shows have become a prominent and divisive fixture of modern entertainment, captivating audiences with their blend of real-life drama, competition, and personal narratives. While these shows offer a unique form of [...]

Technology has made significant advancements in recent years, bringing various forms of screens into our daily lives. Children, in particular, are reported to spend an alarming amount of time watching TV, playing video games, [...]

Auverset, L., Billings, A. C., & Conlin, L. (2016). Is Binge Watching a Public Health Concern? Examining the Association between Binge Watching Television and Mental Health in Young Adults. Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic [...]

The impact of television on society is undeniable. From its inception to its current digital form, television has played a significant role in shaping our culture, behaviors, and perspectives. This essay explores the [...]

The CSI Effect is when the line between reality and fiction becomes a blur. The name CSI Effect is based on a well-known drama series of the same name (CSI: Crime Scene Investigation), where the characters are forensic [...]

"Updating of security procedures and scheduling of IT security audits: All security procedures within a company are required to be regularly updated in order to allow for a company to be able to have procedures in place that [...]

Related Topics

By clicking “Send”, you agree to our Terms of service and Privacy statement . We will occasionally send you account related emails.

Where do you want us to send this sample?

By clicking “Continue”, you agree to our terms of service and privacy policy.

Be careful. This essay is not unique

This essay was donated by a student and is likely to have been used and submitted before

Download this Sample

Free samples may contain mistakes and not unique parts

Sorry, we could not paraphrase this essay. Our professional writers can rewrite it and get you a unique paper.

Please check your inbox.

We can write you a custom essay that will follow your exact instructions and meet the deadlines. Let's fix your grades together!

Get Your Personalized Essay in 3 Hours or Less!

We use cookies to personalyze your web-site experience. By continuing we’ll assume you board with our cookie policy .

• Instructions Followed To The Letter
• Deadlines Met At Every Stage
• Unique And Plagiarism Free

• Essay On Advantages And Disadvantages Of Television

Essay on Advantages and Disadvantages of Television

500+ words essay on advantages and disadvantages of television.

In today’s world, communication is a crucial aspect of life. Technological advancements made communication more accessible and cheaper. Among all the communication devices such as smartphones, radios, and emails, television is the prominent and common medium for communication. We get to see television in every household. It is an integral part of our society that significantly impacts our social, educational, and cultural life. It reaches a mass audience and provides information about the daily happenings in the world. Furthermore, it is a common source of entertainment among family members.

John Logie Baird invented the television in the 1920s. The word “tele” means distance, and “vision” means to see, which means to watch it from a distance. When television was invented, it showed only pictures of low resolution. But, later on, televisions were modified with the latest technologies. Televisions that we purchase today come with multiple features. We can connect our phone, laptop, tab, and internet access various online apps, HD/UHD quality pictures, 4k-8k resolutions, etc.

We can also watch various educational channels on television. It also keeps us updated by providing news about the world through different news channels. Along with information, it also entertains us with movies, serials, dramas, reality shows, music channels, yoga channels, etc.

So, having a television at home seems to be a great advantage, but the disadvantages are also threatening. The time it consumes from our day-to-day life is more. You can see people going out of routine or postponing schedules if they become addicted to watching television.

Here, in the essay, we will discuss the advantages and disadvantages of watching television.

Advantages of Television

Television comes with enormous advantages. The most important is it gives us information about current affairs and events across the globe. This information is broadcasted through various news channels, which helps us to keep ourselves updated about recent happenings. It also shares information about multiple programmes or facilities launched by the government. The government also take the help of news channels to communicate with the mass.

We can watch daily soaps, reality shows, music channels, movies, etc. We can also watch food channels and try out recipes at home. During the morning time, if you switch on the television, you will get to watch telemarketing ads. Specific channels broadcast only ads for multiple products, and people can also buy them.

Children can watch various cartoons on the television. Some cartoons teach children about moral values and lessons. It also keeps us informed about the economic condition and the stock market. We also get to watch various fashion shows and keep updated about the latest trends on television.

Earlier, television was costly, but now it comes at an affordable price with multiple features. Now, we get the option to subscribe to our favourite channels and only need to pay for those channels. Educational programmes are also available on television. We can also watch live cricket shows and cheer for our country. Television also telecasts interviews of various political leaders, celebrities, influencers, famous personalities, etc. We can also gain knowledge by watching various quiz programmes.

Television provides opportunities to spend time with our family and friends. We can enjoy watching a movie together. Various channels telecast comedy shows that help us keep positivity in our lives. We also watch movies in different regional languages like Tamil, Kannada, Telugu, etc. It helps us connect with people from diverse backgrounds.

Nowadays, we can also play games on the television and watch agricultural programmes specially designed for the farmers. It promotes national integration.

Disadvantages of Television

There are advantages of watching television, but it also comes with disadvantages. Watching too much TV affects our mental and physical health. When we watch television continuously, it affects our eyes and makes us lazy. Even there are some programmes which are not suitable for kids. We even compromise our sleep to watch TV. Children lose their concentration on their studies by watching too much television. Children prefer to watch TV over reading books to spend their leisure time.

Conclusion of Essay on Advantages and Disadvantages of Television

There are advantages and disadvantages of television. If television is helpful, it is harmful too. One should not watch television excessively.

We hope you found this essay on the advantages and disadvantages of television helpful. Check BYJU’S for more such CBSE Essays on different topics. You can also find CBSE study materials and resources for Classes 1 to 12.

Register with BYJU'S & Download Free PDFs

Register with byju's & watch live videos.

The Federal Register

The daily journal of the united states government, request access.

Due to aggressive automated scraping of FederalRegister.gov and eCFR.gov, programmatic access to these sites is limited to access to our extensive developer APIs.

If you are human user receiving this message, we can add your IP address to a set of IPs that can access FederalRegister.gov & eCFR.gov; complete the CAPTCHA (bot test) below and click "Request Access". This process will be necessary for each IP address you wish to access the site from, requests are valid for approximately one quarter (three months) after which the process may need to be repeated.

An official website of the United States government.

If you want to request a wider IP range, first request access for your current IP, and then use the "Site Feedback" button found in the lower left-hand side to make the request.