Symbolic Interactionism and its Function in Today's Media: the Case of Reality TV Shows
Today's mass media, specifically the television medium, is centered on reflecting or mirroring the "reality" of life, offering the public (as audience) programs and glimpses of life as lived by the characters/actors of reality TV shows. The reality TV phenomenon have become the staple genre for most TV programs in the country today, influencing not only American society but other cultures and societies exposed to the TV medium as well. It is interesting to note that with the advent of reality TV shows, there is an attempt to portray the 'extraordinary' out of ordinary life. That is, in order to make reality TV "sell" to the audience, the depiction of life must be out of ordinary, an experience that audiences can relate to because it happens in real life, but extraordinary enoug
The real-life responses and actions of the 'actors' of these reality programs are, according to Fotinopoulos (2004), reflections of "emotional turmoil many of us experience" (59). Thus, reality TV as posited under the symbolic interactionist perspective is that actions, thoughts, and emotions portrayed on TV will always be interpreted subjectively, dependent on the individual's (audience's) background and experiences in life. As Fotinopoulos asserted, reality TV enables the audience to look at life from a "smaller view," and from this view, life is looked at from a "lighter" or less-than-difficult perspective. " All these shows have become well-known for their effective portrayal of real-life conflicts, challenges, and difficulties. "The effectiveness of the reality program, in effect, is dependent on the level of 'internalization' that the audience feels whenever they watch the program. Examples of famous reality TV shows are "Big Brother," "Survivor," "Amazing Race," and "The Apprentice. Thus, even though reality TV depicts the most extraordinary event in people's lives and magnifies this to the audience-thereby making it extraordinary and far from everyday, real life-the fact that it can deliver the same response in terms of feelings and/or actions make these programs "real. What makes reality TV popular and marketable to the audience is because of its ability to mirror human emotions and actions-that is, emphasis is put more on the programs' ability to deliver similarities between the actors' and audience's feelings and emotions, rather than on the context by which these emotions are triggered. Symbolic interactionism, as a sociological perspective, puts premium on the importance of interpretation in helping people make sense and create meaning of their reality. These programs also reflect the trivial details that commonly occur in real life, such as dealing with conflict as a result of differences in attitude in values among people living in one place ("Big Brother" and "Survivor"), or dealing with conflict in a very competitive manner in a specific setting ("The Apprentice" and "Amazing Race"). If anything, reality TV teaches its audience to relate to the characters of these programs, and be able to realize that the audience's hardships can be more difficult, at par, or easier than the actors'. Whatever interpretation and meaning the audience attaches to the actors' actions and emotions in the program, is dependent on the individual's background and experience about life itself.
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