Contemporary Connection- Expectation vs. Reality

I don't know about everyone else, but I hate reality TV.  I hate it and openly criticize it, yet I can't stop watching it. Maybe it's because after a long day I want a show that doesn't require me to think, or maybe I just enjoy watching shitty things happen to other people instead of me.  Whatever the reason is, I watch it often, and I know there are many people who watch it religiously. However, there are certain people that take what they see on these shows way too seriously. I'm sure you're all already aware of this, but reality TV is anything but reality; it's often staged and/or scripted. (If this is news to you, I apologize for shattering that beautiful dream of entertaining, trashy TV. Also, Santa isn't real).  People that are not a part of American culture or people that are extremely naive will take the things they see on theses shows to heart and think that they are accurate depictions of American society.

This reminded me of  "My American Wife" and the viewership that it has. Almost everyone behind who is a part of the creative team of "My American Wife" choose which families to show and stage how they want them to be portrayed. The producers behind "My American Wife" are trying to tell viewers in Japan that this is is how Americans are, and that this is somehow an "accurate portrayal of the ideal" life to live. I know so many people who think what they see on reality TV shows are real and try to live their life like that. A classmate of mine became obsessed with tanning and became a party girl because she thought Jersey Shore was an ideal standard to live by, that it was somehow the cool thing to do.

So with that being said, is reality TV a lie? Many people know that it is [mostly] fake, but there are people that don't.  Reality TV is supposed to be mind-numbing entertainment, so is it okay if a TV advertises something as reality, when it's not as long as it's entertaining? Or should they just market it as a regular TV show?



Relevant material:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/bustle/i-was-on-reality-tv-faking-real-life_b_4823714.html

http://thoughtcatalog.com/charlie-shaw/2014/08/31-reality-tv-show-contestants-and-producers-answer-how-much-of-the-show-is-actually-scripted/