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Showing posts with label reality of reality shows. Show all posts
Showing posts with label reality of reality shows. Show all posts

Sunday, August 14, 2011

Reality of Reality Shows

What do we mean by the word reality? Reality means which is not imaginative.What ever we think is not real, but what we face in practical life is real. In this world of modernisation reality shows on television is very common phenomena. Nowadays when we hear the word ‘reality show’, one word strikes us i.e 'gambling with emotions'.

While we trace back to the History of television, hardly we find any kind of reality shows though from late 20th century reality shows came to existence. At that time literacy rate of India was much low, to increase the literacy rate national channels took initiative to start quiz show. After few years private channels started penetrating into mass media giving it a larger shape. They started reality shows as cultural events to involve the ordinary mass. Their aim was to relate the viewers’ interest with the show and to increase publicity (T.R.P) & presently reality shows are becoming most popular events of the T.V channels.

Coming to the modern trend reality show underwent an immense change. Though entertainment should be the sole motto of the later, now it has become a part of the commercial world. The original talent is getting suppressed due to money laundering. Reality shows have different categories: talent hunt shows (Saregamapa, Indian Idol, Indias’ Got Talent, Kaun Banega Crorpati, Dance India Dance, Just Dance, Dadagiri Unlimited, Entertainment Ke Liye Kuch Bhi Karega, Bornvita Quiz Contest, Roadies, Fear Factor etc.) & Non-talent shows (Emotional Atyachar, Raaz Pichle Janam Ka, Sach Ka Samna, Splitsvilla, Dare To Date etc.). Talent hunt shows started with cultural sectors which were exclusive of winning amount, but now it is more materialistic. In the past these shows were judged by highly cultural people who were professionals & were impartial while judging. But now all reality shows are judged by ordinary people through audience poll. They give votes to a contestant they like even if they do not have enough knowledge on that particular field. Even while voting the difference in casts, creed, gender, regions work on the minds of people. Therefore, nowadays the judgement of real talent is becoming lame. Though the shows claim that the importance of audience poll is to let the common mass find their stars themselves, the real motto is to earn huge amount of money through s.m.s, emails, phone calls etc. Besides non-talent shows are more dangerous as those not only play with money, play with peoples’ emotions & even life. Non-talent shows are pure business. These are specially based on exciting gossip related matters which sometimes affects people very badly, acts upon minds. Besides sometimes it becomes mental & physical torture. But still these shows get huge popularity for its spicy stuff. Not only non-talent shows make people’s life miserable, talent hunt shows have their own drawbacks. Most of the participants of these shows suffer mentally when they do not succeed. They take it so seriously that it becomes ‘do or die’ situation for them. Some of them cannot bear the pressure of it & become sick either mentally or physically. When failure comes some of them even attempt suicide without a second thought. Reality shows affect children mostly as they think that it is the goal of their life. Parents are also responsible for this kind of mentality of the children. Their prime education is disturbed & sometimes they lose their self-confidence. Though reality shows bring us entertainment it takes much more from our life. Moreover reality shows are like an epidemic which is spreading its virus and affecting almost the whole of mankind.

Therefore an important question lies here, ‘Do we really need reality show?’ Actually we do not when we know that life is more important than entertainment. Still ordinary people always like to dream & when a platform like reality show exists, people will always take the risk to make their dreams come true & these shows will grow larger every day.

About the Author

Shayani Gupta is student of Journalism & Mass Communication at Muralidhar Girls College, Kolkata, West Bengal, India.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author, and they do not reflect in any way those of the Dispassionate Observer.

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