VENTREM

How Reality TV Distorts Reality

This essay will support the idea that Reality TV has distorted society’s understanding of human connection. Although reality TV can aid society in understanding human connection through diversity, reality TV more often distorts society’s understanding of human connection by normalizing potentially harmful behaviors, encouraging isolation, and promoting interpersonal conflict.

Reality TV encourages the distortion and normalization of potentially harmful behaviors by exposing viewers to certain behaviors frequently. In an article on Reality TV, Stefanone, Lackaff, and Rosen explain how people who consume lots of TV “ learn and model behavior portrayed in television programming”, leading to normal people mimicking the oversharing and other “social behaviors commonly associated with celebrities” (Stefanone et.al 510). This imitation of behavior occurs because “reality television programming presents a consistent set of values and behaviors related to self-disclosure”(Stefanone et.al 510). On Reality TV shows, most contestants, but especially those with celebrity status, put on exaggerated or fabricated personas to dramatize the show. Due to the voyeuristic nature of reality TV and the personas put on by contestants, people who are consistently exposed to these TV shows may begin to imitate the behaviors they witness on screen. This imitation can become especially prevalent in younger people because, as the brain develops, humans take on a monkey-see-monkey-do method of learning. This imitation can, over time, become dangerous. Notably, the imitation of oversharing can lead to parasocial relationships with strangers, such as a stalker. Parasocial relationships are inherently unhealthy and can, over time, lead to a distortion of human connection. When a person is exposed to a parasocial relationship, they may begin to find it normal, similar to anything else a person is exposed to for an extended period. This is not only harmful to the person’s mental state, but also to their view of what a normal human connection is. However, the potentially harmful behaviors consumers of reality TV are exposed to are not limited to causing personal harm. In their paper on reality TV’s effects, Dasari cites several sources showing that “reality TV's portrayal of conflict and confrontation as entertainment can desensitize viewers to aggression, potentially influencing their perceptions of acceptable social behavior” and “skew viewers' understanding of real-world social dynamics, leading to altered expectations and behaviors” (Dasari 4). Exposure to these aggressive behaviors can also pose an issue. When a person's behaviors or view of what behavior is considered acceptable is altered, it can cause a strain on relationships. Being aggressive towards others often leads people to dislike the aggressor, causing strain or the breaking off of relationships. Furthermore, when people imitate aggressive behavior, intentionally or not, they may put not only themselves but also others in danger. In certain situations, aggression can escalate into violence either by the aggressor's hand or by the victim's. When this kind of aggressor-victim behavior is normalized, it distorts a person’s view of human connection because aggressor-victim relationships are, by nature, unhealthy. Taken together, both articles support the belief that exposure to the potentially harmful behaviors on reality television can cause harm that leads to the distortion of human connection because the relationships resulting from these behaviors are often unhealthy and parasocial.

Furthermore, Reality TV also encourages the distortion of human connection through viewer isolation. In Dasari’s interviews he found that the reality show "Bigg Boss"… appears to play a role in the erosion of social bonds and increased feelings of isolation among its viewers” (Dasari 4). They explain that this is caused by the nature of the show “lead[ing] to viewers spending excessive amounts of time engaged with the show … at the expense of real-world interactions”(Dasari 4). Furthermore, the subjects of said interviews “noted a decrease in the quality and quantity of their social engagements” that they attributed to watching the show (Dasari 4). The results of Dasari’s interviews clearly show that consuming reality TV has affected the amount of social interaction viewers get. This isolation can distort how a person views human connection by lowering the amount of direct human interaction a person receives. This can lead to a person viewing human connection as unnecessary. In turn, when a show takes up an excessive amount of a person's time, they are likely to put aside other non-necessities, in this case, human connection. However, due to the nature of human beings, putting aside socialization can become harmful. The importance of human connection to health is explained in an article published by Public Health. The article explained that in a systematic review of systematic reviews on the effects of social isolation it was shown that “one meta-analysis found an association between subjective mental well-being and social relationships, with the quality of relationships more important than the quantity of them”; furthermore, “Two other systematic reviews suggested an association between social networks and depression, with large and diverse social networks with high quality relationships protecting against depression” (Leigh-Hunt et.al). This systematic review shows a clear connection between a positive human connection and a healthy psyche. This reinforces the importance of socialization and human connection; thus, it also reinforces how harmful the isolating effects of reality TV are. When a person cannot form high-quality relationships because they put entertainment over socialization, it has been shown to be harmful. This is due to the social nature of human beings and our inherent need for human connection. Therefore, taken together, these articles show how the isolating effects of reality TV can cause harm and distortion to human connection.

Despite existing sentiment about the negative effects of Reality TV, it can aid society in understanding human connection through diversity. In an interview for Columbia Magazine Professor Danielle J. Lindemann explains how reality TV can “[show] us the best of ourselves in its creativity [because] historically, reality TV has been more diverse than other forms of media in its representation of people of color and queer people” (Joy). Understanding diversity is vital to understanding human connection. In order to connect with people, it is important to be able to empathize with their backgrounds. Due to the wide range of people in the world, understanding diverse backgrounds helps foster human connection. Reality TV, in some cases, can help showcase diverse backgrounds that many people may not otherwise experience. One example of showcasing positive diversity on reality TV takes place on RuPaul’s Drag Race. The show is, by nature, more diverse than most. One notable moment took place in season 6 of Drag Race All Stars, where it was announced that “the queen who will be inducted into the drag race hall of fame [was] Kylie Sonique Love” (RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars S6E12). This win made Kylie “the first transgender winner in a U.S. version of the show” (Wikipedia). People who are transgender are often underrepresented in media, so moments like this showcasing a transgender person positively are very meaningful. Most people are not exposed to trans people until they are adults, and many get that exposure through hate. Thus, the positive showcasing of a transgender person in media is important to allow people to understand one of many kinds of people in the world. This moment was especially important because while drag has always been a gay dominated art, trans people have often been excluded. This exclusion is due to many factors and does not just apply to drag. Therefore, showcasing a transgender person on a popular reality TV show helps to expose people to, and hopefully become more accepting of, transgender people. Taken together, these sources show that, by showcasing lesser acknowledged groups on TV, reality TV works to expose people to diversity that aids in fostering better human connection.

Furthermore, despite some positives, reality TV distorts human connection through the encouragement of interpersonal conflicts by portraying conflict on screen. Dasari explains how interview subjects who spent considerable time watching the reality TV show “Big Boss” showed increased “engagement in conversations about conflicts, both related to the show and in their personal life” (Dasari 6). Dasari goes on to explain that “the divisive nature of [“Big Boss”], which often pits contestants—and by extension, viewers against each other … contributes to a breakdown in communication and increased conflict within personal relationships” caused by (Dasari 8-9). Dasari’s interview studies show how people reflect the media they consume. Thus people who consume reality TV that showcases conflicts are more likely to imitate that conflict. This can lead to unnesecary arguments, interpersonal conflict. Constant interpersonal conflicts lead to a breakdown in relationships and thus a distortion of human connection because without healthy relationships a person cannot properly understand human connection. A reality show known for this portrayal of conflicts is Dance Moms. In season 3 of the show, several of the mothers are questioning Melissa, one of the moms, about not wearing her engagement ring, and one of them ends up asking if “[her children] say anything about it if [she does not] wear [her ring]”. This prompts Melissa to storm out, but first, the show cuts to an interview with Melissa where she states that she “[does not] know why the other moms are so nosy” and “thinks they need to worry about their children and [she will] worry about [hers]” before cutting back to her leaving. As she leaves Melissa states that “[she is] not going [to the competition] [that] weekend” and interrupts the kids practice to tell Abby that “[the other moms] are staring [things] again so [her] kids and [her] are leaving and … not going [that] weekend” (Dance Moms). A person watching this scene with no previous knowledge outside of the title would not expect this showcase of interpersonal conflict on a show that seems to be about dance. This is one example of how reality TV showcases unnecessary and very personal conflicts for entertainment. When people are exposed to this kind of conflict it can become normalized in the mind of the viewer. This leads to a breakdown and distortion of human connection because interpersonal conflict becomes the norm. Taken together, Dasari’s interview studies and Dance Moms show how reality TV’s portrayal of interpersonal conflict leads to a normalization of unhealthy relationships that distorts human connection.

All in all, while reality TV can aid society in understanding human connection through diversity, it is more likely to distort society’s understanding of human connection by normalizing potentially harmful behaviors, encouraging isolation, and promoting interpersonal conflict. Reality TV is, by design, harmful. Reality TV shows are designed to prey on the vulnerabilities of the human brain’s dopamine center to keep viewer retention and profits high. Like much of the modern-day entertainment industry, reality TV is designed to distort how people view their reality. So why do we keep watching? Some people watch to make up for their own lives being uninteresting. They use reality TV as a form of escapism from their own reality. Others watch for the dopamine high that comes from watching a show that preys on the human psyche. Many watch because they just can not stop watching once they’ve started. The human brain is susceptible to addiction, and an addiction to watching reality TV can happen. Most of all, people watch for entertainment. Reality TV is easily accessible entertainment for people across the globe. Despite the many reasons for watching reality TV, people need to watch consciously. It is unhealthy to watch a show for so long that it takes up all of your free time or starts to affect how you see reality. Overall, no matter what kind of content is being consumed, viewers need to learn to have healthy viewing habits to prevent the unhealthy consequences of overconsumption.

Works Cited

“Dance Moms: Melissa Storms Out (Season 2 Flashback) | Lifetime.” YouTube, uploaded by Lifetime, 16 April 2018, https://youtu.be/tapeN9r64-I?si=niWmFI3fFbJVPWdL

Dasari, Prasanna, The Dark Side of Reality TV: A Case Study of "Bigg Boss" (February 28, 2024). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=4741757 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4741757

Joy, Julia. “It's Time to Start Taking Reality TV More Seriously.” Columbia Magazine, https://magazine.columbia.edu/article/its-time-start-taking-reality-tv-more-seriously. Accessed 27 April 2025.

“Kylie Sonique Love.” Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kylie_Sonique_Love. Accessed 24 April 2025.

“kylie sonique love winning all stars 6.” YouTube, uploaded by platinum queen, 4 September 2021, https://youtu.be/BPG41d1DFVI?si=jbt1gcwbR4rNW4VU

Leigh-Hunt, N., et al. “An overview of systematic reviews on the public health consequences of social isolation and loneliness.” Public Health, https://digitalwellbeing.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/An-overview-of-systematic-reviews-on-the-public-health-consequences-of-social-isolation-and-loneliness.pdf. Accessed 23 April 2025.

Michael A.StefanonePh.D., DerekLackaffPh.D. & DevanRosenPh.D. (2010) The Relationship between Traditional Mass Media and “Social Media”: Reality Television as a Model for Social Network Site Behavior, Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 54:3, 508-525, DOI: 10.1080/08838151.2010.498851